Cruel, cool and pleasingly provocative.
In the Company of Men (1997)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:46
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.8/10
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In writer-director Neil LaBute's debut feature film, a pair of thirtysomething white-collar businessmen, embittered by their shallow lives and bad experiences with women, target and romance a... In writer-director Neil LaBute's debut feature film, a pair of thirtysomething white-collar businessmen, embittered by their shallow lives and bad experiences with women, target and romance a beautiful deaf secretary (Stacy Edwards) solely for the purpose of dumping her and thus gaining revenge on her sex. While one of the junior execs, Chad (Aaron Eckhart), is relentlessly cold-blooded and cruel, his partner, Howard (Matt Malloy), proves to be a spineless tagalong. When their manipulative game ends, one of them is in for a shocking surprise. Touted as "the most controversial film of the year" upon its release in 1997, this articulate black comedy sparked a roiling storm of praise and loathing from critics and audiences alike. Eckhart, a college friend of LaBute's, became the primary lightning rod for these passionate, widely varying responses, winning an Independent Spirit Award for his performance while also fending off occasional verbal abuse from angry women mistaking him for the reptilian character he plays. The film unapologetically depicts appalling behavior but never condones Chad and Howard's actions, making it one of the most intriguing and memorable movies of the late 1990s. [More]
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, Stacy Edwards
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, Stacy Edwards
Director: Neil LaBute
Director: Neil LaBute
Screenwriter: Neil LaBute
Producer: Mark Archer, Stephen Pevner
Composer: Ken Williams, Karel Roessingh
Reviews for In the Company of Men
A disturbing, well observed screen debut from director LaBute, while the three central performances are spot on.
LaBute's film is not easy to watch, deal with or understand. But its effect is unmistakable.
A dazzling, repellent exercise in which the case against men is closed before it's opened.
LaBute, a playwright and former drama teacher, has succeeded in creating a study of banal, everyday evil.
A bitterly promising screenwriting-directing debut from playwright Neil LaBute.
A dark, probing, truly disturbing exploration of yuppie angst and male anxieties as they manifest themselves in both the work and personal arenas.
A highlight of the 97 Sundance Film Fest, LaBute's astonishing debut is a dark, probing, vastly entertaining satire about misogyny and sexual politics in the work as well as personal arena; LaBute is a major dialoguist to watch
I don't what finding humor in the most unsavory of situations says about me, but in terms of LaBute, it means that a first-class filmmaker has arrived on the scene.
What we also have here, in other words, is a movie in which next to nothing happens. See it only if you are having trouble sleeping.
Latest News for In the Company of Men
August 31, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Crank" Is Well-Ranked; "Illusionist" Is Magic, "Crossover" Is An Air-Ball, "Wicker Man" Gets Burned
This week at the movies, we've got hoopsters with big dreams ("Crossover," starring Anthony Mackie), scary goings-on on remote islands ("The Wicker Man,"... More...
August 30, 2006:
"Crank," Wicker Man," "Idiocracy" Won't Be Screened For Critics -- Guess The Tomatometer!
The studios have been hiding movies from those pesky scribes all year long, but this time they've outdone themselves. This week, three movies won't be screened before getting... More...
June 06, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: The Wicker Man
Frankly I wouldn't have the guts to remake a cult classic as adored as Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man," but obviously I am not Neil LaBute and/or Nicolas Cage. The... More...
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