agmtw logo
search
In the Company of Men (1997)

In the Company of Men (1997)

This cruel black comedy about toxic masculinity and corporate culture is ahead of its time

7.6

Movie

Canada, United States of America
English
Comedy, Drama
1997
NEIL LABUTE
Aaron Eckhart, Emily Cline, Jesse D. Goins
97 min

TLDR

The production crew had $10, an excellent script, and a dream.

What it's about

Tired of being looked down on by women, corporate executives Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) plan to manipulate an unassuming girl by wooing her and breaking her heart the moment she falls in love with them.

The take

It’s both sad and amazing that a film about toxic masculinity and corporate culture released in the ‘90s remains relevant today. In the Company of Men is about two incels who exact polite revenge on women by attacking a deaf office worker named Christine (Stacy Edwards). Of course, things don’t go exactly as planned since this is the kind of film that twists and turns in unexpected curves. It’s also the kind that can fly with the barest of budgets, proving that sometimes all you need is a blistering script, skilled performers, and an eye for what visually works to make an effective film. In the Company of Men is a black comedy, so it’s not always easy to watch, but it’s profoundly thought-provoking as it asks relevant questions about the violence of fragile masculinity, the entitlement of supposed “nice guys,” the soul-sucking cruelty of corporations, and the dog-eat-dog-world of modern-day capitalism. That a small team can pack all these big ideas in its modestly budgeted indie is a wonder in itself.

What stands out

Edwards was so convincing that I was shocked to learn she is, in fact, not deaf in real life.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

Al Pacino does justice to a Shakespearian icon in this comedy turned drama

7.0

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

His Three Daughters (2024)

Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait

8.9

Hail Satan? (2019)

Forget everything you think you know about the Satanic Temple

8.0

I Lost My Body (2019)

The Oscar-nominated unconventional animation

8.2

Incendies (2011)

Part melodrama, part war thriller, Incendies is gorgeous and heartbreaking from the first scene

9.9

Wind River (2017)

Sicario's screenwriter directs this story of murder in an Indigenous reserve

9.4

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.