Friday, October 03, 2008

In the Company of Men (1997).

The Scoop:
Writer/director Neil LaBute is becoming one of cinema's most astute chroniclers of the social estrangement of white males, and this, his debut feature, contains the seeds that would flower in his later work.

Two young business executives (Aaron Eckhart and Matt Malloy) who are both having relationship trouble decide to vent their frustrations on an extended business trip by intentionally seducing and then destroying the emotions of an insecure woman. The subject they find is a deaf secretary in their office (Stacy Edwards) and things wind up being stickier than they ever intended.

Despite a few slow parts, this is a scathing portrayal of misogyny and rampant, misplaced testosterone. Sharp, but not for the faint of heart.

Best Bit:
The entire "He's a prick" scene.

Side Note:
The screen if full of people pulling double duty. In addition to Malloy also serving as executive producer, most of the actors used in the bit and extra parts were members of the crew.

Companion Viewing:
"Your Friends and Neighbors" (1998).

Links:
IMDb.
Urban Cinefile.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

1 comment:

Fred said...

"Neil LaBute is becoming one of cinema's most astute chroniclers..."

Or he's made some vaguely interesting movies and a lot of crap. In all fairness, I think I've only ever seen Nurse Betty in its entirety, but there's nothing astute in what I've seen of The Wicker Man.