In The Company Of Men
review by Ed Johnson-Ott
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His philosophy. "Never lose control - - that is the total key to the universe". His outlook on women. "I don't trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die". His idea. "Let's hurt somebody". Meet Chad, an attractive, glib young man who manipulates others with surgical efficiency. His name couldn't be more appropriate, conjuring up images of All-American good looks and slick superficiality. A wolf in preppie's clothing, Chad has charisma and knows exactly how to best utilize it to further his ruthless agenda. And if he destroys some people along the way, well...good!
"In The Company Of Men", the debut feature by Fort Wayne writer-director Neil LaBute, is a stark, nasty little tale of competition, power and cruelty. Corporate climbers Chad and Howard are sent to a small Midwestern town for a six-week assignment. Both men are filled with anger, at their company for farming them out and promoting younger men ahead of them, and at women, for dumping them. Smiling at his toady colleague, Chad lays out a plan to ease their pain. During the six-week stay, the men will find a suitable victim, carefully build dual romantic relationships with her, then break her heart just before skipping town. "Trust me", Chad purrs, "she'll be reaching for the sleeping pills within a week, and we will laugh about this until we are very old men". Initially startled by the coldness of the plan, Howard agrees to participate. The men select a deaf receptionist as their prey, and the game is afoot.
LaBute's ultra low-budget feature, filmed for less than $25,000, created a sensation across the country. Despite winning an award at the Sundance Festival, it was one of the last films to find a distributor, thanks to executives skittish over the staggering misogyny of the lead characters. Sony Pictures Classic finally picked up the film, which has garnered some of the best reviews of the year.
"In The Company Of Men" is shocking, but the central conceit is nothing new. During the 60's, many of the frothy Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies were built around the idea of men deceiving women to meet their own ends. One of the subplots of last years "Everybody Says I Love You" focused on Woody Allen building a romance with Julia Roberts based totally on deceit.
What makes "In The Company Of Men" different isn't the premise. It's not even the brazenness of the plan. "In The Company Of Men" shocks because of the sustained cruelty of Chad and his utter lack of remorse. As Chad, 29 year-old Aaron Eckhart is mesmerizing, a reptile with a broad smile and GQ good looks. He is one of the best villains in recent memory, the epitome of the corporate world's dark underbelly. He amuses his cohorts by thumbing through a company magazine and pronouncing his hatred for the various executives therein. He casually humiliates a young intern, bullying the man into pulling down his pants ("You got the balls for this? Well, show me those clankers") then smirking and sending him off to fetch some coffee. But he reserves his worst for Christine, the deaf receptionist, wooing her with new-age sensitive-guy shtick, while mocking her disabilities behind her back.
While Chad is the bold Nazi, Howard functions as the "good German soldier", cooperating with the plan even as he develops real affection for Christine. As the mealy-mouthed Howard, Matt Malloy paints a disturbing portrait of what a person can turn into when he lacks focus and courage of heart. Howard appears a bit sympathetic initially, but ultimately his uncertain stumbling approach does as much damage as Chad.
Stacy Edwards is exceptional as Christine, investing the character with enough strength to keep her from appearing to be a mere victim, and enough nuance to keep her from looking like a saint. Edwards, who is not- deaf, manages to capture the unique vocal inflection of a deaf person without overdoing it.
Neil LaBute is a playwright and "In The Company Of Men" is very a stagy piece of work. LaBute uses the camera in a static fashion that invites the audience to examine the characters as if they were animals in a zoo. The result is effective, though one questions whether it was deliberate or simply the mark of a first-time director.
While "In The Company Of Men" deals with misogyny, the real focus of the film is the competition between Chad and Howard for power, personal and corporate. The story is extreme, but the message is clear. If never losing control becomes your mantra, the only thing you'll end up in touch with is your own inner Chad. Rating: Four stars.
copyright 1997
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