Everyone needs to feel wanted, important, like they're contributing. This movie is so relatable for me right now. I forgot how good this movie was.

Having been there myself, there were certain elements of the movie that reminded me of the sheer desperation felt at not just losing your job, but also in the following months, or years, where you constantly fail to find employment. I never had any real sympathy with Ben Affleck's character because he was an alpha male who believed he was good enough. Even though his pride took a battering, there was an eventual way out provided by Tommy Lee Jones. We didn't actually see Ben's character find the job himself, he got it thanks to someone else's charity (or even guilt). I did feel for Chris Cooper's character in terms of the discrimination against his age, as that was also something I faced. However, I am not sure it was made clear just how he was so desperate that he killed himself. Surely that would've been just as embarrassing for his wife as if her neighbours learned he was out of work. As for Tommy Lee Jones's character, it seemed he was only there to provide the balance of the executive with a heart, in the face of other inconsiderate executives and an even more insensitive wife. They one to prove that there are altruistic rich people out there. The people I empathised with were the others in the outplacement centre. A place set up to replicate an office to try and engender a sense of "still going to work". A place so sterile in its sense of worth and purpose, that it actually drags you down further with each failed attempt by you or your "colleagues". I felt for the people who had been there for months, the ones who found that the only jobs available called for practical skills they didn't have such as construction - thereby making their white collar skills completely useless. The ones who had to keep themselves motivated to keep trying despite the knock backs - like Eamon Walker's character. At the end he still didn't have a job despite having been searching months before Ben's character. So whilst there was a nice tie up for Ben's character, there was still nothing for this guy. No matter how much he repeated the "self worth" mantra.So in conclusion it hit home and had a "happy ever after" ending and was a decent first screenplay . But on reflection, it focused on the wrong characters and should've shown how, through perseverance, you too can "find" a job (and not just have one drop in your lap).

What a crock! The Tommy Lee Jones character is super wealthy and the Chris Cooper character should have loads of money saved up. Even the Affleck guy being a sensible MBA would have put away loads in 14 years.Most of the movie is only within 4-6 months of them losing their jobs. The Cooper character can't pay his daughter's tuition after working for 35 years and being at a high level? It's so bad that he has no hope? I can see where the Affleck guy would have to cut back on expenses, because a lot of guys in his salary/benefits range overextend themselves, but it wouldn't be drastic right away.Also,the economy was the bad guy, not the company itself. Or is this all about one CEO making a bundle? The people were given generous severance packages and career counseling services.I don't even get the movie. I suppose the message is that big corporations are good when you work for them and make a bunch of money, but they are evil when they lay you off. Dry Wall guys who work with their hands and drink beers after work are spiritually holier than business executives? There was no character development of the CEO and very little of the other folks. Jones was an adulterer and kind of aggressive and rude. But suddenly he's an idealist? Affleck's guy seemed pretty shallow throughout, although he redeemed himself by helping a black guy find work.I know that this was supposed to be some kind of profound statement about wealth inequality or the value of hands-on labor or the working class. But it didn't make the case very well. I was left wondering what the hell the point was. They had good jobs, the economy went south, and they lost the good jobs. They weren't protesting anything before they were let go.I did enjoy the general scenery, and Affleck does have an appealing way about him on screen. Jones is the same guy in every movie.If you watch it, keep your guard up and try to figure out what the heck the writer is trying to say, other than the basic "Occupy" manifesto.

John Wells' 2010 drama "The Company Men" came out at the right time it needed to come out…during the Great Recession. It's all about the effects of the Great Recession on the American people. As far as that aspect is concerned, "The Company Men" accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, inform us of its effects. Unfortunately, that's all it does well and what's worse, this film came out a little too late to truly make a huge impact on the audience. It doesn't help that a better film on the Great Recession called "Up in the Air" came out a year earlier. We follow three employees (Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper) who have been let go from the same corporation due to downsizing in the midst of the recession. One (Affleck) sees his life of luxury with his wife and kids deteriorate as a result of being let go and being unable to find jobs that suit his needs. It gets to the point where he might have to rely on his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) to help him out. One (Jones) has been friends with the CEO (Craig T. Nelson) since the very beginning, but now finds this friendship challenged due to the CEO's inconsistent future plans. And the third one (Cooper) is severely struggling to find a new job due to his old age. This film basically follows the paths that these three take to get back to normal. "The Company Men" does its part at informing us of how harmful the Great Recession is to the lives of the American people. The story is told decently and maintains its focus on whom the story should be focusing on: the three main characters or at least the crucial people in each of their lives. While I wouldn't say that there were any standout performances in this picture that I could really praise, the actors do their best at taking their roles seriously and giving them the respect they deserve. The problem I had with "The Company Men" is that it's straight up boring. The characters we have to spend time with just feel bland and forgettable. There's no real complexity to their personalities and there's nothing unique about these people that I've seen in other movies. Ben Affleck's character comes to mind when naming a surprisingly one-dimensional storyline. While the story tackles relevant subject matter, it's executed in a predictable and unsurprising manner. Because the characters are dull, we're sort of watching something that keeps moving along but doesn't emotionally impact us in the slightest. We know exactly what will happen at least 10 seconds before it happens. We know what the outcomes for the characters and the future relationship between certain characters will be. We pretty much know how everything will pan out, so there's no real point in even watching this film if that's how we feel about it. "The Company Men" doesn't do anything awful besides having a predictable story and cardboard characters. If you'll settle for a film that informs at a relevant time, this does what it's designed to do. Otherwise, look elsewhere.