In the Company of Men (1997)

★★★½
I read my one-star review of In the Company of Men before writing this update. I saw it years ago, when I was still fresh out of college and barely into a career job. This movie’s themes were largely foreign to me. I compared it unfavorably to Tootsie, “…which does a much better job of examining the challenges women must face in the workplace, as well as how men act in each other's company, and how some men change face when around women.” I also compared it to Welcome to the Dollhouse, “…another movie about cruel people picking on an outcast. That movie was far superior because director Todd Solandz placed our sympathies and focus on the teenage girl character who was the subject of torment.” Seeing Neil LaBute’s movie now, years later, is like looking into my past. Aaron Eckhart’s Chad is one of the slimiest characters ever written. It is with great misfortunate that I’ve encountered his type.

Chad is a businessman who is fed up with women. He vents his frustrations to Howard (Matt Malloy), an associate of his. Howard more or less agrees. Chad comes up with a devious plan. He suggests that they both find a woman and pretend to fall in love with her. After six weeks, they will dump her. This is their method of getting revenge on every woman that has hurt them. They turn it into a game. Now all they need to do is seek out the hapless victim. As the story opens, Chad and Howard are travelling to a satellite location away from their main office building. Away from their familiar stomping grounds, they plot to meet someone completely new and unsuspecting. They find their victim in Christine (Stacy Edwards), who has the added bonus of being deaf. Chad thinks she's perfect for their game. They both go through the motions of meeting Christine, and she begins to date both of them.

For the next six weeks, Chad and Howard shower Christine with gifts and good intentions, with candlelit dinners and words of affection. This is all a ploy, and this unsettling fact underscores every scene. We squirm in our seats as we watch these men dupe this innocent person. Neil LaBute doesn't pull any punches. His approach is unnerving. My reaction is probably what LaBute was hoping would happen. I'm supposed to disapprove of Chad's plan. I'm supposed to feel hostility towards Chad. When Chad reveals the truth to Christine, in a particularly cruel scene, I felt nothing but contempt for him. Watching this movie is like standing by while two bullies pick on someone weaker. What is LaBute's point? Why did he subject us to watching two lowlife individuals play their cruel game on Christine? When I first saw this movie, I didn’t have the answers, but now I do.

Chad, an alpha male working for an unnamed corporate entity, is cynical to no end. We learn almost nothing of his past, but there’s a key scene at the end that suggests that he was always like this. He didn’t start out idealistic, entering Corporate America with camaraderie on his mind. Rather, his newfound position afforded him the opportunity to live out his vindictive nature. To reinforce this point, observe how Chad, while mingling with his associates around a conference table, looks through a brochure that features prominent men in his organization. He openly expresses his disgust for them. When a seemingly nice coworker walks by and sticks his head in the door for a quick exchange, Chad responds kindly. After the man leaves, Chad says he hates him too. Everyone is a potential target for his wrath.

The game goes on. Chad’s trajectory is constant. There’s no hint that he will reverse course and have a crisis of conscience. His mannerisms, body language and unrestrained insolence have served him well for so long, and Eckhart jumps into this role fearlessly. Howard is a willing participant, but he’s also along for the ride. He would not have come up with such a scheme on his own. Nevertheless, he’s had enough issues in his life to be enticed. He’s a stooge, eager to please, even if it might go against his better judgement. Christine is absolutely charming. This is an amazing acting job. Stacy Edwards is not deaf, yet she is so convincing that there is never any doubt that we are watching a deaf character. She is sweet and endearing, making the eventual revelation all the more devastating. The soundtrack is key to the movie’s themes. It features loud banging drums and an untamed trumpet, along with other instruments with which I am not familiar. It sounds animalistic, like something you might hear in a jungle. Indeed, one could employ the familiar idiom “it’s a jungle out there” to describe this movie's corporate setting.

It’s one thing to analyze everyone’s motives, but that still leaves the two questions above unanswered. What is LaBute's point? Why did he subject us to watching two lowlife individuals play their cruel game on Christine? In the Company of Men is cautionary. Any of us could, or did, end up in this world. It can either have a corrupting influence or serve as an enabler of abusive behavior. If you’re strong enough, though, you could navigate these rough waters successfully and never compromise your principles. I never worked in the corporate world, but I did work for an organization with a rigid structure. I have met the Chads in the world. They are narcissistic self-serving individuals who will target someone for destruction. Why? As Chad puts it, “because I could.” I knew someone who was very smart and went to her first job after school. I was told years later that she washed out, thanks to someone not unlike Chad. Keep an eye out for these types, and don’t become one.

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