In the Company of Men was released on August 1, 1997, and is writer-director Neil LaBute's and Aaron Eckhart's first film together, as well as their first films. It was both written and directed by Neil Labute, and stars Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, and Stacy Edwards.
I heard about this film a little while ago, before starting the list, and found it interesting, and decided to check it out. It was a little tough to find, being that it's an indie film from the 90s, from a director who hasn't done a lot of good stuff (The Wicker Man remake with Nic Cage, the American remake of Death at a Funeral). So, I put it on hold. When it came up on the list, I had a bit of trouble finding it, before finding it on iTunes (which should've been the first place I looked, considering their love for good indie movies). So, I bought it, and watched it.
Not many people know about it, and those who do, don't often talk about it. While the movie certainly is good, it's not really spectacular. However, the film has one amazingly good thing: Aaron Eckhart. I've never thought him to be a tremendous actor, but he's absolutely brilliant here.
The story goes, Aaron Eckhart met Neil Labute while at Brigham Young University who cast him in several of his plays, including In the Company of Men. After Eckhart moved to New York City a few years later, LaBute approached him, asking him to star in his film adaption of In the Company of Men. Eckhart agreed.
Without a doubt, Eckhart is the best thing about this film. He plays this sociopathic womanizer, Chad, who decides with his good friend Howard (Matt Malloy), while they are out of town for 6 weeks on a business trip, to find a self-conscious woman, both date her, and then dump her once they leave, emotionally scarring her. They choose Christine (Stacy Edwards), a deaf woman at their office. They both do this because of bad experiences they have had with women. Eckhart is the best actor of the three. The other two do good, but once you take Eckhart out of the scene, it's just not as enjoyable. I found myself being bored whenever he wasn't on screen. Which isn't very good for the other two actors. They do okay, they're not terrible, but not great either.
A good example of this would have to be a scene where Howard tells Christine he loves her. Without spoiling anything, the scene doesn't really end good for either character. However, it just didn't feel powerful until right at the end of the scene when Howard starts yelling. One good thing I can say about Matt Malloy is that he's a good yeller.
The writing is very good. LaBute is a great writer, and that's what keeps the film going whenever Eckhart leaves the screen. It's a real shame he decided to direct the Wicker Man remake. He could've had a great career, something like Todd Solondz, with this being his Welcome to the Dollhouse. (Speaking of Welcome to the Dollhouse, why isn't that on the list?)
Overall, Aaron Eckhart and Neil LaBute are the reasons why this film is on the list, and fairly so, considering how Matt Malloy and Stacy Edwards have gone nowhere, but Aaron Eckhart has done a variety of great films (The Dark Knight, Erin Brokovich, Thank You For Smoking, etc. etc.) and Neil LaBute had at least, directed some more films. Overall, this films gets a 7.5/10. Check it out if you're interested, I cannot stress enough how much of a good job Aaron Eckhart does in this film. Also, one thing I forgot to mention: the closing scene. Eckhart isn't it, but it's rather sublime. I've noticed that a lot of mute scenes are.
Next time, I'm watching Amores Perros, the first film in director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu's trilogy of death.
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