In the Company of Men Movie Review

In the Company of Men (1997)

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Written by: Neil LaBute (play)
Directed by: Neil LaBute
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, Stacy Edwards
Rated: R
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Plot
Two business executives, one an avowed misogynist and the other emotionally wounded by his love interest, set out to exact revenge on the female gender by selecting a vulnerable woman and ruining her life.

Verdict
This is a movie that wants you to feel uncomfortable. This creates a villain so vile, not in the breadth of his atrocities, but because you probably know someone at least a bit like this. We see a character with no regard whatsoever for others. He delights in ruining people. The entire movie is a ruse to emotionally hurt someone just for the sake of it, but he harms everyone he meets.
Watch It.

Review
Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) are colleagues temporarily loaned to another office. As they wait in the airport, we get a sense of them from their conversation. Chad is quite bitter, talking extensively without saying much though it's clear he thinks his ideas are great. Howard clearly is the more passive one, content to listen to Chad ramble.

Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy play Chad, Howard

Chad seems like someone that's been wounded, lashing out at women to keep his pride intact. He seems like someone that instead of admitting to his own faults, puts it on everyone else. If he can't get a date, it must be the woman's fault. Chad is annoying because everything annoys him, and he seems very entitled. It's amazing how quickly we get a sense of Chad.

Since Chad and Howard have both recently had relationships come to an end, Chad decides they should find an insecure woman, romance her, and then end the relationship just to hurt her. Chad is the mastermind, but Howard isn't absolved as he follows along. I don't often see such targeted vitriol from a character. This is incredibly heartless to have this idea, and even worse to want to act on it. Chad is a sociopath if not worse. Howard seems better, and I wonder if he'll follow through with this plan.

Chad is an intriguing character. He delights in pushing people past their comfort zone and manipulating them. As this movie progresses, it's clear Howard is not Chad's friend though Howard has the wrong impression they are. Chad uses people. He has no friends. 

Christine (Stacy Edwards) is the object of their plan. They both begin dating her, but Howard falls for her. Of course Christine has fallen for Chad, but the way Chad talks about Christine behind her back is disgusting. It's scary how effortlessly Chad lies to Christine and then denigrate her. What makes this movie so uncomfortable is that I know people at least somewhat like this. This movie feels just a bit too real.

Aaron Eckhart, Stacy Edwards play Chad, Christine

This has that movie moment where Howard admits to Christine what's going on. We've been conditioned to think that will fix it, but that's not reality. Even if Christine could forgive Howard, how could she ever trust him after subjecting her to Chad and doing this to her? Upon being rejected Howard lashes out at Christine, revealing his thoughts on women.

Why is Howard surprised that Chad is a snake? Chad used this fake friendship to lure Howard into trust. Chad used that to get a promotion at Howard's expense. Howard knows how Chad treats people, but of course Howard didn't think Chad would do that to him.

Few movies craft a villain so vile, but what makes it worse is how grounded the movie is. You know people like this. Howard is distraught about the events. Chad reveals just how revolting he is. When Howard asks him, "Why?" Chad responds, "Because I could." Chad delights in sociopath behavior, wanting to know from both Christine and Howard how it feels so that he can gloat.

This is not a fun movie by any stretch. It's revolting, and that is the movie's intention. This is a movie that feels just as, if not more, relevant now than at the time. This is insight into emotionally stunted men that are insecure and scared. They are schoolyard bullies grown up, lashing out at others to help their own self esteem.