What to know

critics consensus

It might be hard for most viewers to identify with The Company Men's well-heeled protagonists, but writer/director John Wells uses their plight to make universally resonant points -- and gets the most out of his excellent cast. Read critic reviews

You might also like

Where to watch

Show all services

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

The Company Men Photos

View All Photos (22)

Movie Info

A young executive at a shipping and manufacturing conglomerate, Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is on the fast track to the top. He is a rising star at work and has all the material trappings of success. Then his company goes through a few rounds of layoffs, so Bobby and colleagues Phil (Chris Cooper) and Gene (Tommy Lee Jones) find themselves on the unemployment line. As the year unfolds, all three must redefine their lives as they struggle to survive in a hostile post-career landscape.
  • Rating:
    R (Language|Brief Nudity)
  • Genre:
    drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    John Wells
  • Producer:
    Claire Rudnick Polstein, Paula Weinstein, John Wells
  • Writer:
    John Wells
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     limited
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $4.4M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Battle Mountain Films
  • Sound Mix:
    Dolby

Cast & Crew

Ben Affleck
Bobby Walker
Chris Cooper
Phil Woodward
Kevin Costner
Jack Dolan
Tommy Lee Jones
Gene McClary
Maria Bello
Sally Wilcox
Rosemarie DeWitt
Maggie Walker
Craig T. Nelson
James Salinger
John Doman
Dysart
Liam Ferguson
Golf Partner
Cady Huffman
Joanna
John Wells
Director
John Wells
Screenwriter
Claire Rudnick Polstein
Producer
Paula Weinstein
Producer
John Wells
Producer
Barbara A. Hall
Executive Producer
Roger Deakins
Cinematographer
Robert Frazen
Film Editor
Aaron Zigman
Original Music
David J. Bomba
Production Design
Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for The Company Men

Critics Consensus: No Strings Attached Is A Little Frayed
View All

Critic Reviews for The Company Men

All Critics (170) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (114) | Rotten (56)

View All Critic Reviews (170)

Audience Reviews for The Company Men

  • Oct 06, 2016
    A demanding film that wins us over little by little, tackling a downbeat topic with a slow, careful approach and asking us to be patient because the result will certainly be rewarding, and its main strength lies in three exceptional performances by Jones, Affleck and Cooper.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Aug 02, 2013
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Feb 14, 2013
    The acting in this modern day tragic story of how layoffs can devastate the human psyche, is outstanding all across the board. Chris Cooper and Ben Affleck transform from confident executives to Men who question their Manhood and self worth. Tommy Lee Jones and Craig T. Nelson are the high up executives who witness the damage cause by their "business" decisions. Kevin Costner does his best work in years in an understated role as the blue collar guy who can't relate to the white collar types whose lives are thrown into chaos. Mario Bello does great work as the company "Hatchet Woman," and Rosemarie Dewitt is strong as the wife of Ben Affleck's tortured terminated executive.
    Robert B Super Reviewer
  • Feb 12, 2013
    Phil Woodward: My life ended and nobody noticed. "In America, We Give Our Lives To Our Jobs. It's Time To Take Them Back." The Company Men was a surprising movie for me. I didn't have great expectations because of the rather luke warm review it got when initially released. However, I really like it. I liked the story, which was real life and something that sums up many people's lives around the time of the financial repression setting in. Also I like how this shows big corporate giants and their lack of empathy for their workers. It's all about how much they can make, while they put thousands of people who have families out of work all in the name of how high we can get our stock before we cash out. The Company Men shows three men who are negatively effected by the downsizing of the company they have each worked at for years. We see how the downsizing effects not only them, but their families as well, as money, which has never been an issue, is suddenly a problem. The story has political undertones throughout as we constantly hear things about Bush and what he's going to do about the collapse, and news about Goldman possibly being involved in illegal activities. This movie does have some powerful moments as many things represented in it have occurred to many we know. Plants start laying off workers because stocks are dropping and the higher ups have to keep the holders happy. That's the excuse I guess. In the end though all the firings do is allow the CEO and other executives the opportunity to pad their own bank account while every worker who made the company what it is are put on the chopping block. The Company Men is a well made and important movie with a phenomenal cast and great writing. Some moments(mostly family scenes with Affleck) come off a bit misguided, but for the most part, the film is razor sharp and effective in everything it sets out to do. This is definitely one that's worth a look and I'm glad I finally got around to seeing it after pushing it aside for a couple of years.
    Melvin W Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

The Company Men Quotes

View All Quotes

Movie & TV guides