Company Man (2000)

This long-delayed spoof about the "true story" behind the Bay of Pigs was released shortly after Thirteen Days, another movie about a Cuban (missile) crisis. The latter represented something of a comeback for Kevin Costner (after For Love of the Game) and director Roger Donaldson (after Dante's Peak). For Douglas McGrath, who cowrote Bullets Over Broadway (1994) and directed Emma (1996), Company Man represents something of a comedown. First off, it's just not very funny--and becomes even less so during its 81-minute running time. Secondly, McGrath, who has appeared in several Woody Allen films, is simply not charismatic enough to carry a picture--not this one, at any rate. Then there's the matter of a talented supporting cast in the service of material that feels both underwritten and overedited (possibly against the directors' wishes).

To his credit, McGrath is more of a verbal comedian (in over-enunciated Kevin Spacey mold) than a physical one. Consequently, he (grammar teacher-turned-CIA agent Quimp) and Allen (Quimp's superior) get the best lines. The physical gags mostly fall flat. Sigourney Weaver (Quimp's nagging wife), John Turturro (his overzealous partner), and Alan Cumming (deposed leader Batista) are hamstrung by this emphasis on the physical (and one-dimensional). Ultimately, McGrath (and cowriter-director Peter Askin) attempts to align Company Man with nebbish-in-the-middle satires like Allen's Bananas (1971) rather than serious-minded fare like Thirteen Days. He only proves that more time spent working for the Master (Allen)--rather than vice versa--should be in order. --Kathleen C. Fennessy Amazon.com

Wonderfully Creative

What makes this movie so extraordinary is that all of the weird stuns the characters used in movie to kill or to discredit Castro were actually used by the CIA at the time. Which says a lot about the quality and the mindset of the people within that misguided Ivy league organization. June 13, 2008

Well I thought...

This was a hilarious movie! I saw it for the first time on IFC and couldn't stop sitting in front of the TV (I hardly watch TV). Now it is one of my favorite movies and it never gets old. Some parts are hard to understand the comedy in them, but once you see it over again-it seems clear and you finally get it-and just laugh! I guarantee you will have a good time watching this and if not, at least it's not like ANY other movie you've ever seen before. And the end credit bits are funny and add to all the laughter you just experienced. At least rent it and give it a shot. Everybody else who didn't enjoy it were just being too critical and pompous-just watch it-it's a movie, not politics! May 21, 2007

Hillarious!

I'm surprized this movie hasn't received better reviews. I never get tired of this movie. Denis Leary has a small part, but he does it really well - it shows he can handle large AND small roles. All of the other actors in this movie collectively bring the movie together in a wonderfully cheerful way. Give this movie a shot, its so much more entertaining than you'd ever expect. February 11, 2007

Off-beat, clever, goofy

If the three words of the title of my review appeal to you, then this movie should, too. I'd never heard of the lead actor/director/writer (Douglas McGrath) but I found him to be very humorous and enjoyable. Turns out he co-wrote Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway," "Emma," and other excellent films.

Anyway, he is perfect in his role as the wimpy grammar teacher/driver's ed instructor who lies about being a CIA agent in order to impress his domineering wife, and then actually ends up being hired by the CIA. The scene where he corrects the grammar of a fellow-agent in Cuba is great and could be used by teachers everywhere to bring humor to the teaching of grammar and to help students have fun over the "who/whom" conundrum.

However, I hate to single out just that scene, because there are so many good bits in the film. Does every joke work? No. There are a few that fall by the wayside. But, what the heck. There are very few films that keep me laughing all the way through and that have such a great ensemble cast, all of whom pull off their parts to a tee and all of whom know how to work a scene for a good chortle.

For a movie that is not a cliche and that is not your typical Hollywood by-the-numbers comedy give this one a try. Personally, I hope McGrath makes another film soon and that this one gets the attention it deserves. July 26, 2006

very clever, very funny

A *very* funny movie, but young audiences might not get all of it. Older folks will get all the silly bits that depend on historical references.

The main character delivers the laughs in clever ways, projecting a personality like Chevy Chase's Griswold, but without pratfalls. The humor is all in the ideas, delivered by the script itself.

The appearance by Woody Allen (who gets no billing on the box or credits) appears to be a cameo at first. A short while later someone who looks like Rob Reiner makes an appearance as Fidel Castro. It isn't (Reiner nor Castro). Woody later reappears, so it turns out to be more than a cameo.

Reduced to four stars due to some perverse nude activity at the very end that should have earned it an R rating. (Actually, it should have been omitted.) January 9, 2005

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