IN THE COMPANY OF MEN

"IN THE COMPANY OF MEN"
(1997) (Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Minor	Extreme	None	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	None	None	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	Moderate	None	Mild	Minor

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: Two men, fed up with the way they've been treated by women, decide to both date a deaf girl, build up her expectations, and then simultaneously dump her as their revenge upon all women.

PLOT:: Chad (AARON ECKHART) and Howard (MATT MALLOY) have been buddies since college and are now co-workers where Howard has been promoted as Chad's boss. After complaining one day about how women have treated them poorly in the past, Chad uses his bottled up rage to concoct a plan that will enact revenge upon all women for their collective "evil" deeds they've perpetuated upon men. He gets Howard, the meeker of the two, to agree to his plan where both men will date the same woman, build up her romantic expectations, and then simultaneously dump her. Giggling with boyish enthusiasm over their plan, they pick out Christine (STACY EDWARDS), a woman from the secretarial pool, as their subject. They're equally delighted with, and make fun of, the fact that she's deaf, thinking that she'll be more inclined to fall in love with them because of their belief that she doesn't date much due to her disability. Their plan begins to unravel, however, when it appears that both men are actually falling for her, when in reality, only one really is. As their relationships continue, it's only a matter of time before the plan falls apart.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Some older teens might if they've heard about the controversy surrounding the film, but other than that, most other kids will skip this movie.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For language and emotional abuse.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: Both AARON ECKHART and MATT MALLOY play characters who are bad role models as both plan to hurt an innocent woman, with the Chad character being filled with venomous hate.
STACY EDWARDS plays a deaf woman who unknowingly gets sucked into the men's spiteful plan.; STACY EDWARDS plays a deaf woman who unknowingly gets sucked into the men's spiteful plan.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

OUR TAKE: 6.5 out of 10: Neil LaBute's small, inexpensive film (that he wrote and directed) may be lacking in high production values or sweeping cinematography (due to its $25,000 budget), but it makes up for that in witty dialogue and a plot line that has already sparked a great deal of controversy. While some (but probably not many) audience members may find the story to be an intriguing look at dating, courtship and the whole man/woman thing, others will be put off by the emotional abuse and extreme doses of bad attitudes the two men exhibit. Indeed, your "enjoyment" of the film will greatly depend on whether you can see beyond the nasty, hate-filled plan. Eckhart creates one of the year's best villains, but his act of terror doesn't come in the form of physical violence. Instead, he lays down an emotionally laden mine field that his intended victim will never be able to pass through without being devastated. The fact that he can turn on the charm at the spur of the moment to cover up his hatred makes him that much more despicable. What makes this film bearable, however, is that charm that Eckhart exudes when his character acts that way, and after a while you're not sure whether -- and as a matter of fact you hope -- that he's falling for this woman he's intending to hurt. As a matter of fact, you expect some sort of wild twist to occur near the end -- something that the men are least expecting. It does finally occur, but it's certainly not what you expected or wished would happen, and it only adds a new layer to the men's treachery. Like Eckhart, Malloy and Edwards are good in their roles, with Edwards creating a character you'd swear was deaf (in reality she's not, but did study with several hearing-impaired students to create a correct portrayal). Additionally, her character's sweet naivete only adds to the audience's sympathy for her, and it will be interesting whether other women will hate what happens to her, or rejoice that a film finally shows how they think men really act when in just the company of other men. But it's Eckhart who stands out and we won't be surprised if this actor goes on to many bigger and better things. While the film certainly has an ugly core, there's just something about it that you can't help but watch in amazement. Perhaps it's the same quality that a car accident has where you have to look at the wreckage, and this film certainly seems to have that quality. Whatever it is, the film is always intriguing to watch, and thus we give it a 6.5 out of 10.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:: Obviously the extremely bad attitudes exhibited by the two men are the worst of the material. Since some of that is played for laughs, many will be put off by their behavior even more. Profanity is also extreme with 18 "f" words and an assortment of others including some slang terms for both male and female genitals. Beyond that, most of the other categories have little or no objectionable material, but you may still want to read through the categories in case you're concerned with whether this film is appropriate viewing for you or your children.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Chad and Howard drink Scotch in a bar.
Chad drinks some sort of liquor in his place.

BLOOD/GORE: Howard visibly throws up in a stairwell.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Both men exhibit extreme cases of both as they set up an elaborate plan where the end goal is to emotionally devastate an innocent woman. While Howard almost appears to be bullied into going along (and eventually changes his mind), Chad is full of hatred and disdain toward nearly everyone in his life. In addition, he cheats on the woman in his life while engaged in his plan.
Chad and others make fun of Christine's deafness and about how she sounds when she speaks. Howard comments that Chad refers to her vocal challenges as her "pathetic retard voice."
Chad gets after a black co-worker for his speech habits (using words sounding like "ax" for "ask," etc...) and then wanting the man to show how tough he is, makes him pull down his pants to expose his testicles to Chad.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: None.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Bastard," "Geez," "Bitch," "Sucks," "Screwed up," "Idiot," "Pisses me off," "Balls" and "Show me your balls" (testicles).
Chad and others make fun of Christine's deafness and about how she sounds when she speaks. Howard comments that Chad refers to her vocal challenges as her "pathetic retard voice."
While highly unlikely, some teens may get the idea to run the same kind of plan against someone they know.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: 18 "f" words (1 used sexually), 24 "s" words, 5 slang terms for male genitals (the "c," "d," and "p" words), 2 slang terms for female genitals (the "c" and "p" words), 10 hells, 5 craps, 3 asses (1 used with "hole") and 4 uses of "Jesus," 2 uses each of "G-damn," "Oh God," "Oh my God," and "God," and 1 use each of "Jesus Christ" and "For God's sakes" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Chad comments that he doesn't trust "anything (a woman) that bleeds for a week and doesn't die."
Chad tells a joke, "What's the difference between a golf ball and a g-spot? I'll spend twenty minutes looking for a golf ball."
A co-worker of Chad and Howard's, holding a rolled up paper to his groin (like a penis), tells them to "watch your ass" around another co-worker (implying he's gay).
It's implied that Chad and Christine have had sex (although nothing's seen), and in another scene Chad tries to undress her (but nothing else happens).

SMOKING: Chad smokes throughout the movie and a few people smoke in the backgrounds of scenes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Treating someone the way these two men do.
Making fun of someone with a disability.

VIOLENCE: Howard and Christine struggle in his car after he tells her their plan, and he then grabs her face when she tries to get out of the car.
Christine smacks Chad when he confesses to her.

Reviewed August 22, 1997

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