In the Company of Men

Plot synopsis:
Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) are two middle management employees at a corporation, temporarily assigned to a branch office away from home for six weeks. Howard is assigned to head up the project. Embittered by bad experiences with women, they form a mean-spirited revenge scheme to find an insecure woman, romance her simultaneously, and then break up with her at the same time. Chad, who is cruel, manipulative, duplicitous, misanthropic, misogynist and abusive to his subordinates, is the originator and driving force behind the scheme, while Howard is the more passive of the two, which leads to a later conflict with the scheme.
Chad decides upon Christine (Stacy Edwards), a deaf coworker who is so self-conscious that she wears headphones so people, thinking that she is listening to music, are compelled to get her attention visually or tactilely without immediately learning that she is deaf. Chad and Howard decide to each ask her out, and over the course of several weeks, date her simultaneously.
In the meantime, things with the project go wrong; a fax Chad is supposed to have made to the home office is "lost" and a presentation Chad is supposed to deliver to the home office is unable to be carried out successfully after some documents are allegedly printed so lightly that they are illegible. These mishaps culminate in Howard being demoted and Chad taking his place as the head of the project after Chad places the blame for the mishaps unfairly on Howard. Chad eventually sleeps with Christine, and she falls in love with him. When Christine eventually breaks this news to Howard, Howard tells Christine the truth about their scheme, and tells her that he loves her. Christine is shocked by the revelation, and refuses to believe that Chad would do this. When she confronts Chad, he admits the truth. Christine angrily slaps Chad, but Chad is unashamed of his behavior, and cruelly taunts Christine, who collapses into tears after he leaves her.
Weeks later, Howard confronts Chad back home at his apartment. Howard is now apparently in the bad graces of the company, having been moved to a lower floor, while Chad is doing well, and thus offering to say something on Howard's behalf. Nevertheless, Howard is not worried about work; he confesses to Chad that he really loved Christine. At this point Chad, despite having previously told Howard that his girlfriend, Suzanne, had left him, shows Howard that she is still there, asleep in his bed. Chad says that he carried out the plan "because I could," and cruely asks Howard how it feels to have truly hurt someone.
Howard, who had never done anything like that before, leaves, horrified. Howard later travels back to the city and to a bank where he sees Christine working there, and tries to speak to her, but she looks away in anger. He loudly pleads with her to "listen" to him, but his pleas literally fall on deaf ears.

Tags: comedy, psychological, cruelty, cult, satire, romantic, revenge

Review:
Neil Labute's In the Company of Men is an amazing motion picture, one of the best films of 1997 and a shocking indictment of the ego-driven corporate world in which we live.
Lurking beneath the surface, however, is the film's true message, one which depicts the business world as a battle of survival of the fittest, a harsh world where men sacrifice their integrity and compassion in favor of oneupsmanship and greed.Fed up with their failures with members of the opposite sex, two co-workers, Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) decide to play a cruel prank on an unsuspecting female victim.
Eckhart, who has since become a Labute staple, delivers a fascinating performance as a truly despicable character, the smooth and fast-talking Chad.
Matt Malloy is excellent as Howard, the "weaker" of the two men, and Edwards is great as the hapless deaf typist, presenting her character as likable, intelligent, and sensitive, not just a stereotypical handicapped woman.
Judging by this, and his three more recent films (Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, and Possession--all quality films), Labute is a writer-director to monitor for years to come.A noteworthy comment about In the Company of Men is that it has been marketed as a comedy.
Is it any wonder that Chad and Howard decide to make a game of their seduction of Katherine when it's clear they've had to plan their whole careers as if they were competing in a game of some kind?I think I agree with an interview I saw with LaBute where he said he thought Howard was actually the more despicable character, because Chad is only in it for the game, where Howard starts to take those feelings seriously.
Nevertheless, Eckhart's performance makes Chad one of the most chilling characters I've ever seen in movies.
Aaron Eckhart's narcissistic, callous performance was amazing.I cannot understand how this movie is misogynistic in any way whatsoever, as the characters are so hideous there is no way known you could empathise with them or consider their behaviour as anything other than abhorrent.
Neil Lebute's "In the Company of Men" is a film depicting emotional terror inflicted by two guys onto an innocent, deaf woman.
They pick Christine (Stacy Edwards), a deaf girl from their office and set the plan in motion.This is a fascinating black comedy looking at the macho world of American businessmen - although it is a look at the shallowness and competitiveness of men generally.
The film doesn't totally satisfy but it is a great character piece.Almost to a man the leads are all excellent, Eckhart is almost pure evil as the man who we all recognise or know, while Malloy is great as the man who wants to be in the game but is getting to the point where he longs for simpler values.
And as scary as it may seem, "In The Company Of Men" is very realistic.There are people like Chad and Howard out there.
That's why this movie isn't easy to watch.Aaron Eckhart, Stacy Edwards and Matt Malloy do a great job.
However, things get complicated when Howard falls in love for Cristina.The first time I saw "In the Company of Men" on 08 April 2000, I was really disturbed with this movie, which has been recently elected the number 28 in the ranking of the best fifty independent movies promoted by a cinema magazine.
The character Chad is actually the personification of evil, not those caricatures that we usually see in other movies, but a very real one that we face in our jobs, clubs or social lives.
Much like others, In the Company of Men initially enraged me due to the harsh treatment and depiction of women in the workplace, but then it occurred to me, that isn't what LaBute wants to show.
As I watched this film a second time, I saw the real reason that LaBute created this picture.
We think we understand that this is just going to be another "dark" comedy about how cruel the corporate world can be to women, but wildly LaBute (like Soderbergh) will pull the hypothetical wool over your eyes if you are not careful.
When I finished watching this movie, I was more upset with LaBute for what he did to Howard (Matt Malloy) than with Christine.How did this dramatic change occur?
I don't think any man can watch this movie without recognizing some of the conversations that take place in this film.
I felt cheated when watching this film because the comments were so promising, it was sure not to leave me unmoved while in the end that was all it did...The minimalist low budget style with very little music and only the 2 friends chattering filling up the entire movie made it a rather dull experience.
But of course the film is by that point not showing the real game that is being played.People should not treat the given plot line, random victim being chosen to be hurt by cynical men, as shocking or controversial...it's been done before and in more convincing ways.
Howard (Matt Malloy) is a meek sweet guy but Chad (Aaron Eckhart) is a bitter mean-spirited misogynist.
Just a couple of days after seeing his superb 2003 effort "The Shape of Things", I decided to watch his first film and Sundance hit "In the Company of Men".
The IMDb plot summary says it all: Two business executives--one an avowed misogynist, the other recently emotionally wounded by his love interest--set out to exact revenge on the female gender by seeking out the most innocent, uncorrupted girl they can find and ruining her life.The avowed misogynist is Chad, played by Aaron Eckhart in one of the most subtly effective male performances of all time.
This movie may feel a bit pointless in the end, because it's basically about how incredibly awful us human beings can be to each other, and how naive the victims amongst us are, but it's a terrific screenplay and film regardless..
The first is Chad (Aaron Eckhart - in his feature film debut performance), a young, good-looking cocky businessman who's a crude and cruel misogynist.
A lot of the film drags, but I really liked it for three reasons -- the three main characters.The characters in Neil LaBute's 'In the Company of Men' are miraculous -- the three are very detailed and the actors who play them are phenomenal.
Astounding doesn't even begin to describe young Aaron Eckhart's performance in this as the sadistic and menacing power-hungry creep, Chad, who makes Stalin look like 'Mickey Mouse'.
I'd say after viewing 'In the Company of Men' I was more interested in the greatly talented actor Aaron Eckhart then I was the filmmaker, Neil LaBute.In conclusion, I recommend this if you could enjoy and appreciate a film based solely on superb acting.
As shown in "Shape Of Things" and in "In The Company Of Men" Neil LaBute seems to feel attracted by soul-less, cool-blooded, manipulative people...
They both seem to be a "little" misogynist (especially Aaron Eckhart's character), they talk about how evil the modern women are, and how they deserve a real punishment...
The Chad character and his actions are the reasons this is one the worst movies ever.On the other side though, the performances, story, and dialogue are enough to give it Oscar consideration.
I was still disgusted and horrified, but (since I learned a lot about abnormal psychology during the intervening years), I saw how brilliant "In the Company of Men" truly is...I've watched it many times since.This is not a film for just anyone to see.
The girl "they" decide to torment (Stacy Edwards) is nothing but a sweet, innocent bystander.It's a whole lot of tough going, emotionally...and I think that's the whole point.The way author/director Neil LaBute has crafted this disturbing, compelling work is how I wish creators of positive, heartwarming works would go about their business.
Watch the scene where he makes a black co-worker pull down his pants to prove he has the "balls" for a higher profile assignment.Having just been dumped by his fiancée, Howard seems like the more benign of the two and looks toward the cynical Chad for guidance at the office and with women.
Even the twist at the end is well-justified, as LaBute's perceptive script makes the situation hauntingly cathartic.In his first important role, Aaron Eckhardt, with his square jaw and cocksure manner, is superb as Chad, and it took him several years (probably until his heart-of-gold Hell's Angel in "Erin Brockovich") to recover from this impermeable persona.
As Howard, Matt Malloy certainly makes a most convincing dweeb, while Stacy Edwards (who is not deaf) elicits the right emotions with Christine, obviously the only sympathetic role in the movie.
Aaron Eckert was not very convincing at times and I can't believe Howard (Matt Malloy)or anyone with a high school maturity level would be seduced by the anti-everything Chad into doing something that was completely out of character.
He may have been inexperienced with women but Chad's peer pressure tactics wouldn't have taken 6 weeks to be resisted.The best part of the movie was Stacy Edwards portrayal of Christine.
Disturbing in its context, the fact that the film is over stylized is what makes the actions of Chad and Howard (played by Aaron Eckhart and Matt Malloy) so troubling.
According to an interview, he's actually married and has kids.Outline: (Review, i.o.w.)Angry, venom spiked story about a couple of businessmen buddies, Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and his boss,  Howard (Matt Malloy) who gab on and on about how they've been dumped and how much they hate women.
One of the most controversial independent movies ever made, this caused an angry following, first time director LaButte questioned, and a variety of insults directed at Eckhart (`Chad') from women on the street.
Two business executives -- one an avowed misogynist, the other recently emotionally wounded by his love interest -- set out to exact revenge on the female gender by seeking out the most innocent, uncorrupted girl they can find and ruining her life.This was the debut film for Neil LaBute, with a focus on hurting others, and the density of dialogue...
Engrossing and fascinating, if uncompromisingly nasty, film from provocateur Neil LaBute.Two businessmen, one alpha male, the other paunchy wimp, play with the emotions of a deaf coworker as a way to vent their own frustrations about work, sex -- and just about everything else about being human.
In an attempt to strike a blow for every man that has been wronged by a woman, Chad and Howard plan to seduce the same woman and then simultaneously break her heart........Bleak in its satirical portrayals, In The Company Of Men has proved to be a highly debatable and controversial movie.
Cheaply made and set in some nameless corporate company, director Neil LaBute crafts what is in essence a black comedy about corporate suits who backbite with carefree abandon, the men versus women arc is merely a strand in LaBute's intriguing picture.It's a film that most definitely is memorable, if not just for Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Chad, one of the 90s most despicable characters, but also for its cheeky and unexpected finale.
In the Company of Men is a dark and disturbing story focusing on two corporate work colleagues who take advantage of a deaf typist while on a six week work related trip.Chad is confident, good looking, calculated and cold.
There are also some shades here of his excellent recent portrayal as a tobacco industry spin doctor in the wonderful 'Thank You For Smoking' but the difference is that this one is in no way played for laughs.Matt Malloy portrays a much more difficult role very well and the portrayal of Christine is also very impressive.The people who criticised the acting in the recommendation section must be watching the wrong movie.
I found myself enjoying the performances as much as the material which was very basic and offered characters which we have seen before in other films with a 'big business' backdrop ie.-Wall street.Overall its a somewhat bluntly executed but engrossing portrayal of relationships in the workplace and how as much as we may despair some people are just plain no good.
The plot centers around Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy), two handsome white-collar office guys who have been consistently spurned by women; Chad hatches a sinister plan that will take place over the course of a six-week company trip wherein the two men will seduce one woman for the sole purpose of crushing her at the end.
Writer-director Neil LaBute's film is filled with incisive observations on the male manipulation of power and the shifting dynamics of relationships in the name of business and pleasure--Chad, Howard, and Christine become three-dimensional participants in a 'game' where the cruelty incurred is hardly one-sided.
While "In the Company of Men" is impressive in that regard, one almost wishes LaBute would have pushed things to an even lower level of emotional devastation and degradation...I didn't feel as hurt as the characters, and I felt that I should have..
A decent indie drama-comedy from labute, it tells the story of two cruel men who work in the corporate world together and due to various pressures decide to pull a practical joke on a innocent random girl.
A film that reads like an essay on how to get ahead by laying waste to everyone and everything in one's path, while giving no quarter and taking no prisoners, `In The Company Of Men,' written and directed by Neil LaBute, is a starkly brutal movie that examines the darkest side of the human condition and the depths of evil to which an individual is capable of descending without knowing remorse.
Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) are business associates, ten years out of university (they attended the same school), and are about to embark on a six week special assignment in another city for their company.
As ultimately one of the pawns in Chad's game, Matt Malloy gives a good performance as Howard, but it's a character for whom it is hard to muster much sympathy.
"In the Company of Men" is an unrelenting and uncompromising film about two junior executives (Aaron Eckhart and Matt Malloy) who decide to seduce and then dump a woman who they feel is vulnerable.
I have been around men who act and talk just like Eckhart and Malloy do in this film.
Heart-wrenching and difficult to sit through, "In the Company of Men" is an intense character study that was easily one of the best films of 1997.
I think the reason why this movie hit me so hard, as funny and horrid was because I knew someone like Chad.
He wants to destroy Howard, just to prove he can.What makes this film work is the sheer brutality of Chad's bloodless methods, and Director Neil LaBute's suffocating depiction of predatory life in the corporate structure.
No budget, little film stock, and only 3 (central) characters are the only things limited in this inventive indie-shot in Ft Wayne, Indiana no less.Last year's version, `Swimming with Sharks' showed that an innovative idea, combined with some first rate acting can provide a wonderful alternative to big budget, high efx fare.As with Sharks, the subject matter here, that a venomous young man might engage a co-worker in morally and emotionally degrading a young deaf woman, is extremely edgy and, at many times, difficult to watch.I appreciate greatly the efforts of all the principals, particularly writer-director Neil LaBute, and actress Stacy Williams, who's performance as a hearing-impaired woman is phenomenal.LaBute's follow-up (Your Friends and Neighbors) will be highly anticipated, and likely put under a finer microscope, but enjoy In the Company of Men for what it is, simple excellence..
I didn't come away feeling like, "all men are pigs!" Just "Chad is a pig!" I don't know, I had sympathy for Howard.
What's disturbing about the movie is that it reminds me that there really are people like him walking around out there, maybe even in my own company, one of my own co-workers or my own friends.
I didn't like watching the movie, but I think the director got just the reaction out of me that he wanted, so I gave it 7/10..
Businessman and master manipulator Chad (well-played by Aaron Eckhart) finds a male associate from work to help him carry out the ultimate scheme against women: find a vulnerable single girl, have both men dine and romance her, and then pull the plug on the relationship, leaving the lady heartbroken.
Chad is in control and it is almost hypnotic to see him manipulate those around him.There was another thread running through the story, the office politics, and Howard appeared to have missed what was really happening - just like a real life victim, he would not have realised just how evil Chad is.Definitely one for my collection of films about psychos..
Neil LaBute's debut film as writer and director was billed as an independent dark comedy but may just as well been a Monster Movie.
Chad played by Aaron Eckhart is one of the most haunting characters ever put on film.
Most people reacted to their hatred of Chad by projecting it onto Neil LaBute (and, as I understand, Aaron Eckhart as well).
The film takes a terrifying premise, two men devise to manipulate a deaf woman(played realistically by Stacy Edwards)and spin it on its head by the end.
Chad manipulated Howard even more than he duped Christine, and La Bute subtlely manipulates his audience.Watching the film from this angle, coupled with Aaron's believable performance make this one worth seeing.
Aaron Eckhart as Chad, especially, is one of the most disturbing character portrayals I've ever seen.
(I'm not suggesting that ALL men are like the ones in the film, but SOME certainly are -- look for some of these characters in your office!)A fine movie, but possibly one of the world's worst "date movies" unless you are VERY secure in your relationship..