In the Company of Men (1997)
87%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 14 wins & 12 nominations
Neil LaBute’s pitch-black comedy is a masterful exploration of male insecurity, and it’s elevated by a breakout performance by Aaron Eckhart as a businessman who likes to play psychological games
In the Company of Men” is a movie that will make you question everything you thought you knew about men. Critics have called it “dazzling,” “probing,” and “pleasingly provocative,” but I call it a wild ride. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, but you can’t look away. The characters are so despicable that you can’t help but be fascinated by them. It’s definitely not a feel-good movie, but it’s worth watching just to see how far people can go when they’re pushed to their limits. Just don’t watch it with your boyfriend, unless you want to start a fight.
Production Company(ies)
Big Beach Films, Tencent Pictures, Tri Star Pictures,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and emotional abuse
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):English, American, Sign, L
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 1997 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 1998
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, Stacy Edwards, Mark Rector, Jason Dixie, Emily Cline, directed by Neil LaBute, written by Neil LaBute, drama, $3.0M box office, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, David Edelstein, Jeff Giles, Dennis Harvey, Geoff Andrew, Rick Groen, Bob Satuloff, Jack Hawkins, Maitland McDonagh, Emanuel Levy, Robin Clifford, rated R, Stephen Pevner, Mark Archer produced, misogyny, sexual politics, workplace tension, psychological games, male domination, breakups, insecurity, deaf secretary, fragile self-esteem, Midwest, junior executives, banal evil, dialogue-driven, provocative, disturbing, incendiary, realistic, shocking, painful, twisted, dark, satire, hidden gem
Worldwide gross: $2,804,473
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,227,764
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,163
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 570,094
US/Canada gross: $2,804,473
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,227,764
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,793
US/Canada opening weekend: $100,006
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $186,419
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,685
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $25,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $46,602
Production budget ranking: 2,152
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $25,095
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,156,067
ROI to date (est.): 7,191%
ROI ranking: 13
Stacy Edwards – Christine
Matt Malloy – Howard
Mark Rector – John
Jason Dixie – Intern
Emily Cline – Suzanne
Director(s)
Neil LaBute
Writer(s)
Neil LaBute
Producer(s)
Stephen Pevner, Mark Archer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
14 wins & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (6)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A dazzling, repellent exercise in which the case against men is closed before it’s opened.
February 11, 2008
David Edelstein
Slate
TOP CRITIC
LaBute, a playwright and former drama teacher, has succeeded in creating a study of banal, everyday evil.
February 11, 2008
Jeff Giles
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
A dark, probing, truly disturbing exploration of yuppie angst and male anxieties as they manifest themselves in both the work and personal arenas.
February 11, 2008
Dennis Harvey
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Cruel, cool and pleasingly provocative.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Prepare for the conversation to grow heated.
April 12, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Some viewers may be appalled by its heartlessness, but others will find it a cinematic acid bath that lays bare the awful truth.
June 1, 2022
Bob Satuloff
The Advocate
Ultimately, In the Company of Men may be a meditation on personal evil. And on a note as dour as that, I’d urge you to watch In the Company of Men, a 90s indie that’s truly deserving of ‘hidden gem’ status.
January 13, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Jack Hawkins
HeyUGuys
A bitterly promising screenwriting-directing debut from playwright Neil LaBute.
February 11, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide
A highlight of the 97 Sundance Film Fest, LaBute’s astonishing debut is a dark, probing, vastly entertaining satire about misogyny and sexual politics in the work as well as personal arena; LaBute is a major dialoguist to watch
October 25, 2006 | Rating: A-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
A compelling, but not likable, film.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: B-
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
October 30, 2004 | Rating: 2/5
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)…
Plot
Two junior executives on a six-week business trip, both of whom have been recently hurt by women, devise a horrible plan to get even with women for their past hurts: They intend to find, romance, and then dump a vulnerable woman. They choose Christine, and for a while all goes according to plan. However, it soon becomes clear that things are not as simple as they think.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Aaron Eckhart’s breakout performance in “In the Company of Men” as a businessman who likes to play psychological games.
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