Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

anitaydugan Let me start this review by saying, I enjoy ballet so my review of this film isn't coming from the stance of someone who "just doesn't get ballet." It's coming strictly from the stance of a viewer watching a movie and this movie...sucked! Yes, there was some beautiful dancing in it, that was the best part of the movie...but it was supposed to be about a promising dancer unsure of whether or not she could withstand the pressure...where was that story? I saw none of that story at all. I really saw NO character development at all and that takes a promising movie involving ballet to a boring movie with no plot whatsoever.Unless you strictly want to watch some beautiful ballet, don't bother watching this movie.

Amy Adler Ry (Neve Campbell) is a dancer for the Chicago Joffrey Ballet, run by Alberto (Malcolm McDowell). She is a very committed hoofer, even to continuing a performance during a thunderstorm! But, alas, she learns that her boyfriend, also a dancer for the troupe, has been cheating on her. The creep! Life in the company is very difficult, at times, for Albeto is most demanding and folks can be cut from the group on a minute's notice. Injuries, too, can rear their ugly heads. Fortunately, Ry acquires a handsome new boyfriend, a chef (James Franco) and works very hard on the new production, a modern revue which starts with a costumed snake! Will it be successful? If you don't like either dance or Altman, you should probably not keep company with this film. It is a rather difficult watch, almost like a reality show but one where everything is not spelled out. For example, we see Ry at a bridal shower in a local eatery and, in the background, is a chef that will become her new love. But, we never see the two of them meet. The next time we glimpse either of them, they are already a couple. This will please some folks, who like the unusual, and confuse others. The dancing is very modern, so don't expect Swan Lake as well. Most of the dance numbers, very well done, involve an absence of sets at all. They rely on various changes of lighting, mostly, and we see it as on stage and off, where it is blinding. The acting is good but sometimes subordinate to the style of the film. Franco, for one, remains a stranger we would like to know better. That said, if you like ballet and you also adore movies that stand out from the rest, get The Company. Its unique qualities and fabulous numbers make it very worthwhile for discriminating filmgoers.

MisterWhiplash Robert Altman sets the stage and lets his players do what they do in his films. He's renown as one of the great directors to give actors freedom (he's probably in his own way as meticulous as Stanley Kubrick, only with far less takes), though one wonders if from time to time he does give his direction to an actor or to make sure they know what they're doing. But in his films, like with this Chicago dancing company presented in his 2003 film The Company, the people doing the work need to know what they're doing, and that's the key to getting process, since dance, like film, combines many elements (in terms of dance there's physical movement, there's acting and performance, there's emotion, there's music and lighting, and so on).I imagine that's what drew Altman to the project (it was said it took some consideration before he accepted the job), that and perhaps a connection with the character Malcolm McDowell plays, Mr. Antonelli. He doesn't have much of a ego, but when he needs to (or just wants to) he'll put on airs. While some of the students may roast him eventually- there's a company Christmas party where he's ruthlessly but pleasantly mocked- they always take what he says seriously, since when he speaks one listens, even if it's a rambling speech about what the 1960's were like. He, like Altman, is in control even when he doesn't seem to be doing much. And how the stage is set, as we see, goes a long way for a fantastic dance set-piece, be it with thirty people in crazy costumes or a couple in very sensual poses.The Company has not much plot to speak of- then again, Altman would probably rather get a root canal than worry about a plot- except that it's about a dance/ballet company putting on performances throughout a season, with some minor drama here and there, a small romance between a superstar in the group played by Neve Campbell and a chef played by James Franco (tender scenes but played for real, much like those in Thieves Like Us). But there are a few great scenes (and as Hawks would say, no bad ones), and one of them might be one of my favorite scenes, in terms of intentional (or not) artistic elements coming together, in any Altman film. There's a performance out at night in a park in front of hundreds. The first part goes reasonably well, with thunderstorm sounds in the background. Then Campbell and another dancer take the stage, and as the lovely string music swells, the lightning and thunder as well, and the rain falls and the crowd looks anxious but all the while wrapped up in the completely professional-breathtaking dancing on stage, with little dust and other things flying in the air. It's glorious.How much that was on the spot for Altman, or if it was planned to just shoot in the impending storm (or, perhaps, if it's all just made up for the movie), it's a really wonderful set piece among many others that are more conventionally stage-bound and shot with multiple cameras. The assortment is nice to see (a song from David Lynch's Industrial Symphony #1 even comes up). But it's those little scenes between people, where Altman breaks down artifice (or adds to it seamlessly, like a dance itself) that The Company gains its strength. One of which is the first time Franco and Campbell meet eye to eye at a bar. Watch as Franco sits and watched her play pool. This could go any number of ways from creepy to erotic, but it's more playful and ambiguous than that. We see the aftermath of this scene in a morning-after follow-up, but it's how Altman lets these actors be natural, find their space to look at one another or play pool, that is extraordinary.What The Company lacks in melodramatic tension or a real driving force towards something- the one criticism it could be given, though not a harsh one, is an almost disdain for any continuing conflict- is made up for in a principle need to express what it's like to create something, anything, on stage or on film, that's worth something. It's the work of an old master still looking for ways to create, or observe it being done.

richard_sleboe You would think there was no messing this up. Neve Campbell. Behind-the-scenes dancing movie. Malcom McDowell cast as a crackpot choreographer. Robert Altman directing. No way can you mess this one up, right? An alluring if extended video clip is the worst-case scenario, right? Wrong. "The Company" is dreadful. No discernible plot. Tedious dialog. Zero charm. The "Great Song of Indifference" video has better dancing. What is more, the entire movie is blurred from over-use of soft-focus. Anyone but serious Neve Campbell fans, avoid. On second thought, everyone avoid. If you're already in the theater, reading this on your PDA, get out.