The Company
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Movie Reviews of The Company
Movie Review: Look Inside the World of World-Class Ballet.
Summary: 4 Stars
In "The Company", Robert Altman applies his pseudo-documentary directing style to The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. In a style that reminds me very much of Altman's acclaimed 1975 film "Nashville", "The Company" gives us an intimate view of a year in the life of The Joffrey Ballet. Screenwriter Barbara Turner spent a few years getting to know the Joffrey's dancers and recording their stories, which she then transformed into a screenplay for "The Company". Actress Neve Campbell, who was a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before going to Hollywood, co-produces, acts and dances in the film. "The Company" has an ensemble cast, with a subtle concentration on the life of Neve Campbell's character, Ry. Six days a week of training and rehearsals leaves Ry little time for a personal life, but she struggles to make time for her boyfriend (James Franco) and a second job at a Goth bar while she eats, sleeps, and breathes dance. Malcolm McDowell plays the company's artistic director, Alberto Antonelli, a role inspired by the Joffrey's real Artistic Director, Gerald Arpino. The dancers are all played, quite convincingly, by The Joffrey Ballet's dancers. I really enjoyed "The Company", but you probably either have to really like Robert Altman's work or really like dance to like this film. To say the story arch is unpronounced would be an understatement. The story is the dedication and talent of these dancers. Nothing unusual happens. We simply observe them. I gather that that's the point. The dancers' performances and commitment are extraordinary. Emotions are high; good and bad things happen; but that's ordinary in the life of a professional ballet dancer. "The Company" 's pace is thoroughly even, and its tone is subdued. I thought at first that watching this film was going to require patience, as so many of Altman's film's do. But I was quickly sucked in by the opportunity to see inside the ballet subculture, along with some incredible dancing.
There is a lot of footage of The Joffrey Ballet's performances. All of them are modern, not classical. And we can see even more of the dancers in their movie roles, to which they take quite naturally. Neve Campbell trained for months and became a temporary member of The Joffrey to make this film. She appears in eight dances in the film, although you may not be able to pick her out in all of them. "The Company" is her tribute to the world of dance that she loves, and it turns out to be a perfect subject for Robert Altman's signature directing style. If Altman's signature style makes you groan, you may still like "The Company", as it's broken up with fantastic performances by The Joffrey Ballet.
The DVD: Bonus features include an audio commentary by director Robert Altman and Neve Campbell, a making-of featurette, "The Passion of Dance" featurette, an "Extended Dance Sequence", and the ability to play all of the dance sequences from the film. The audio commentary is really pretty interesting. I found myself listening to more of it than I had intended. Robert Altman and Neve Campbell discuss the film's genesis, its style, their experiences filming and interacting with The Joffrey. It includes a lot of information about the dancing in the film and more insight into the Joffrey and the world of ballet. The "Making of Featurette" is a 7-minute documentary that features interviews with Altman, Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, and James Franco. In "The Passion of Dance" (4 minutes), Neve Campbell talks about the demanding world of professional ballet and her desire to make a film about it. The "Extended Dance Sequence" is a 2-minute dance sequence that takes place in the film's dance studio. It's not very interesting. I recommend the audio commentary, even if you don't have time to listen to the whole thing.
Movie Review: Robert Altman Makes Charming "Company"
Summary: 4 Stars
When I first found myself getting seriously involved in movies for some reason or another I took Robert Altman for granted. I knew him strictly as the film-maker of "M*A*S*H" and didn't care to see anything he made. Then about 2 or 3 years ago I started watching his movies. I have always heard people say wonderful things about him and I thought it was about time I check out his films. He immediately became one of my favorite American directors. And his work since the 90's, sort of his "comback" years have greatly impressed me. "Shorts Cuts" I think is his masterpiece, he then followed that films with "Kansas City", "The Gingerbread Man", "Cookie's Fortune" and his previous film "Gosford Park", which made us all think of Jean Renoir's "Rules of the Game". All of this makes it seem somewhat odd then that he would follow the critical successful "Gosford Park", which he was nominated for an Oscar, with a movie about ballet, but, I guess that just goes to show you what kind of versital talent Altman really is.As I walked into "The Company" I thought I would enjoy it because Altman was directing, but I didn't know I'd come out enjoying it as much as I do. With this film Altman fully displays his talents for detail, every one of his movies has a spontaneous feel to it. Sometimes we think we are seeing things we shouldn't be. As if it's the rehearsal, his movies have a very breezy attitude. "The Company" and I know how shocking it may seem, is actually one of his best films. There are moments when watching this movie I had to remind myself it's a movie and not a documentary. Altman's style of filmmaking is perfect for this movie. He captures moments that seem so real. We honestly forget we are watching actors.
A lot of people it seems have been staying away from this movie. It has been doing very poorly at the box-office, sadly a good number of Altman's films were not commercially successful. But I'm afraid those who do go see it may not like it because they will say it has no story. It's just about dancing. Well, first of all lets remember the name of the movie, "The Company", secondly no one has been hiding the fact this movie is about ballet, so yes, a great deal of the movie is featuring dance scenes. There is a very light plot. And if I were to judge the movie on plot than I guess it would be disappointing, but you can't watch this movie and expect a heavy plot. In fact the plot is so fragile I wouldn't know how to describe it.
We have a young woman named Ry (Neve Campbell, who also produced the movie and help with its story) who is a young talented dancer awaiting the day she can be the star of her own company. She starts a relationship with Josh (James Franco) after a bad breakup with her ex, who just happens to be a dancer who works for the same company. Then there is Mr. A (Malcolm McDowell) who is head of the company. He is having fincial trouble putting on a new show called the "Blue Snake". And there isn't much more to tell.
Altman was robbed of an Oscar a few years back with "Gosford Park", but, someone could argue, at least they nominated him. Well, sadly Altman's great work here will go unnoticed, and it's not fair. "The Company" is one of the better films released in 2003.
There is one scene I want to point out to people. There is scene were Ry and her partner or dancing, but a storm breaks out. In this moment are minds are already going to work because we think the rain will go on the stage and she'll slip and injure herself. Altman is creating such tension that movies like "Phone Booth" and "Jeepers Creepers 2" didn't make me feel. Now, I'm not going to tell you if she does injure herself or not, you'll just hae to go see the movie.
Bottom-line: One of Robert Altman's best films. His directing style makes a perfect blend for the film's tone. Has a spontaneous feel to it that makes us forget it's only a movie.
Movie Review: An engrossing, beautifully-shot glimpse into ballet
Summary: 4 Stars
I really don't like the ballet. I guess you can lump me in with the majority of the male population in that respect - I think it's tedious, and it just doesn't seem to hold my interest. Not to mention those leotards - I have my own package to look at, thank you. But tonight, as I sat down in a little, cramped theater to see Robert Altman's follow-up to his smash critical hit, Gosford Park (he nabbed a Director nom for it in 2001), I realized a really scary thing - the ballet scenes in Altman's free-flowing, gorgeous Company are REALLY COOL. That's right; not just in a visual sense (props to Andrew Dunn, the cinematographer, though), but in the fact that the enthusiasm and blood/sweat/tears that go into the art really leap of the screen in this movie. The film opens just like a performance - audience noise, a booming voice introducing the dancers - and then Chicago's Joffrey Ballet bursts into action, strips of fabric and bodies moving across the stage to Van Dyke Parks' pulsing score. Then effortlessly, casually, Altman moves on to a normal day in the lives of the Joffrey dancers and The Company begins its steady pace that never lets up.
I guess it's somewhat of a sin to, as a movie critic, not have seen too many Robert Altman movies, but what I've seen (Nashville (flat-out one of the best movies I've ever seen) and Gosford Park (a highlight of 2001)) has been great, and The Company seems to fall in that same general style for which the man is legendary. The camera wanders around and characters move in and out of the story, and the movie is held together by stunning ballet sequences that feature (what I'm told to be) the Joffrey ballet's best numbers.
Then again, Altman is also known for not having 'plot' as a primary goal in his movies, and where it works all the time in Nashville, it is at once the movie's greatest strength and weakness here. To play the plot summary game for this one would be futile, for there's not much: Neve Campbell is Ry, a star dancer for the Joffrey, and at one point she gets a boyfriend (James Franco, curiously underused here), their schedules clash, and more ballet drama goes on. We meet a few other characters, but more often-than-not, they're just faces of the ballet. Sometimes, people appear in the beginning of the film and...well, we simply don't see any more of them. I guess Altman was trying to show the organic, unfolding nature of the film, but a couple of times I suffered from cinematic blue balls. BUT, I think the proof that the loosey-goosey structure of the movie works is found in a great "Christmas roast" scene where the ballet assembles to parody aspects of their troupe. At this point, I knew I was locked in to The Company, for I found myself laughing my ass off - and if you're getting those inside jokes, the movie's been working.
The movie's power lies in those ballet scenes (that must comprise at least a third of the film) that simply exist on screen, for us to observe like an in-house audience. One performance in particular had the somewhat restless audience in the movie theater so speechless and still, I swear I could hear people exhaling when it was over. And then Neve's great moment, which occurs near the beginning of the film - a lush, erotic ballet in an outdoor ampitheater that continues at the performers' unsaid insistence during a violent windstorm that begins pouring rain. Malcolm McDowell, who plays the director of the Ballet, begins ranting and worrying that someone might slip - and whether it happens or not, well, you'll have to see for yourself. Altman builds tension that could rival any psychological thriller, and even has the winking capacity to surprise us. And he surprised me, too, for the film's sudden ending left we wanting more. That's saying a lot for a guy who hates the ballet. GRADE: B+
Movie Review: A Tour de Force Of A FIlm!
Summary: 4 Stars
I love ballet! I love good dance in general. So watching Robert Altman's "The Company" was 112 minutes of pure bliss. Altman takes us onstage, and off-stage, for a look at the world of dance, dancers, choreographers, set and costume designers and a ballet director, Alberto Antonelli, played wonderfully well by Malcolm McDowell. Actress Neve Campbell, best known for her roles in horror flicks, was trained for years in classical ballet. She is absolutely beautiful, and an extraordinarily lithe, exciting dancer. (No more scary movies Neve!!). It is obvious that she has put a lot of herself into this film. Not only does she play a major role, but she co-wrote and co-produced the movie. She did all of her own dancing, and seems to fit right in with the professional dancers from the Joffrey Ballet Troupe of Chicago, which is featured here.
The film is loosely structured and documentary-like. The viewer gets a fly on the wall look at a dancer's life as Altman takes us behind the scenes, up close and personal. We watch both the professional and personal - from the grueling physical toll of constant practice to brilliant performances. The dancers' effort to perfect their mastery of dance is totally honest, and this artistic honesty really makes the film as special as a live performance. There are some spectacular dance performances throughout, with splendid colors, electric energy, creative costumes, and wonderful footwork which showcase the Joffrey Ballet Company. There's an opening modern piece where dancers leap across the stage with streamers, that is just fabulous. In another sequence a ballerina dances on and around a swing. Altman's camera emphasizes her grace and elegance, and this is one of the movie's high points for me. Neve Cambell also dances a marvelous pas de deux onstage, during an outdoor concert performance, in the rain. The effects are incredible. The music is "My Funny Valentine." The last number, the piece de resistance, is more garish than grande, unfortunately. The costumes and choreography look as if they had been designed for Sesame Street. I still enjoyed it, however. Just wanted to be fair and balanced here.
Ballet director Antonelli, (McDowell), is a temperamental tyrant who meddles in every aspect of the ballet. But he is also charismatic, funny, and acknowledged as the troupe's backbone. Neve Campbell plays Ry, a member of the ensemble who is increasingly given important roles, as her talent merits. Her love interest, (James Franco), is a hunk! The chemistry between them is dynamite! We are also shown the tempermental behavior, tantrums, stress and strife that go on backstage.
There's no major story here, just enough to entice. The main attraction is fantastic dance. Highly recommended for aficionados and beginners alike.
JANA
Movie Review: It's Altman, It's Worth It
Summary: 4 Stars
Save the execrable Dr T and the Women, every Robert Altman picture is worth the price of admission. Some, of course, are monuments; my personal favorite, and a top 10 ever, is Nashville. The Company hardly approaches Altman's heights, but it has many pleasures. For anyone who loves ballet, the work of the dancers in the Joffrey Company of Chicago is spectacular and wonderfully filmed. Malcolm McDowell as the company director is a benign and beloved tyrant. Watch him take possession of his personal chair in each scene where it appears. Watch him with his endless adjustments and caressings of the gold scarf he always wears. Personally, I found the concluding ballet -- Blue Snake -- ludicrous and, unlike Nashville and Gosford Park, the characters in the ensemble acting never take much flight as individuals. Three scenes of differing length are Altman at his height, however. First comes the outdoor stage pas a deux where Neve Campbell first steps from company toward prima. She and her partner dance as a thunderstorm gathers and then begins to drench the audience, umbrellas open, the dancers continue, danger and sensuality commingle. It is wonderful stuff and goes on for minutes and minutes. Second, a dancer snaps a tendon as she lands after a jump and, in a quick but perfect scene, watches on crutches from the spotlit wings as her cover commands the role at the performance that night. Finally, the Christmas roast the Company does of the McDowell character and the Blue Snake choreographer is five or so minutes where the trademark Altman ensemble direction really works.
The Company is not perfect, probably not even great Altman, but that's still way better than 90 percent of your box office options.