Skip over navigation

Help

The Company on DVD (2003)

The Company cover art
Play The Company trailer
Average rating: 55%
66613142091247
2.5
from 193 members
 
Starring: Neve Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, Joffee Ballet Company
Director: Robert Altman
Studio: MOMENTUM PICTURES
Run time: 107 mins
Certificate: 12
User collections: The (in)complete Robert Altman, My Malcolm McDowell Collection
Genres: Drama
Languages: English
Released: 11/10/2004

Brief synopsis of The Company

Robert Altman's beautifully shot vision of the life of a ballet dancer.

Related

Critics Reviews

Rating of 4 stars out of 5 Radio Times

Director Robert Altman's latest look at a microcosmic community is more an interested glance than his usual penetrating glare. Yet it's still another seductive spellbinder, with Altman expertly choreographing his film to match the unique concepts of the Joffrey Ballet, the famous Chicago troupe it revolves around. Conceived by, co-produced by and starring Neve Campbell, this jettisons soap-opera histrionics for revealing glimpses of the sheer craft and commitment involved. It focuses on the progress of a promising ingénue (Campbell) from chorus line to featured ballerina, under the watchful eye of mercurial company director Malcolm McDowell. A waitress by night, she embarks on an affair with chef James Franco as casting begins on the avant-garde fairy-tale ballet “The Blue Snake”. Best known as queen of the Scream films, Campbell acquits herself surprisingly well in the “My Funny Valentine” pas de deux and the film is inter-cut with enthralling selections from signature Joffrey works such as “Tensile Involvement” and “White Widow”.

Time Out

Even more than in impressionist gems such as California Split and Nashville, story is not what this latest [2003]... Read more on www.timeout.com

See all 2 Critics Reviews »

Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 1 starsDull . .Slow . .Zero Stars

Donald from Glasgow , 07/12/2004

This film never even made it all the way through. I rented it mainly to watch with a friend who loves ballet & dance . . .they requested it be turned off. Very slow and dull, with cliched gay characters. Very surprised as Robert Altman is usually a great director . .maybe Neve Campbell's input ruined it?

  8 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all reviews

Rated - 4 starsBeautiful and sensitively filmed

Loonymoon from Herts , 09/02/2005

No real story to this as it's more like a documentary. But you do get to see little snippets of dancers lives. In this film there are only about 3 actors, and one of them is also a dancer, all the rest are real dancers. This film is shot on HD-video allowing long takes which enable you to feel like you're watching a real performance rather than a clipped version of one.

The dancing is fantastic and beautiful, and left me awestruck. These dancers live to dance and it's a hard life. It makes me want to go out and watch a contemporary ballet, not usually my no 1 priority.

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all reviews

Rated - 3 starsMore of a 7 out of 10.

xyzzy from Brighton , 11/02/2005

In some ways it is more of a collection of scenes than a movie as although there is a definite linear flow, you couldn't say it was driven by narrative.

Watching the film , I felt as though I were an observer flitting in and out and peeking into the life of the Company.

As a whole, I am glad I saw it but it could do with being shown on a decent sized screen but I'm a sucker for a proper cinema screen.

Good dancing, some amusing costumes and an interesting peek.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all reviews

Rated - 4 starsIn great company

RJNeb2 [Highly rated reviewer] , 22/10/2006

Sure, there's no plot to speak of but Altman's season-in-the-life of a ballet company - the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago - is one of his best films. And his most sensual, as poised and elegant as the dedicated dancers it celebrates, and just as graceful when charting the flirtation that springs up between dancer Campbell and chef Franco. Working in hi-def video for the first time, the dance sequences are utterly beautiful. Amazing that at 79 Altman is able to pull something as special as this out of the bag.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all reviews

Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 3 starsMore of a 7 out of 10.

xyzzy from Brighton , 11/02/2005

In some ways it is more of a collection of scenes than a movie as although there is a definite linear flow, you couldn't say it was driven by narrative.

Watching the film , I felt as though I were an observer flitting in and out and peeking into the life of the Company.

As a whole, I am glad I saw it but it could do with being shown on a decent sized screen but I'm a sucker for a proper cinema screen.

Good dancing, some amusing costumes and an interesting peek.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all highest rated reviews

Rated - 1 starsI wouldn't bother even if you like ballet...

A customer from Essex, England , 11/12/2005

I was disappointed by this film. There was little/no story, which I'm guessing this was an effort to concentrate on the dance content, however I spent the whole film wondering what was going on. The film is supposed to convey what its like within a dance company, but I feel none the wiser... However, the actual ballet dancing was fantastic.

  3 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Report offending content.

Read all highest rated reviews