I saw The Company by Robert Altman this weekend.

In a word: lame.

Unless you're a hardcore fan of dance, I wouldn't recommend seeing this. There's next to no plot - the entire thing centers on how a big dance performance goes from practice to stage and I found it incredibly tedious.

However - I'm sure if you like dancing, you'd freakin' love it.

I couldn't wait to get out of the theater, but respect what Altman is doing here.

The story is in the company...

I'm no big fan of dance, but I thought those sequences were well shot. The story of the 'Company' might have been better told as a documentary, because half the cast weren't really actors anyway.

I agree this film has very little plot - and this is very un-Altman like. At some point I think the film actually started parodying itself. It makes fun of the overblown production of the final dance which could be said of the film itself.

I was never bored through the film and almost all the characters had good setup and you can see what they represent. But, if you're not used to Altman, I'd advise you to stay away.

6/10

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The digital video came across beautifully, the music was great, and overall just a fine experience. And personally, I loved that it was all filmed in Chicago, the performance in Grant Park and the constant sounds of the city outside the lofts in particular.

Halfway through it struck me Malcolm McDowell might be doing a performance as Altman himself. The autobiographical nature this hinted at made the movie even more intriguing.

Very weak film.

Plays more like a documentary on ballet.

Malcolm McDowell is enjoyable but that's about it.

This Neve Campbell pet vanity project is a huge disappointment unless you're really into ballet.

Disappointed that Robert Altman wasted his time on this.

Doesn't have his trademark large ensemble cast either.

*1/2 out of ****

there's but a whisper of a plot
the muisc and dance couldn't convey any sort of excitement
the characters are undeveloped
there is no build up to the ending of the fim, it just ends

very disappointing for an Altman film.

I opted to stay away from this the minute I saw the previews. Anything about ballet has to suck.

Is this a joke?

I really enjoyed it. Although it did have very little plot and character development, the dance scenes and music were both beautiful. Although if you don't enjoy ballet, you'd hate this movie..

Sure I am a big altman fan, But I really thought it was one of the best films of 2004.

It is as most altman films, unique. The only difference in this picture is it's less an ensemble piece.

The dance takes front stage, everything else is about the small details and left in the background.
I love that in it's subtle way the film is a commentary about the filmmaking process.
After awhile It was obvious to me that the malcolm mcdowell character was modelled after robert altman.
Altman often takes peoples screenplays and dances around them, pushes some things in different directions.
Most often he'll sit back and watch it develop as his actors work in improvisation.
Same thing in the company. I thought there were a lot of remarkable similiarities in the process. This film is about just that. It's basically a movie about pre-production. The creation and molding of art.

A wonderful movie for a director who has been making his own unique art for 5 decades now.

The reason for the Neve Campbell apperance is that the Jofferey Ballet Company does not have stars, and does not promote stars. Thus, Altman had to use someone else who could dance...

The story is perfectly blended into the concept of the company and its daily routine... as a documentary, the story is real life as is Altmans intentions, I assume... a unique experience for sure...

Cheers

DVD Smurf