The Company

Color; PG-13 (language, mature themes, sexual situations, brief nudity) 113 min., CC, DVD $26.98, VHS rental

Street: June 1, Prebook: May 11 (DVD April 29)

DVD: director/cast commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes

First Run: L, Dec. 2003, $2 mil.

Cast: Neve Campbell (Scream),

James Franco (Spider-Man),

Barbara Robertson (The Straight Story)

Director: Robert Altman

COLUMBIA

Story Line: Loretta "Ry" Ryan (Campbell), a performer with a Chicago dancing troupe, deals with making financial ends meet, her new chef boyfriend (Franco), and the commanding presence of troupe leader Alberto Antonelli (McDowell) as she struggles to become a star dancer.

Bottom Line: Iconoclastic filmmaker Altman takes an about-face from his last effort, the uncharacteristically controlled surprise hit Gosford Park, with this improvisational drama that uses his experiences observing Chicago's Joffrey Ballet and star/producer Campbell's dance background as its inspiration. The film weaves fictional situations with real-life characters (famed choreographer Lar Lubivitch and Robert Desrosiers play themselves) to chronicle the painstaking lengths artists will persevere in the pursuit of excellence. Romance and rivalries take a back seat to the often avant-garde dance and fly-on-the-wall dialogue, with McDowell rising to fore and appearing to have a grand old time as the flamboyant troupe director who delights in calling the shots, addressing his performers as "babies" and spouting diet suggestions. The film received solid reviews, but failed to cross over from its specialized arthouse audience. Campbell's name and Altman's current visibility with showings of his Tanner '88 mini-series on cable, the first-time DVD release of Three Women, and the still-resonant Gosford Park success--an Altman film for people who hate Altman--could bolster video interest beyond dance purists. --Irv Slifkin

BACK TO TOP