in the company of men

by Neil LaBute

In the company of men is a black comedy about a psychological love triangle set within 1990s corporate culture. The story of two white-collar managers, Chad and Howard, who maliciously plot to jointly romance the lonely, deaf, beautiful office temp Christine before simultaneously dumping her, is cool and compelling in its depiction of the worst sorts of emotional abuse. What begins as a cat-and-mouse game of one-upmanship quickly escalates into full-scale psychological warfare. Only too late does this 'frat boy' prank reveal itself as deadly serious, with a struggle between the two men at the heart of the battle. The woman is only a means to an end, a pawn easily captured and tossed aside in a dark, wicked duel for corporate ascension.

Genres: Plays, Film, Fiction, Drama

89 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Neil LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, LaBute was raised in Spokane, Washington. He studied theater at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At BYU he also met actor Aaron Eckhart, who would later play leading roles in several of his films. He produced a number of plays that pushed the envelope of what was acceptable at the conservative religious university, some of which were shut down after their premieres. LaBute also did graduate work at the University of Kansas, New York University, and the Royal Academy of London.

In 1993 he returned to Brigham Young University to premier his play In the Company of Men, for which he received an award from the Association for Mormon Letters. He taught drama and film at IPFW in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the early 1990s where he adapted and filmed the play, shot over two weeks and costing $25,000, beginning his career as a film director. The film won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival, and major awards and nominations at the Deauville Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Society of Texas Film Critics Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle.

LaBute has received high praise from critics for his edgy and unsettling portrayals of human relationships. In the Company of Men portrays two misogynist businessmen (one played by Eckhart) cruelly plotting to romance and emotionally destroy a deaf woman. His next film Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), with an ensemble cast including Eckhart and Ben Stiller, was a shockingly honest portrayal of the sex lives of three suburban couples. In 2000 he wrote an off-Broadway play entitled Bash: Latter-Day Plays, a set of three short plays (Iphigenia in orem, A gaggle of saints, and Medea redux) depicting essentially good Latter-day Saints doing disturbing and violent things. One of the plays was a much-talked-about one-person performance by Calista Flockhart. This play resulted in his being disfellowshipped from the LDS Church. He has since formally left the LDS Church.

LaBute's 2002 play The Mercy Seat was one of the first major theatrical responses to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Set on September 12, it concerns a man who worked at the World Trade Center but was away from the office during the attack — with his mistress. Expecting that his family believes that he was killed in the towers' collapse, he contemplates using the tragedy to run away and start a new life with his lover. Starring Liev Schreiber and Sigourney Weaver, the play was a commercial and critical success.

LaBute's latest film is The Wicker Man, an American version of a British cult classic. His first horror film, it starred Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn and was released on September 1, 2006 by Warner Bros. Pictures to scathing critical reviews and mediocre box office.

He is working with producer Gail Mutrux on the screen adaptation of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.

Reviews

[Elliot Chalom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I expect from Labute- dark, contemporary, a little twisted, and most of all cruel and cynical in the way that people treat other people, especially (but not only) in matters of gender. Labute understands people hurting other people emotionally and psychologically in a way that makes you wonder, who hurt this man? A very good read if you enjoy his other works.

[Charlie Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a massive Labute fan, and this is not without merit. He has that familiar Mamet Speak style, capturing some interesting rhythms and colloquial American dialect. Not one of my favourites, but I'll definitely watch the film.

**EDIT**
I watched the film and it's terrible. If you like Labute's work, stick to the LA Theatre Work radio productions available on Audible. Alternatively, if you get a chance and live somewhere that actually stages provocative stuff, he has plenty of good plays. However, this particular text is so wordy and not written for the screen. It feels slow. And the cinematography is really basic and dull. Lots of mid and wide shots.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil Labute is a bastard.

And by that I mean he can write the worst people in the world and make you like them. I really want to see this movie now.

Labute's dialogue is natural and stylized all at once.

My advice is to read his interview at the beginning of the book after you've read the script.

[Margery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy being taken behind the scene in another culture and so gave this four stars. 1979 Libya is described by a nine year old boy - however the author admits to being thiry and puts adult and philosophical reactions into the voice of the nine year old.