Robert Altman makes a rare misstep with this plodding ballet drama/comedy which never quite manages to find a groove or a pattern. Produced and co-written by its star, The Company sees Neve Campbell (remember her?) playing Loretta 'Ry' Ryan, a talented member of the Chicago group, the Joffrey Ballet Company. Having failed to maximise her undoubted potential thus far, Ry finds that she's got to make some big decisions in regards to her career and, of course, her messy personal life. Still, things aren't made easy for her, especially by the company's pushy artistic director (Malcolm McDowell, wheeling through every homosexual stereotype with, ahem, gay abandon). Oh, and there's the small matter of a chef (James Franco) trying to win her affections, too.
Since she actually studied ballet for several years, Campbell is more than familiar with the world in which she inhabits here, but what she lacks is an ear for the natural beat and rhythm of human relationships. Intrinsically linked to this failing is the sheer lack of drama on offer here. The Company plods along with little in the way or verve or energy, outlining its characters' bland predicaments with all the gusto of a narcoleptic sloth. Sure, Altman tries to kick it out towards the overblown finale with an outlandish set piece performance, but it's too little too late.
