The Company (2003)

REVIEW
A fictional, documentary-style film set in the world of ballet (and featuring members of Chicago's Joffrey company), The Company has much in common with Altman's Ready to Wear except for the fact that this one is actually quite good. The plot, cooked up by producer/star Campbell and tuned by longtime Altman collaborator Barbara Turner, is (perhaps necessarily) quite familiar. Campbell plays a protogé who gets a big break, becomes a star, and finds romance, all leading up to the big production number at the end. Yet despite these machinations (and a stringently heterosexual storyline), the casual dialogue, cattiness and extreme pressure behind the scenes make for convincing and compelling passages. Best of all, roughly half of the running time focuses on the electrifying ballet performances, both in rehearsal and live on stage. Always an expert at using weather for effect, Altman stages a masterful pas de deux during a thunderstorm that features Campbell; she was trained as a ballerina, and though not quite able to perform on pointe, puts a lot of emotion into her dancing. These dance sequences are jazzed up with plenty of cuts and camera movement, but also take care to concentrate on the feet and the inherent artistry; anyone who doesn't "get" ballet will leave with a damn good (and most entertaining) education.