The Company

A fictional vérité peek behind the curtain of Chicago's Joffrey Ballet, Robert Altman's drama of conceptual dance, tough competition, cattiness, calluses, and affairs that collide with ambition is a film that will probably hold rapt only those with a special interest in ballet. The Company stars Neve Campbell (the actress is a former ballerina who also conceived the story) as a talented lower-rung dancer who gets her chance to move into a featured position when another girl is injured. But she's only the lead insomuch as Altman also peers in on snippets of her personal life--a night job tending bar, a budding relationship with a cute young chef (James Franco)--to personalize what any underpaid chorus dancer toils through for his or her art. Otherwise the film has no story arc--it's heavy on ambiance, light on plot--and while the dance numbers themselves are fascinating (except for one that's just silly) and creatively photographed from multiple perspectives (audience, backstage, in the rigging, etc.), the film's fly-on-the-wall narrative requires a concerted effort to stay involved with its elusive moods and feelings. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Robert Altman and producer-star Neve Campbell, the option to view the isolated dance sequences (35 min.), a seven-minute “making of” featurette, the four-minute featurette “The Passion of Dance,” a two-minute extended dance sequence, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)