Company (2011)

On his 35th birthday, a confirmed bachelor (Neil Patrick Harris) finds himself feted by his friends, five married couples. Reflecting on his mutual friendships with the couples as well as three young ladies, he examines his inability to commit to a relationship and hopefully, a breakthrough that will allow him to commit to that one special person. Barely released in 2011 to a very limited amount of movie theaters, this filmed version of a live performance is probably as close as we'll ever get of a movie of Stephen Sondheim's musical COMPANY. The fragmented concept of a series of vignettes as conceived is such a theatrical piece that of all Sondheim's shows, it proves the most difficult to translate in cinematic terms. Still, if this is all we'll ever get, I'm eternally grateful because it's terrific "film". Though sole writer's credit is given to the original author George Furth, I've seen two professional productions of COMPANY (including the original cast) and I stand to be corrected but Furth's book seems to have been tweaked and honed and for the better. This production is every bit as good as and dare I say it, perhaps better than the original? It was a real pleasure to see Tick Tock restored to its place as most revivals eliminate the dance number. Directed by Lonny Price. Harris is excellent and you couldn't ask for a better ensemble cast: Patti LuPone (who gives a real depth to The Ladies Who Lunch), Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer, Stephen Colbert, Craig Bierko, Anika Noni Rose, Katie Finneran, Chryssie Whitehead and Christina Hendricks (MAD MEN) who comes as close to stealing the movie as anyone.