Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

mckeldin I saw this production on Broadway in 2006 and was underwhelmed despite loving Raul Esparza in the lead and really connecting with the original material (via the cast album and previous stagings). I was a little disappointed then when I heard that this production was going to be filmed/taped as I didn't want this to be the "Company" of record. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the television version. Kudos to Lonny Price (whose stage work I haven't always admired) for bringing clarity to the action as well as to the relationships among the characters in his camera direction (the stage direction is by John Doyle). What was unintelligible on stage is now clear thanks to the use of close-ups and montage. This will never be my favorite Company (not nearly "New York" enough -- and I still maintain that the show works best set in its original time frame -- 1970), but what disappointed on stage has become a very entertaining and interesting production of a great "problem" musical.

johnstonjames I was surprised to find out the book for this play was so old. it really seems like something written in this decade it's so hip and funny.Sondheim said he wrote this for the upper middle class to enjoy. i think it's more for single people than anyone else. you don't have to have money or prestige in life to appreciate this. it's all very real and human.Raul Esparza is incredible here. boy can this guy sing! i wonder what his vocal training is because this guy could probably do opera. not to mention he has an adorable, winning personality. he brings a cute,vulnerable waif-like quality to his performance as Bobby. i don't know how cute the other Bobby's in other productions were but this guy is the peach of sweetness and cuteness. i don't mean that in a gay sort of way either. he's no he-man or hunk, but that's perfect. as a man i am sick and tired of all the macho B---S--t that is out there as role models for men. i don't really relate to macho anymore than feminist relate to traditional female role models. men should liberate themselves. i'm not exactly cute and sweet myself, but i wish i was, it's so likable. Raul Esparza is a great role model for men. RELAX. there's nothing wrong with a guy being adorable,cuddly and vulnerable like Esparza. i've had many women say they like men to be that way and cut the mean spirited macho crap.i would love to be just like Raul Esparza. a cute, cuddly little smurf.

Tom DeFelice Second rate cast. Third rate production. Fourth rate concept.I have the highest praise for "Company" as a musical. Smart dialog. Witty songs. The idea of creating a musical based not on a story (it doesn't have one), but on the concept of interpersonal relationships was ground breaking. This is one of Stephen Sondheim's best! In this production the cast plays all the musical instruments. I guess that saved on paying for an orchestra. What we end up with is a group of performers who must be actor/singer/musician. That is asking a lot. And not one person in the cast is good at all three. We end up with the actors delivering lines while holding on to their musical instruments. To be true to the musical they would also have to dance. The director has saved them from that be removing all the dancing. "Tic-Toc" is gone and "Side-by-side-by-side" looses its punch.The star/director also includes a solo for himself at the end of act one that did not make it to Broadway and for good reason. It's a nice song, but it diminishes the impact of Robert's singing "Being Alive" at the end of act two."Company" deserves better treatment than this production. Just watch the DVD of the making of the Original Broadway Cast album and you will see the potential. It is great that "Company" is finally out on DVD. It is sad that this is the production they give us.

tavm Since PBS's "Great Performances" was the first time I ever watched any version of Stephen Sondheim's late '60s/early '70s musical "Company", I didn't really have any idea what to expect. Actually, to go back, I've read some reviews and looked at the back of a DVD of a documentary of the original run of the show and I knew it had something to do with marriages and relationships and many of these couples being the friends of this one single guy. Bobby is his name, I believe. Anyway, it takes place at his apartment where everyone is waiting for him to show up for his surprise birthday. And then it goes back and forth in his conversations with these friends and with some of his former dates. Since it's Sondheim, you definitely don't expect anything conventional to be going on. In fact, this version is even more unusual since the entire cast are also playing instruments while enacting their parts. Most of the women are fine here especially the ones playing Marta and Joanne. And I was impressed throughout with Raul Esparza as the leading character especially when he sang "Being Alive". Nice humorous touches throughout and still a timely observation of what it's like trying to connect with love in the big city. For that reason, not to mention Sondheim himself discussing his contributions in a separate segment afterward, I highly recommend this version of "Company".