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The Company Men

By Bob on June 23, 2011 6:06 AM

The Company Men is a work of fiction, but its story is as real as this morning's headlines. It's a tale of corporate greed, company downsizing and the seemingly endless despair of finding a job. If you think that sounds depressing, you're right. But, if you think it's all this movie has going for it, you're terribly wrong. This is a wonderful film with a hopeful message and a very big heart.

Director John Wells (ER) takes us back in time - maybe a year ago - with this story. We're introduced to Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) an upper-middle-class sales and marketing exec with the requisite mortgage, two kids and wife. All's well in Bobby World until he's caught up in a corporate downsizing that furloughs about half the company.

 

Suddenly the universe doesn't make sense. No job. No money. No status. And ultimately, no home of his own. Before he can say WTF, the Walker clan goes from a two-story colonial in a nice neighborhood to moving back in with Bobby's parents. As we say down in Texas: S*** Gets Real, y'all.

 

He's not alone. Just about everyone he knows is either laid off or just one missed note payment away from bankruptcy. Bobby's former boss, Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones,) isn't happy with the layoffs either and tries to intervene. He's a rich guy with a heart who thinks he can persuade the CEO (Craig T. Nelson) to cut costs by doing something OTHER than reducing head count. Before you know it, his head's on the chopping block and he's sipping scotch on the veranda at 9:30 a.m.

 

Mean ol' CEO Craig T. Nelson isn't totally heartless. In addition to three month's severance, everybody gets free outplacement services (Bobby's entry into the world of outplacement is so realistic it'll make you squirm). He shouts the positive affirmations....calls everyone he knows...suffers the indignities of bad interviews and still NO JOB.

 

Since nothing's going his way, brother in law Kevin Costner comes through with a construction job to help him regain his sanity and sense of self worth. It's back-breaking labor and painfully obvious that Bobby's not cut out for carpentry.

 

He knows it's going to take a lot of work to crawl his way back to the two-story colonial he took for granted. Turns out, he's right. The road back home isn't an arrow-straight six-lane Interstate, but rather a crooked two-lane black top full of potholes.

 

The Company Men is never preachy or predictable. It reminds us that a job (or the lack of one) doesn't define us and that it's even possible to lose something and find yourself.

 

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Diabetes-Friendly Chicken Burrito Bowl

ChickenBurritoBowlEverydayDiabetes 600.jpg

By Laura Cipullo and Lisa Mikus, authors of Everyday Diabetes Meals
Image credit: Colin Erricson

Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.

Tips:

If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.

If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.

Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.

Continue Reading »

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Windy City

It's been almost 18 years since Alison Krauss gave us a solo album, but the wait is over with Windy City. The release (her fifth solo studio album) features ten covers of classic songs (and some bonus tracks) she picked with producer Buddy Cannon.

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