The Company

Neve Campbell puts on her extremely impressive dancing shoes for this meandering but entertaining look at a Chicago dance company. Campbell, a former ballerina, does some of the finest screen dancing this side of Astaire, and director Robert Altman’s loose and chatty approach to moviemaking works in the context of this film. There’s very little story involved, and that seems to be the point. Campbell, who also produced, has fostered this project for years, eager to show the inner workings of a dance company. That’s mostly what the film deals with (Malcolm McDowell is nicely cast as the troupe leader), with little time spent on side stories. A romance between Campbell and James Franco is cast aside for many impressive dance numbers, and that’s a good move. One major complaint: The film’s final big dance number is unimpressive and silly looking, a sort of letdown. Still, Campbell really impresses.