There are multiple storylines running throughout this movie; however, the central story revolves around Ben Affleck’s character, Bobby Walker.  Bobby is 37 and has it all.  A great family and an amazing paying job until his world is turned upside-down when he is let go from his job due to cutbacks at his company.  The next thing he knows he is attending employment seminars, going on job interviews he feels are beneath him and he soon begins to feel worthless and like a failure.  Still, while all this is going on he feels it is more important to keep up appearances so paying his golf club membership is more important to him than paying off the mortgage.  It’s hard to sympathize with someone like that and while it is important to establish someone with character flaws that must be overcome; you never quite come around to root for Bobby.

The movie has its stronger aspects too, the cast being the biggest.  Everyone gives great performances.  Kevin Costner has not been seen in a while and he only has a supporting role in this movie playing as Bobby’s brother-in-law who offers him a job building houses to help make ends meet.  Costner proves the old adage that there are no small parts, only small actors.

Another smart move was hiring cinematographer Roger Deakins to shoot this movie whose past credits include, “True Grit”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Shawshank Redemption”.  He captures a lot of great images throughout the movie.  Some notable ones include seeing a sea of empty desks in an office and another one of window looking over an office parking lot where many people are seen carrying cardboard boxes of their belongings to their cars.  That’s something that can be related to in the US today.  Wells will probably get another shot at a feature film someday and hopefully he can learn something from this picture and grow as an artist.  The movie is rated R for language and brief nudity.