one of my absolute favorites!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Fascinating study of two very different women with the ever impressive Stockard Channing (The Matthew Shepard Story, "The West Wing") and Julia Stiles (The Bourne Trilogy, Edmond).Julie (Channing) had to scrape her way to the top, apparently coming from the wrong side of the tracks. She is so fearful that, when her boss wants to meet with her, she immediately calls a headhunter to see what's available.Paula, with her multiple tats, is a child of privilege, and just wants to have fun.Can you imagine the clash? Unfortunately, Nick (Fred Weller) gets between them and suffers as a result.It is one of those films that will have you thinking long afterwords.

I have always liked Stockard Channing, and recently have come to respect Julia Stiles and her choice of roles a great deal. So I was expecting a highly poignant movie here; a deep character study. I didn't get that. These characters, being from the corporate world, are shallow and self-centered, and Stiles' character is distinctly unlikeable. On the other hand, it does show just what such people are like, and how the events depicted here are par for the course in that world.I disagree with a previous poster who said that Nick was the one character to come out of this story unscathed and with his innocence intact. Rather, his lack of a reaction to what they did to him demonstrates that this kind of thing is pretty much business as usual for him. He may have raped someone, and he isn't even shaken up about it. Shows what kind of a hardened, unscrupulous person life in the corporate stratosphere has made him. He's not exactly an angel. Slippery as an eel indeed.Also, the "lesbian themes" that seem to be so played up in the hype and discussion of this movie are hardly even there. There are some instances of innuendo, but nothing material. Which I'm not complaining about, I'm just saying it. If you watch this movie for the sake of that (which I didn't), you'll be let down.As it was, I was let down anyway, as the movie didn't really go anywhere or resolve anything.My rating: 5 out of 10.

There's a lot more to this movie than meets the eye. This is a brain movie, and so those who might easily dismiss is as the sum of its symbolisms, or the transparency of plot line, just don't get it. (I feel a need to dismiss those who would dismiss the film). But from the postings, I see most people do get it, or at least are groping towards an understanding. So what if the plot is a reversal of "In The Company of Men". What is the film saying about women's sexuality when they go into business?--Leave it at the front door? (First generation of feminist thinkers).--Use it or lose it baby? (Generation Next). So this tension is beautifully played upon by the two protagonists. (And who's the antagonist?--Nick (clearly a shill), Business (you're getting warmer)--Our culture at large? (Bulls Eye!) Stylles character wants to assert it's hyper-cool attitude: a "free-lancer" (look it up in the dictionary: A Medieval Knight with no allegiance to prince or crown--available to the highest bidder). Plays the post-modern game of business like nobody's business. She's the working girl for the 21st century. Just tell her how much you have to spend and she'll tell you when the ride is through.Channing: Old School, played by the rules and now she's on top. And what a price she's payed. Allienation, Loneliness, Confusion about means and ends. Now vulnerable, but she's always lived by her wits, and she's not going to fold now.This is a movie I can confidently recommend to my young adult daughters.

While The Business of Strangers is by no means a thoroughly satisfying film (sort of how LIFE is never always completely satisfying), it certainly makes for nearly an hour and a half of compelling, thought-provoking fare. The always-superb Stockard Channing is at her coiled best, never really seeming relaxed even when she's supposedly tanked on scotch. An Oscar-worthy performance, even when we're not completely sure of her motivations - although this is a good thing here, because SHE's not so sure about what the heck she's doing either, even though she's supposedly so in control. And Julia Stiles shines here too, investing her character of Paula with ambiguity galore - in the course of the film she exhibits confusion, rage, sadness, cruelty, disgust and much more -- sometimes all in the same scene. There are no simple explanations here, no easy and tidy ending to this tale (just like in life - 'the messiness of life,' Paula alludes to early in the film). Every day people act out neurotic behavior (which has nothing to do with their daily lives but rather with things that have happened in their pasts), and every day people who are supposedly in control desperately long for 'a dominatrix' to work them over for a few hours a week. Julie 'hires' Paula to do that for her in this movie, and by the end, after all the mind games have been played and the dust settles, you're not sure what to think, which is also the way life does us for the most part.