In Good Company Movie Review:


Writer-director Paul Weitz brought us 2002’s critically acclaimed comedy, “About a Boy” which became an instant comedy classic. Weitz’s other credits include co-writing and directing 1999’s “American Pie” and co-writing 1998’s “Antz”.

In his latest film, Dennis Quaid plays Dan Foreman, an abrasive veteran sports magazine sales representative who is shocked to learn that the magazine he has worked on for many years has been sold to billionaire tycoon Teddy K (Malcolm McDowell).

Most of Dan’s division will be laid off and a new corporate structure will be placed on the magazine to beef up sales. The man leading that charge is 26-year old eager upstart, Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) and Dan’s new boss.

Lonely at the top, Carter latches on to Dan and in some ways admires Dan and his values. Eventually Carter is introduced to Dan’s family and an immediate attraction begins between Carter and Dan’s 18-year old daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johanssen). Their lives just got a lot more complicated.

“In Good Company” is a down to earth comedy that tends to nurture its environments and its characters. It is like a good wine, give it time and its bound to produce a beautiful bouquet.

I really loved the performances of both Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid. Grace continues to prove he is going to be a huge star and the renaissance of Dennis Quaid continues. Probably the most under-stated performance comes from Johanssen who doesn’t have a lot of the more memorable lines or scenes but still does an amazing job with her character.

My favorite scene is when Grace’s Carter asks Quaid’s Dan about how do you know you have found the one you are meant to be with. Dan’s whole speech about the foxhole is utterly priceless.

I really enjoyed how smart and how unafraid the film was to tell an actual story instead of going for cheap laughs.

My complaints about the film mainly have to do with some of the meandering it does in certain scenes and how the relationship between some of the characters is never concluded.

So Says the Soothsayer



Dean Kish

Sometimes it’s best to laugh at painful things you can’t control. “In Good Company” gives viewers an opportunity to do just that, especially where certain contemporary big business practices are concerned. Adding to the fun are top-notch comic performances by Dennis Quaid as an over-50 sales executive and Topher Grace as the much younger man who takes over Quaid’s job. And yet, underneath all the humorous workplace incidents involving these two fictional characters lurks a feeling of sadness about real people who have faced -- or are dealing with -- similar job-related situations.

If you’re not personally familiar with such terms as “downsizing,” “the bottom line,” and “corporate takeover,” “In Good Company” will probably be funnier to you than to those who have fallen victim to these current trends. But if you’ve ever been replaced because of your age, or had to train someone younger than you who’s taking over your job, or been fired in order to increase corporate profits, enjoying this movie will surely leave you with a bitter-sweet aftertaste.

Although “In Good Company” belongs to Quaid (“The Rookie”), his co-star gives him serious competition. Grace (“Win a Date with Tad Hamilton?”) manages to project a certain charm even when he’s doing the corporate dirty work, and he endows his character with a sympathetic vulnerability that’s hard to resist. But veteran actor Quaid provides the movie’s juiciest treat as a husband and father who loves his family as well as his work – and, obviously, even more. His befuddled look when told Grace is his new boss or when wondering who in his own household could be taking a pregnancy test is priceless. And his outrageous response to a surprise birthday party held in his character’s honor simply brings down the house.

Scarlett Johansson (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”) and Marg Helgenberger (TV’s “CSI”) offer fine support as Quaid’s oldest daughter and wife, respectively. Unfortunately, Helgenberger gets only limited screen time, and Johansson’s character engages in some inconsistent behavior that troubled me a bit. It’s only Johansson’s impressive acting skill that stops me from expressing a more negative reaction. I will point out, however, that the romance between Johansson and Grace detracts from the more interesting part of the film involving the characters played by Grace and Quaid.

Writer/director Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”) definitely has a knack for presenting male characters in a humanistic, amusing way. Despite a couple of minor flaws, his “In Good Company” emerges as an entertaining exploration of the personal/ethical problems facing men in today’s corporate culture.

Betty Jo Tucker

Technically this film is a comedy, but there's rather a lot more to it than that, including a comment on corporate globalisation that's even stronger than The Corporation! It's also genuinely funny, realistically romantic and extremely well-played by its cast.

Dan Foreman (Quaid) is a 52-year-old who works as head of advertising for a leading sports magazine, which is suddenly bought by a media tycoon (McDowell). Dan's new corporate-assigned boss is Carter (Grace), a marketing expert with no sales experience who's exactly half Dan's age. Fortunately, Carter's smart enough to know how essential Dan is, but his ruthless corporate efficiency drive doesn't make many friends. And it's about to get worst when his marriage falls apart and he falls for Dan's college-age daughter (Johansson).

This film refreshingly refuses to become a silly comedy, even though one seems ready to erupt at every turn. The more slapstick sequences actually keep their feet on the ground, as it were, combined with a script that's not afraid to layer the characters and take a more thoughtful route through its comical premise. Weitz directs with a solid hand--telling camera angles, strong editing choices and a nice sense of balance that avoids goofiness for a more intelligent, resonant and, yes, truly funny style of comedy.

Quaid balances the humour and drama effortlessly--he's charming, sexy, bedraggled and annoyed, as anyone would be in his position. And he fills the performance with telling details that make it very real. Grace does a nice spin on his nerdy persona, becoming more intriguing as the film progresses. And together there's a superb, evolving chemistry between them. Johansson is also terrific as the soulful young woman trying to find herself while stirring up everyone around her.

There's such a wonderful dynamic at work in this film--a shifting balance between the characters' work and home lives, authentic rhythms within relationships and a refusal to fall into movie cliches (although one rousing speech scene comes dangerously close). Along the way Weitz is making a very strong statement about the callous insensitivity of corporate culture. And we feel it because he's created people we engage with beautifully.

Rich Cline

Dan Foreman (Quaid) has been selling advertising space in America's most popular sports magazine for twenty-three years and was on top of his game
but when Globecom buy the publication, they plan to make some changes. Firstly Dan now has a new boss, up and coming salesman Carter Duryea (Grace) who just happens to be young enough to be his son but is filled with ideas and a remit to slim the sales team down.

Films that look at the everyday lives of normal human beings can draw you in and make you invest in the characters. 'In Good Company' is one of those movies.

Real human drama and the funny things in life are elements that can make you instantly connect with a group of characters and their situation. Without
any larger than life situations, characters that you are never going to meet or outlandish special effects, this is the kind of movie everyone needs to
see every now and again, as its subject is the human condition. Posing the questions 'Am I told old to start again?', 'Is this the right career for
me?', 'Should I leave the comforts of home?' and 'Am I doing the right thing?', 'In Good Company' asks questions that everyone has pondered or will
ponder sometime in their lives.

Here we have a life long career man, working hard to provide for his family and an excellent salesman. We also have an achiever, climbing the corporate
ladder at an accelerated pace as he has been earmarked for success. In the middle we have a young woman about to start her life by leaving the nest and entering adulthood. This trio's stories become intertwined, driving each of their presents and defining their futures.

Once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Dennis Quaid's career is enjoying abit of a renaissance. The role of Dan Foreman, takes him away from
the glut of blockbuster leading men he has been associated with lately and makes him the ordinary man. This is a part that showcases Quaid's quality as a character actor, who brings realism and a hint of comedy, to a man who has to cope with change. As his career and home life are turned upside down, Quaid makes the character believeable and easy to connect with.

Raising star Topher Grace might just be leaving his TV career behind him and becoming a major big screen star. As Globecom hotshot Carter Duryea, he creates a driven young man with many flaws as quite a lot is missing from his life, but he hasn't realised this yet. This is a role that he excels in,
making Carter's drive very visible but exposing his vulnerabilities at the same time.

Scarlett Johansson continues to prove that she is one of the best young actresses in Hollywood at the moment. As Alex, Dan's eldest daughter, she is
just starting out in her adult life as she leaves home and heads off to college. Her naturalist acting style really suits the role and makes the character more real and easy to connect with. Alex has a lot to experience and Scarlet portrays her with an air of innocence and determination that make her instantly appealing.

At is essence the film is a human comedy/drama with a message about the growth of big corporations and how it affects the ordinary men and women who get caught up in mergers and takeovers. Taking a swipe the corporate giants
led by very public media moguls, this part of the story plays second fiddle to human drama but does push the film in the right direction.

'In Good Company' is a film that is it impossible not to like. A well-written script is complemented by three excellent performances from the leads and a supporting cast that helps them all the way. It is hard not to connect with this movie in some way as the characters and the plot draw you in from the start. If you like this you'll be in good company.

Jamie Kelwick

 

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