In our neverending quest for a synergized world of cross promotion, we were invited (thanks to Grace Hill Media!) to review "In Good Company" starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace (That 70's Show), and Scarlett Johansson, along with CSI diva Marg Hellenberger.
The plot is straightforward. Dennis Quaid is Dan Foreman, age 51, head advertiser for a Sports Magazine called Sports America which resembles another famous sports magazine. His parent company has been bought by a media conglomerate. Topher Grace is Carter Dureya, 26 year old wet behind the ears executive in the cellphone division thrust into being head of advertising. Yep, Dan, you are now subordinate to a boy half your age. Along the way, we have a secret love affair, mid-life crises, coming of age drama, and some nice laughs at corporate culture.
Mark's Remarks
Opening scene - a silent alarm clock waking Dennis Quaid, who leaves early in the morning, because Dan Foreman has to sell some advertising for Sports America. He speaks with Mr. Kalb, who remarks that they are both dinosaurs. Hence, we get the layout of what is to come. Flash to Carter, the young exec marketing cellphones for 4 year olds, talking about untapped markets. His MBA-weenie boss is all about corporate climbing and says he has dropped Carter's name to Teddy K., the head of the media conglomerate (which we find out, is buying Dan's parent company). Carter seems a bit out of his element, almost as if he is reading the script of corporate weeniehood. Oh my, this is going to be a film about finding oneself. Yep, one of those.Along the way, we meet Dan's wife (Marg Helgenberger) who, despite their advanced years (late 40s, early 50s) is now pregnant. (There is a really funny scene involving Quaid and a home pregnancy test.) Quaid's elder daughter (Scarlett Johansson) wants to go to school at NYU, which causes financial and emotional hard times for dear old mom and dad.
Enter the starcrossed lovers theme. Carter and the elder daughter strike up a rapport the first day Carter takes over Dan's job. Along the way, we find Carter to be an empty shell, unsure of himself or what he is doing. His marriage is a joke; and what he wants and claims to want are two different things. I sense lifechanging epiphany coming up.
Well, you guessed it. There is a seduction in the air, and there is a secret revealed along the way. Quaid shines as the old school businessman trying to adapt and understand a less personable corporate world. His performance was excellent, with the typical Quaid charm we have come to expect from movies like the Rookie, Innerspace, etc. He is adapting well to his age, and there are lots of examples given of an aging lion trying to still show he has what it takes.
Will Dan and Carter get along? Will Dan kill Carter when he finds out? Is someone else pregnant? Will they all be fired by Teddy K.? And what about Mortie? And why don't they just call that guy Little Nickel? And why can't he spell Dead? Is the New Foreman a boy or girl? Watch the film and find out.
Helgenberger was hardly noticeable, and Topher Grace was very passable as the neurotic and insecure Carter. He captures very well the yuppie MBA who cares at first only for outside appearances and climbing the ladder, but finds his heart and home empty, despite wanting a family. His mind and heart are opened to what really matters, love and finding your place in life. Johanssen shone as the young adult daughter, on her own, and coming of age at NYU. She lit up the screen, and I think she has a bright future along the lines of Natalie Portman, or Mena Suvari, or even a Liv Tyler (before she sold out, only without the Aerosmith lips).
Scarlett Johansson, Dennis Quaid, and Topher Grace from "In Good Company" now playing.
Matt's Chat
Truly a charming film. But what I found most compelling was the fact that for a romantic comedy, life's little lessons were at the forefront throughout. This is a film about adapting to change as all of the characters faced life-altering circumstances.The casting was superb. Dennis Quaid delivered a solid performance and was the anchor that a movie like this really has to have in order to work. Topher Grace was surprisingly good and was believable as both young destroyer of worlds and as vulnerable up-and-comer in search of meaning. Scarlett Johansson was simply stunning as a young woman coming of age in a time of change for her family.
One of the problems that plague romantic comedies is pacing. This film didn't have that problem at all. There were plenty of laughs with sufficient balance of drama that kept the film moving. However, the score by Stephen Trask was entirely forgettable and it was...
As for general effect, I think the film's appeal can best be summed by a comment I overheard at the theatre from a young lady in her late 20s who said, "What a cute little movie." That's exactly what it is.
Recommendations
Mark: This is a standard Hollywood tale of old school vs. new school with both sides learning and growing to understand the other. There are no Oscar performances here, but it IS something rare for Hollywood: a movie that has good story, believeable characters, good acting, and no friggin CGI or wirework. In other words, it was truly retro, to days when storytelling was more than big budgets and special effects. While more of an action afficiando, I found this movie enjoyable and would recommend it for a good date film, or even for a family night out.
On a scale of 0-5 mushroom clouds, I give it a 3. A four if the ending were a bit better, but this is where it sinks into doldrums. Great story which dribbles off into lame-itude. I got all psyched but felt let down and arbitrarily let go at the end.
Matt: "In Good Company" serves up exactly what you'd expect and a throws in a nice surprise: a few laughs and something to think about. It'll be a great date flick with enough guy "stuff" to keep us interested.
The movie is reminiscent of "Toy Story" in that the central focus of the story is how the characters react to life-changing events. Like Mark, I rank "In Good Company" a solid 3 out of 5 mushroom clouds.
Obligatory Star Trek Reference
As regulars to our site know, when we do DVD reviews, we always look for, and mention any, Star Trek references we can find. It was looking pretty bleak there, but in an uncredited role, Malcolm McDowell (ST: Generations' Dr. Tolian Soran) plays Globecom's CEO, Teddy K.Another uncredited actor, Scott Sahadi, who plays one of the moving guys had a part as an "insurgent" in the ENTERPRISE episode, "Storm Front: Part I".
Other Blogger Reviews
A Large RegularParson's Pantry
Hand Coding (Review/Feature to be published soon)
Rene's Ramblings (Rene has some links to more blogger reviews)
Alex Forest
If you reviewd this movie on your blog, leave us a note in the comments and we'll add you to the list!
