"In Good Company"

Reviewed by Chris Cappola
Starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson and Marg Helgenberger. Directed by Paul Weitz. (2004, Universal/Focus)

What is our life about? We Work and love, have relationships and careers, start families, pay bills and look for meaning…issues that we all can relate to. 'In Good Company' speaks to the audience and identifies with their lives. It's a real movie. It's very rare to find a story that is identifiable and believable and it may not be about much, but 'In Good Company' is about our lives and the small vital things that make it work. It's about finding meaning in our existence. It's not one of those films where they take a road trip movie across America to discover themselves, but doing what we all do - going about our day-to-day life and finding meaning there. 'In Good Company' is a rare treat.

Dennis Quaid (who has never been better) plays Dan Foreman who's life is shaken up when he is demoted at his job and replaced by a boss half his age - Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), a sales prodigy who is experiencing his own personal turmoil. When Carter meets Dan's daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson) and sparks a relationship, it creates further complications. The script was written by Paul Weitz who also directs and is polished with jabs at corporate life, suburbia, mid-life crisis and other areas of everyday life. It is extremely perceptive and doesn't try to inject irrelevant subplots - it just flows like everyday life. It separates the worlds of our two characters from their work life to their home life and gives us an understanding of who they are as individuals. The script also balances between seriousness and comedy and is able to shift between momentums quite succinctly and appropriately.

Weitz also directs the comedy-drama and was the original director of the 'American Pie' series. He also was the creator of the hilarious but cancelled FOX sitcom 'Cracking Up', which screened in 2004. Weitz does a great job helming this film and doesn't just turn the story into a "corporate world is evil" syndrome idea that many other films employ. The story isn't just about the greedy, political climate of corporate life but it's about two disparate people who's paths meet and how it impacts them as people. Both characters are identifiable - there are a lot of Dan Foreman's and a lot of Carter Duryea's not just in the corporate world but in life. Most people get to both these stages in life - the prodigy days where you feel invincible and the world is your oyster and then the days later in life where you feel you're expendable and past your prime. Life is just like the corporate world, it is bound to be reshuffled. The supporting roles too are identifiable and realistic. Marg Helgenberger plays Dan's wife, a pregnant housewife from the suburbs; David Paymer is a nervous co-worker who is scared to lose his job; Clark Gregg is a slimy superior; Phillip Baker Hall is a potential client while cameos by Selma Blair and Malcolm McDowell are also good. These characters all have small roles but execute them with ease that its hard not to believe these are real. The relationship angle between Carter and Alex could have detoured into an 'American Pie' moment, but it is far different to what you expect and the eventual outcome is surprising but ultimately fulfilling to the story.

The performances from the cast are dynamite although Scarlett Johansson again is a weak link. Dennis Quaid has never been a fan favourite but this is his best work to date. Quaid brings humanity, depression, desperation and cynicism to the role and balances it perfectly. It is a defining role for the veteran actor and he couldn't have done it better - a great surprise. Topher Grace is equally superb and does a sensational job in this breakthrough role. Grace from TV's 'That 70's Show' is a very talented actor and this was a perfect role that is surprising because he didn't look like he could pull it off. The rapport between Quaid and Grace is great and they bump off each other with ease. Smaller roles from the other cast members are merited especially Marg Helgenberger's pregnant wife and David Paymer's nervous co-worker who gets to give a great David Paymer performance. The cast are sensational. If there's a weak link to the mix it's Scarlett Johansson who again substitutes acting for smiling and looking pretty. The actress struggles with a great script and can't make it work. Again, it's something about her delivery that is off-putting - it's as if she is unable to find emotion with her performance. It's very cold and sterile. It gets better, but only because she is surrounded by stronger performances.

With a perceptive script, identifiable characters and polished performances, 'In Good Company' is one of the best films of the year. It is similar to last year's 'Garden State' that it's a comedy that mixes dramatic undertones and realism that is identifiable. There wasn't a single unauthentic moment in this film - it flowed like life and every single moment of it felt like everyday life.

out of 10
- Chris Cappola's Reviews

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