In Good Company is billed as a romantic comedy, or so the press comment put on the poster says, and I’m not sure why. It certainly does have some comedy in it and a nice touch of romance as well, but a romantic comedy? Not in the traditional sense of what is considered a Rom-com anyway.
I ... Read review
Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is a loving husband, caring father and star ad executive. But ... more
now, life is putting him through the ultimate test. Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), a young hotshot half his age, has just become his boss. And to complicate matters, Dan discovers Carter is dating his daughter (Scarlett Johansson).It's filled with genuine laughs and you're in good company when you watch this entertaining comedy.
In his previous effort 'About A Boy' writer-director Paul Weitz managed to smoothly ... more
blend elements of dark comedy with heart-warming drama to deftly undercut both of the genre's undesirable excesses. 'In Good Company' is Weitz's solo directorial debut sans his brother Chris with whom he co-helmed the aforementioned film and the wildly successful 'American Pie' series. Here he perfects his gift for the so-called "dramedy " softening the jagged sometimes ugly edges of corporate satire with warmth and sentiment. Dennis Quaid is perfectly cast as Dan Foreman a slightly weary yet still dashing advertising boss and dedicated family man. He seems to have it all as a wholesome and admirable father an existence which smacks of the archetypical mid-century sitcom dad that he so brilliantly portrayed as the secretly homosexual husband-father in Todd Haynes' 'Far From Heaven'. Enter Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) a cocky young upstart hired to replace him. Before long Dan is forced to be deferential to his new baby-faced boss not only in the office but also at his own dinner table when Dan begins dating his lovely daughter Alex (Scarlett Johanssen). This old-fashioned slightly soap-operatic twist is the perfect catalyst for the integration of humanity into an environment (and cinematic genre) that is so often devoid of it and the film simultaneously lightens in spirit and deepens in emotion as a slow-yet-sure father-and-son bond develops between the former adversaries.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Good story, great acting ans a little bit different from what you expect. Disadvantages: Scarlett and Selma not in it enough!!
In Good Company is billed as a romantic comedy, or so the press comment put on the poster says, and I’m not sure why. It certainly does have some comedy in it and a nice touch of romance as well, but a romantic comedy? Not in the traditional sense of what is considered a Rom-com anyway.
I would put IGC more into the drama category than comedy; in fact it is more of a coming of age drama with touches of comedy and romance than anything else. ... ...is more metaphorical than physical in this case.
IGC is the story of two men, Dan a 52-year head of ad sales for a prestigious sports magazine. He sells ad space by old-fashioned means. He meets people, talks to them about not only the ads but about his and their family. He gets to learn more about them and what their needs are to make the sale. He builds a rapport with them that leads to sales eventually.
Carter on the other ... more
In Good Company is billed as a romantic comedy, or so the press comment put on the poster says, and I’m not sure why. It certainly does have some comedy in it and a nice touch of romance as well, but a romantic comedy? Not in the traditional sense of what is considered a Rom-com anyway. I would put IGC more into the drama category than comedy; in fact it is more of a coming of age drama with touches of comedy and romance than anything else. A different kind of coming of age story as well, one where the protagonists are already past the teenage years. Hence the coming of age is more metaphorical than physical in this case.
IGC is the story of two men, Dan a 52-year head of ad sales for a prestigious sports magazine. He sells ad space by old-fashioned means. He meets people, talks to them about not only the ads but about his and their family. He gets to learn more about them and what their needs are to make the sale. He builds a rapport with them that leads to sales eventually. Carter on the other hand is a young turk, a twenty something who doesn’t care how sales happen or how they are got, just that the sales are made. They are not just different in age but in attitude to life and work as well. Dan loves his job and is a family man who is married with two children, Carter lives for his job and his personal life suffers for it. Work and climbing the ladder is everything to him!
When the worlds most successful businessman (Malcolm McDowell) takes over the magazine Dan works for he finds himself demoted and the young inexperienced Carter called in from the parent company, Globecom, to replace him and run the ad sales department. The new company has different ideas about the magazine and wants their man in.
IGC is all about these two guys, the older, confident family man and the young brash new guy on the block. It is about how they work together and how the new owners concentration on the profit margins can destroy peoples lives. The question is how does it affect Carter and Dan and more importantly how does their relationship change their own attitudes?
Romance comes into the picture when Carter meets Alex, Dan’s daughter, first at the office on his first day and then at Dan’s house. Will Carter find true love and the normal family life he has never had with her or will his desire to rise to the top still be more important to him?
I’m still not really sure how I feel about this film, I didn’t dislike it and was reasonably entertained by it, it kept me interested and I didn’t find myself fidgeting as I do when I’m getting annoyed or fed up with something about a film. By the same token it didn’t really grab me at all either, it didn’t involve me as much as it probably should have.
It is very well written and Wietz employs some very clever filming tricks to accentuate the synergy/synchronicity that is the parent company’s mantra. There are two very clever montage/split story scenes involving Dan and Carter showing the synchronicity between their lives at this moment. There is a nice double signing of documents signifying both characters reaching turning points in their lives and a wonderful sequence involving Dan/Ann and Carter/Alex.
More than anything else it is the relationships that power this movie, the father/daughter, the boss/underling, the older man/younger man and the husband/wife are all covered and it is how these pairings interact that makes IGC interesting, especially when compared to the harder, nastier view on relationships as portrayed in ‘Closer’, in fact IGC is a good counterpoint to ‘Closer’!
All that sounds as if comedy is almost absent from this film, and while it is a lesser part of the overall feel there are some truly funny moments. Particularly Carters first presentation to his new staff, you feel his embarrassment as he screws things up and laugh at his use of synergy to try and pull everything back together. The comedy is more part of the story, the people and the situations.
Lastly a few words need to be said about Dennis Quaid, back in the 80’s he was a before credits star (Innerspace, DOA). Not one of the best actors around but good enough to deserve that A-list position. Then he seemed to pretty much vanish from mainstream roles and success. Frequency brought him back to my attention a few years back and IGC shows that he has refound his star quality, or maybe that major studios have rediscovered him? As Dan he is near perfect, a performance that doesn’t make him stand out while watching the film but when you think back you realise how good he was in pretty much every scene he appears in.
Topher Grace (That 70’s Show) is someone I’ve not seen before but he pulls off the difficult part of Carter with great skill. It is not easy to make the viewer dislike the character but feel for him at the same time; Topher does this with aplomb though and the interaction between him and Quaid is essential to the film.
Watch out for an appearance by Selma Blair as well, looking as stunning as always, any film with her in is always worth a look see!
Running time: 109 minutes Certificate: PG Director and Writer: Paul Wietz (American Pie, About A Boy)
Main Cast:
Dennis Quaid – Dan Foreman Topher Grace – Carter Duryea Scarlett Johansson – Alex Foreman Marge Helgenberger – Ann Foreman David Paymer – Morty Selma Blair – Kimberly Philip Baker Hall – Eugene Kelb
Advantages: Some nice performances and a few laughs Disadvantages: It's desperately average
...half his age and talks in buzzwords and preaches “corporate synergy”. Dan has always believed in wining clients through a firm handshake and private meetings but Carter streamlines the business by cross-promoting it with a breakfast cereal. Dan’s life is further complicated when his wife announces she’s pregnant and he is horrified when he discovers his teenage daughter is dating his boss.
Paul Weitz is one of few contemporary directors to have ... ...Weitz shows a light touch in his direction, never forcing the pace of the film and allowing relationships to evolve naturally, so that we as an audience get to know the characters at the same rate as they get to know each other. We therefore become emotionally attached to the main protagonists, allowing us to share in their highs and lows. What that this film is lacking though is laugh-out-loud comedy; there are some nicely observed tragicomic minor ...
afy9mab 24.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of In Good Company (2004)
Advantages: Really good film Disadvantages: Disappointing ending, not much romance
...all of the main characters in the film especially Topher Grace. He shows great emotions throughout the film but also knows how to be funny. The very good looking young star is just starting his career and I think he’s got a lot more to come. Its also great to see someone other than Hugh Grant.
It is quite a refreshing romantic comedy. It differs greatly from the classic British rom-com. Being American and based around such young characters the film ... ...the pros outweigh the cons. In Good Company is a very good film and definitely worth a watch. Also I think its good for both the men and women.
See it at the cinema if you have time if not definitely rent to DVD when it comes out.
Thanks for reading Emma XxX ...
pumpkin_pie2002 23.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of In Good Company (2004)
Advantages: Dennis Quaid, supporting cast Disadvantages: Unconvincing characters, meandering plot
I watched In Good Company with mixed expectations. On the one hand it is directed by Paul Weitz who was in charge of one of my favourite comedies of all time, About A Boy, and Dennis Quaid starred in another of my all-time faves, Undercover Blues. On the other hand the trailer was less than inspiring and I'm definitely not in the apparently huge Scarlett Johansen fan club. Topher Grace is not an actor I remember seeing in anything, but his name conjured ... ...His daughter (Scarlett Johansen [Lost In Translation, Girl With The Pearl Earring) seems to be becoming distanced from him, and to top it all his wife (Ann - Marg Helgenberger from CSI) is pregnant. The new owners of the company want more profits and this means they will be "letting people go" - not that they actually want to go. Carter (Topher Grace [Win A Date With Tad Hamilton!, "That 70's Show"]), Dan's new manager, is going through a crisis ...
CaptainDisaster 29.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of In Good Company (2004)
Advantages: scarlett johannson is in it, do you need any other reason? Disadvantages: slow, boring at times, not very affecting
...and is off to live in the city, which incidentally - and by that I mean conveniently - makes her relationship with Carter possible and that she can often pop in on dad in
the office for a game of midweek tennis.
Topher is good value as a young, arrogant, executive (only made worse by his Globecom boss who wants to “groom him” for bigger things). Carter’s life revolves entirely around work and Topher does a good job of acting the confident office-guy ... ...much personal time with.
In Good Company has little point, very little actually happens and certainly nothing happens that we haven’t seen before (done better). It’s all quite cosy at times whilst at other points you may feel slight stirrings of emotion at the office politics but to be honest it’s pretty fluffy.
To draw a comparison to a similar film What Women Want had more pizzaz. That film also had Mel Gibson, better than Dennis Quaid and Helen ...
Kevin_Stanley 02.03.2005 (03.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of In Good Company (2004)
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