If you've left me a rating on either my Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus or In the Valley of Elah reviews...
If you've left me a rating on either my Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus or In the Valley of Elah reviews, please let me know as they are showing up as 'not yet rated' even though at least fifteen of you have rated each one.
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:778
Members who trust:82
After twenty years as head of advertising at “Sports America” Dan is demoted when the magazine is taken over. Even more shocking is that Carter, his new boss is 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 successfully made the transition from gross-out to grown-up comedy, having directed both “American Pie” and “About a Boy”. So he is able to marry comedy with emotional depth; milking the laughs from believable situations that juxtapose opposing characters. So here tradition is threatened by modernism, individuality by corporations and experience by youth. 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 characters, amusing montages of characters being fired, some good digs at the corporate mentality and one or two painfully funny injuries inflicted on people but these are too few and far between and the two main protagonists are too realistic to be funny in themselves. Meaning that this is a likeable and well-intentioned film, but is neither a light enough to be an out-and-out comedy, nor dark
enough to qualify as a drama. It’s in some strange middle ground. Though the film is crying out to be loved, isn’t strong enough to let us do so. Hopefully this is a minor blip on Weitz’s resumé and isn’t a sign of things to come.
Weitz is also responsible for the screenplay allowing us to see a complete artistic vision. Here he values character development over all else, setting both Dan and Carter in a distinct frame of reference so that we are able to compare them easily. There is no dialogue during the first five minutes of the film allowing us to watch Dan go about his everyday life (getting up unfeasibly early, watching the business news, finding a used pregnancy test in the bin and getting on a plane to go to a meeting) and giving us the chance to soak up the atmosphere. He is written as a solid, dependable guy with a few miles on the clock but far from ready for the knackers’ yard. The tone is entirely different where Carter is concerned, displaying a manic energy from the outset and unable to stop talking (even when he really should). He seems desperate to hit all the milestones of his life in quick succession, trying to get to where years of life have taken Dan in the blink of an eye even though his unbridled youthful enthusiasm and workaholism are bound to be his undoing. Weitz hasn’t failed to sketch in the backgrounds of the supporting characters, allowing virtually all of them a mini monologue that outlines their hopes, fears and motivations without feeling too forced or expository. If anything is a little rushed, it is the relationship between Carter and Dan’s daughter Alex, which smacks a little of editing for the sake of brevity.
The performances throughout are solid and likeable. After a string of critical misfires, Dennis Quaid finds his niche as Dan. He’s a middle-aged everyman, but though his concerns are nothing new (finding money for his kids’ education, feeling out of the loop with today’s youth), they are presented in appetising fashion and it’s very easy to care for the character. The difference between this and Quaid’s other recent patriarchal roles is that the film requires nothing more of him than to be an all-round decent guy. There’s no need for heroics or hysterics and there’s relatively little dialogue, considering he’s one of the main protagonists. And Quaid’s at his best when expressing emotions without saying anything; there’s very little for him to mess up. He comes across as a straightforward, grizzled bloke, who likes watching sport more than playing it, is a little befuddled by and protective over his kids and just wants to get on with his life without any more nasty surprises. He’s an endearing character that reminds me of my own dad.
As Carter Duryea, Topher Grace displays boundless energy and enthusiasm that would be irritating if it were not so well-observed and endearing. Former TV actor Grace (from “That 70s Show”) proves he has the charisma to hold the attention on the big screen and good comic timing. He convinces as the jumpy, career-focussed poseur, but manages to maintain likeability (even though the character is a corporate whore and self-confessed “emotionally retarded, anally retentive asshole”) through social ineptitude and the ability to unerringly insert his foot into his own mouth.
It’s unclear why Scarlett Johansson is involved in this project. True she plays the role of Dan’s daughter Alex, a sweet, conflicted teenager very well. She makes her feel very genuine and open but it’s hardly a stretch for the Oscar-nominated actress. On the other hand it’s nice to see CSI’s Marg Helgenberger on the big screen. Though she has little to do as Dan’s wife, she proves she is bright and bubbly and proves she can hold her own on the big screen. Of the other supporting players, David Paymer impresses as the emasculated Morty, always fretting about his wife earning more than he. Clark Gregg is wonderfully smarmy as the corporate snake Steckle, seeking to humiliate those he thinks are below him at every turn. You’ll find yourself rooting for him to get his come-uppance. Malcolm McDowell puts in a great cameo as head of Globecom Teddy K; a reptilian Richard Branson, who is the king of corporate syllogisms and has a knack of turning questions on people so that if he doesn’t have the answer, he doesn’t look stupid.
The soundtrack to the movie is a lazy middle-of-the-road that relies heavily on male singers with their acoustic guitars. So we get yet more Damien Rice and Christian Leontes. Things are livened up slightly by Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill”, but it’s been used so often that it feels like a cliché. The score by Stephen Trask features brooding cellos and lively xylophones and flutes, but is never interesting enough to hold the attention.
“In Good Company” is a likeable family comedy-drama that flirts with the idea of growing-up and growing old disgracefully but never has anything new to say on either subject. The performances are as solid and dependable as the character of Dan, but like him they never sparkle or rise above the rank and file. Similarly there are some nice comic moments but they are only enough to make you smile rather than laugh. Overall the film is typified by its soundtrack, though nice enough it is decidedly average and unless you are a huge fan of one or more of its stars it won’t exactly rock your world. There are worse things you could see at the cinema, but this shouldn’t be at the top of your list. Watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon when there’s nothing else to do and you won’t be disappointed.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
