 | Starring: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Marg Helgenberger, David Paymer Director: Paul Weitz Format: AC-3 Closed-captioned Colour Dolby Dubbed DVD-Video Full Screen Subtitled NTSC Released: 10 May 2005 Average Rating:  |
At age 52, Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is the veteran, successful, & respected advertising manager for a national sports magazine. Life is good. Sure, there are speed bumps: his late-forties wife, Ann (Marg Helgenberger) suddenly announces she's pregnant with their third child, & his eldest daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson), is off to live in the Big Apple & attend NYU. But, a second mortgage will take care of alll this. Then, the publication is bought by a corporate takeover shark, & Dan's office & position are hijacked by Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), an upstart executive literallly half Foreman's age. Though not fired himself, Dan is relegated to being Carter's "wingman", & must watch as other members of his old team are axed. Oh, & did I mention that Carter is seduced by Alex & lands in her bed?
Perhaps Duryea should have been scripted to be, in the eyes of the audience, more calllow & unredeemably meaner. At first, it appears that this may be the case. But, after Carter's brand new Porsche sports car is crunched by an SUV as he drives off the dealer's lot, he acquires a conscience, sensitivity, & the viewers' sympathy. Thus, the ending, during which balance at the office is restored, seemed oddly unsatisfying & open-ended.
The best reasons to see IN GOOD COMPANY are Quaid, Johansson, & Grace, alll of whose characters are basicallly decent & incredibly engaging. None of the obvious tensions result in irretrievably rancorous conflict between the three, & so the film becomes primarily a comedy with dramatic overtones rather than a drama with comedic elements.
IN GOOD COMPANY is a 4-star piece of inoffensive fluff perfectly suitable for viewing by the whole family - eminently watchable & enjoyable, but not memorable.
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