In Good Company (USA) (Universal) (2005) ****Year: 2005iMDB
Director: Paul Weitz Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson
We come to expect very little substance from the early movies of the year and, judging from the trailer, In Good Company did not seem to be out of the norm: a standard light story revolving around a 50 year old man, Dan, (Quaid) who almost loses his job and has to work for the hot-shot 26 year old Carter (Grace) which, in turn, ends up getting involved with Dan's daughter Alex (Johansson).
However, although the rough sketches of the story are indeed the ones above, In Good Company manages to capture the essence of a situation that is not only believable but actually fairly common in the current corporate world in America: The generation clash, globalization versus traditionalism, corporate restructuring, people in their 50's that see their entire universe close to being shattered just as they thought they were headed towards a few cozy years before retirement, young successful kids that seem to have hit all the jackpots before the age of 30 yet they are still searching for that eluding something which would bring them true satisfaction.
The conflict between Dan and Carter is not just a cliche although, if taken individually, most of the particular interactions between the two are. However they are cliches that truly define two generations and director/screenwriter Paul Weitz (About a Boy) brilliantly avoids ending the movie in the Hollywood way that everyone would have predicted. With very good performances by Quaid and Grace and a decent one by Johansson, In Good Company is the first pleasant cinematic surprise of 2005.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on March 6, 2005 11:17 PM | TrackBack