I'm a child of the 70s. By that, I mean I was a teen all through that decade. This is why I enjoy watching TV's That 70s Show so much. It brings back a lot of memories. I never would have expected to see the popularity of Ashton Kutcher rise to the level that it has, at least not until he showed us his real chops in Butterfly Effect, but I did always think that Topher Grace had more to offer us than the sitcom, which brings us to his most recent endeavor: In Good Company.
I went in expecting a slightly goofy feel-good kinda movie. I got that, and much more. This one has to do with corporate take-overs and down-sizing. Topher Grace's character, at 27, ends up being Dennis Quaid's boss in the high-energy advertising department of some magazine or other. Quaid is less than pleased, of course, and Grace is a bit scared out of his element. What we see are the two of their worlds colliding, then coming together in a kind of understanding.
Lest you think by my description that this is a deep thinking piece, it isn't. It's light hearted and fun while it shows us that everyone has something to offer, and we're never too old to learn a thing or two... and vice versa.
Quaid I have always been a fan of. It's no surprise to my regular readers that I flat adored him in Dragonheart and very much enjoyed D.O.A.. In fact, I do not believe there is a Quaid movie out there that I don't like. This is no exception. Quaid was the perfect choice for the sorta laid-back yet ornery Dan Foreman (Foreman? A slight nod to That 70s Show?). Quaid's OH geeeeze expression is priceless and well used here.
As to Topher Grace, he's just a very likable kinda guy in general. This role didn't require a whole lot of reach for him, but it did show us he could portray folks older than 16-ish. Yes, Grace can actually pull off an adult role... and with style I might add. He's trying so hard to be the genius wiz-kid and get the owner's attention, yet is going through a period of reflection and begins questioning his priorities when faced with the likes of Quaid, and Quaid's daughter. Wonderful job here.
Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Horse Whisperer) is Quaid's daughter Alex, and a love interest for Grace's character. I like her. I like her a lot. I think she brought a ton to the table. Johansson is not what you would call an over-the-top actress by any means. Rather, I'd say she goes a bit the other way and understates her performance to marvelous effect. There's no drama queen-ish crap from her at all even when a thing or two seems to blow up... but you still see her anguish. She's impressive.
This one runs a delightful 109 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and drug references. Any age here, and I think that about hmmm 10 and up will have fun with this one.
I'm going with 4 stars for In Good Company and saying go ahead and see it while it's still in theaters if you can, if not go ahead and rent it. A great excuse to eat some pop corn!
When his company is bought, a middle-aged ad sales executive is demoted and finds that his new boss is a young college prodigy barely half his age. Un...More at HotMovieSale.com
Product DetailsOriginal Title:In Good Company (Widescreen Edition)Actors: Dennis Quaid - Scarlett Johansson - Topher GraceCondition: NEWFormat: DVDDi...More at iNetVideo.com
Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is a loving husband, caring father and star ad executive. But now, life is putting him through the ultimate test. Carter Du...More at Buy.com
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