Review of In Good Company (2008) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

Surprise! It doesn't suck!

Companies merge, and characters collide in this witty, well written two man character study.

The Story: Okay, so when this film was first released it was kind of billed as a romantic comedy of sorts... But in all actuality it's something much more, there's a good amount of drama to go with it's smart witty comedy, it's surprisingly stylish, and it's less of a romantic comedy and more of a strong two person character study... And of course being a character study, all four of you regular readers should know by now that the story lies just below this in the Cast section... But before I get to that, I'd just like to stress some of the points listed above. I said it's surprisingly stylish, this doesn't look like your average film, the cinematography is superb, and really pulls you into the office atmosphere. Also, it's almost more drama than comedy, not that that's a bad thing (just don't sit down expecting to laugh every second of the way). Okay, so there's what I thought of the films presentation, and if you're looking for a quick synopsis, here's the basic storyline... A big company takes over a smaller company, so the smaller company is forced to deal with all the hardships that comes with a merger, such as layoffs, new bosses, and such... There, that's the story stripped down to it's most absolute and simple form.

The Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson... Dennis Quaid is Dan Forman, he's a business man, but more than that, he's a family man and a man that cares about doing what's right. Oh, and he's almost two times older than his new boss. Topher Grace is Carter Duryea, a hot young exec looking to make a name for himself in the world of big business. He's about half the age of his newest employee... This is where the genius of the script comes in. These characters work together in perfect contrasting harmony, the young inexperienced boss, and the older more experienced employee. These two are perfectly cast, they play off each other so well that you'll honestly believe what you're seeing, each giving an equally outstanding performance. Scarlett Johansson is Alex Foreman, she's the Dan Formans daughter... Oh, and did I forget to mention she's kind of got a thing for her fathers new boss. The story takes on more complexity once romance blooms between Alex and Carter, but the romance side of the story takes a slight back seat to everything else mentioned above. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that one of the more clever aspects of the story feels a little incomplete and almost broken at times. Johansson gives a great performance, but is overshadowed by Grace and Quaid.

One to Five Scale: 4.

If the love story was a little more fleshed out and complete it could have hit that five mark, but in all fairness this film ran a whopping 109 minutes, if there was more romance it might have seemed a little drawn out. In other words, I can understand why there wasn't that big of a focus on it, and the writers made the right decision in giving the back seat treatment. All in all though, this film is more than worth your time, it makes for a great rental and even possible purchase.

Tyler.