Review of The Tao of Steve (2000) by Jake3_14 V — 04 Nov 2007

The romantic comedy formula of misfit/slacker finds woman who makes him want to change his ways has been done excellently (High Fidelity, As Good as It Gets) and poorly (I suppress all memories of cinematic torture). The Tao of Steve falls in the middle of this continuum, with a great performance by the main character, good supporting performances, great male buddy scenes, and a woman who's not too saintly as the love interest.

Donal Logue is great as the overweight and under-ambitious ladies' man, Dex, who suddenly finds himself on the hook.

The main flaw in the film is the main female character, Sydney, for whom Dex changes his ways. There was no believable reason that she was receptive to his company, much less his advances. Sure, the fact that Dex broke off an affair with a married woman was encouraging, but the guy was still an emotionally immature, underemployed stoner, though good with kids. Why would an self-assured, intelligent, itinerant opera set designer have the slightest interest in this guy, unless she was still beholden to the common fantasy that a woman can change a guy to make the relationship great?

No deep insights here, but a very pleasant way to pass an evening.