Rating:  -
This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, from start to finish. Perfect acting, direction, dialogue, shots, editing. The music was icing on the cake. In a way, it sort of reminded me of "The Graduate", back in the day, with Dustin Hoffman. Not in the story, but the feel, and lessons learned. Light hearted, but serious. A film an adult will appreciate. Highly recommended.
Rating:  -
Today's Hollywood produces movie after movie about humanity's negativity and our inevitable dystopian future. If not that, then the movie is an obvious homage to something so outlandish that it's not to be taken realistically. In Good Company, however, takes the opposite approach, showing genuine familial, work, and romantic relationships. With nearly no twists or surprises, almost no exaggeration whatsoever, this movie delivers as intended.
Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is the director of marketing for a company being purchased by a multination conglomerate. Corporate restructuring brings about the obvious changes. As a result, most of Dan's team is fired, and his position is usurped by Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) - as the young, brash, conceited yet overmatched, buzz-word spouting whiz-kid - making Dan the second fiddle. Just like a formulaic black-white movie, where the white character inevitably learns to dance from the black character, Carter soon learns from the wiser, experienced, and worldly sage of marketing. Just think of Dan as Miyagi and Carter as Daniel-San; it only takes one good butt-kicking, literally in this movie, to realize how incompetent and unprepared you are when faced with an experienced adversary.
When Carter meets Dan's georgous, college-bound daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson), sparks fly, adding yet another juxtaposed subplot amidst the struggles of life, love, and corporate advancement.
Overall it's a decent, albeit predictable, somewhat bland movie that if nothing more, provides a reason to ogle Johansson and see Quaid turn in a great performance.
Rating:  -
I bought this movie and had not seen it since it came out. I regret buying it! It's pretty boring and just plain stupid! If you really want to see it, rent it don't buy it!
Rating: -
I looked but I just couldn't find anything here I didn't like. When I originally saw this movie in the theater I was the only one who really just adored it and so I thought that maybe I was just overreacting, that there was bound to be something I overlooked that brings this movie down a notch. I've seen `In Good Company' about ten times not and I still have yet to find anything wrong with it.
`In Good Company' is a smart comedy about reaching a crossroads in life, whether you're middle-aged or merely reaching an early peek. Dan Foreman is 51. He has a steady job, a good marriage and two beautiful daughters. Then the company Dan works for gets bought out and he finds himself not only demoted, which can strike a mans masculinity in its own, but he finds himself now taking orders from a kid half his age with no experience whatsoever. That `kid' is hotshot Carter Duryea, a 26-year-old newlywed whose life is a complete contrast to that of Dan. Carter and his wife Kimberly are already having problems because Carter doesn't seem to know how to separate work from his personal life (personally I just love Kimberly's line "don't try to sell me" because it really explains the emotional level that Carter is at). Carter has potential and he has spirit and he has drive but he lacks the maturity that Dan possesses. Ironically (or maybe not so much) Dan lacks some of Carter's qualities and thus you have the foundation for a superb father/son/daughter/boss film about emotional growth, understanding and acceptance.
Carter meets and falls for Dan's eldest daughter Alex who is just moving from home to attend college and branching off to start her own life. The very idea of Alex moving out on her own scares Dan and so to spare her father any more anxiety she keeps her relationship with Carter a secret, but of course we know that that secret can't stay hidden forever.
What helps elevate `In Good Company' are the beautifully fleshed out performances, especially from the two leads, Quaid and Grace. Dennis Quaid is an extremely polished actor who I feel delivers knock out performance after knock out performance. I have always enjoyed watching him act, and here he really grasps who Dan is. What I appreciate about Dan is that he is not an overly complicated man. He works hard, he loves his wife, he loves his children; he faces bouts of insecurity and bouts of jealousy. He is normal, just like you and me. Quaid understands this and plays him such. Topher Grace is equally impressive. I have always said that Grace was the greatest of the `That 70s Show' alumni. Sure, Kutcher is funny but Grace is an actor, a real actor. He can bring the funny but he can also bring heart. As Carter he brings an air of honesty to his character. Sure, he's quick witted and funny but he's relatable and understandable and sympathetic. I love the scene between Carter and Alex when he's trying to convince her that they should be together and you catch him `selling' her. It was then that I really saw Grace understood his character.
The rest of the cast is just as impressive, they just don't get as much focus. Scarlett Johansson is great as usual (seriously, I see many awards in her near future) as Alex, Carter's love interest and Dan's pride and joy. She has so much beautiful chemistry with her co-stars. You can see the doting daughter in her when she looks into Quaid's eyes versus the curious infatuation she has when she's talking to Grace. She is truly a knockout actress who has everything going for her; striking beauty and immense talent. Marg Helgenberger doesn't have much to do, but she does what she does very well, and Selma Blair is effectively detached as Kimberly. Clark Gregg is a flawless jerk and David Paymer is sympathetic as Morty. Philip Baker Hall also has a nice cameo (this guy really knows how to command attention).
`In Good Company' is blessed to have a very good script baking up its concept and actors. The script nicely fleshes out the relationships, both Carter and Alex's, Alex's and Dan's as well as Dan's and Carter's; each relationship adding beautiful layers to the films end result. This film was sorely overlooked come awards time. It has everything going for it so its snub is surprising to me. Quaid and Grace (as well as Johansson) turn in beautifully restrained performances that exhibit an honesty rarely seen in films today. Like I said, I can't think of a single reason to not love this movie; not one.
Rating: -
TOPHER GRACE, THE MAIN ACTOR IN THIS MOVIE JUST HAS SO MANY THINGS GO WRONG IN HIS LIFE. LOVE, WORK, GENERALLY EVERYTHING. YOU REALLY BECOME VERY SYMPATHETIC IN HOPING THINGS WILL GET BETTER FOR HIM. THE MOVIE KIND OF LEAVES YOU HANGING IN THE END WONDERING IF HE WILL EVER FIND HIS SPECIAL SOMEONE. RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE BUT IT COULD HAVE HAD A BETTER ENDING.
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