Quaid, Grace make for ‘Good Company’

ALLEN MACDONALD

Paul Weitz’s new comedy, “In Good Company,” goes to show that a

commercial, mainstream feature doesn’t have to be a formulaic, vapid

affair. This film boasts a fine cast, top-notch storytelling,

character depth and an unconventional ending that is gutsy for a

studio effort but true to the established story.

It is a film that strives to find the humanity in a largely

sterile, cutthroat, corporate world in the vein of Cameron Crowe’s

“Jerry Maguire” and the earlier film that served as an inspiration

for that film and this one, Billy Wilder’s 1960 classic, “The

Apartment.” Paying homage to Wilder is a heady, ambitious task, but

Weitz shows, like Crowe before him, that he’s absolutely up for the

challenge.

Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) has been a highly successful

advertising executive for a magazine called Sports America (think

Sports Illustrated) for the last 20 years. But times are changing and

the magazine is bought out by a corporate behemoth owned by the

enigmatic Teddy K (portrayed in a devilish cameo by Malcolm

McDowell), which causes a major shake-up within the Sports America

division.

Suddenly, careers are in jeopardy and the future is uncertain as

26-year-old marketing wunderkind Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), who is

25 years Dan’s junior, replaces Dan. Much to Dan’s surprise, Carter

wants to keep him on as his “wingman.” It’s a mutually beneficial

arrangement since Carter has zero experience in magazine advertising

and Dan desperately needs to keep his job since his daughter Alex

(Scarlett Johansson) has just transferred to New York University and

his wife, Ann (Marg Helgenberger), has announced that she’s pregnant

again.

What complicates matters further is when Carter falls in love with

Dan’s daughter. This is also a touching, heartfelt and honest

subplot, but it exists to serve the main relationship in the movie

between Dan and Carter.

Carter considers himself a “machine” -- and, at the outset, seems

to be the epitome of naked ambition and Darwinian drive, but we

quickly learn that what pushes ... no, shoves him forward is his fear

of total failure. If he stopped and realized that he’s in over his

head in his new job, he would totally unravel; Carter’s like a shark,

he needs to keep swimming to push the oxygen through his gills or

he’ll die. These fears are heightened when his young wife decides to

leave him and a deep-rooted loneliness settles into his eyes.

What’s fascinating about Carter is that Weitz allows you to see

him for the young, inexperienced man he is, but we also are shown the

shrewd decision-making skills that he possesses that have made him

rise so quickly through the ranks. He has a heart, but possesses the

capability to turn it off and make cold, calculating decisions when

he has to -- and that includes firing men nearly three decades his

senior, when he determines that they’re not pulling their weight.

Grace makes the story work because you believe there’s a chance

he’ll fire Dan. And eventually ... some hard decisions get made.

On the other hand, Dan is confronting mid-life with a twinge of

fear himself. He feels like a dinosaur, past his prime, no longer

needed by his family and outliving his welcome in the competitive

business world he’s succeeded at over the last two decades. The

business world is changing, and he’s plagued with doubt that he

doesn’t have the strength to change with it once again. One gets the

sense Dan would almost be relieved to be fired if so many people

weren’t depending on him. Quaid’s face betrays the weight and fatigue

of responsibility.

So you can see where this is going: Dan has never had a son;

Carter has never had a father. Dan envies Carter’s youth and energy;

Carter envies Dan’s full family life. It sounds contrived, but really

plot devices such as these are contingent on how the writer and

director (in this case, the same person) handle the interaction. This

film is a revelation in subtle restraint when showing its characters

dance around in an attempt to learn to trust each other. These two

men admire each other and have a lot they could learn if they let

their guards down.

“In Good Company” is a smart film with a simple premise that

impressively juggles several complex relationships. Weitz, whose

earlier work (with brother Chris, who co-produces this effort) was

“About a Boy” and the original “American Pie,” shows a keen eye for

people and what makes them tick. He, like the late-great Billy

Wilder, brings the quiet moments between two people to life, but also

infuses them with a searing truthfulness that stays with you long

after the curtains close.

* ALLEN MacDONALD, 30, recently earned a master’s in screenwriting

from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.