/film review/ A Good Cast Makes Us Feeling Great To Be "In Good Company"

What if you have a boss that is half your age, and your boss is dating your daughter?

What kind of question is this?

For sure I can’t relate myself to the first question, but given the assumption that if such a thing does happen in an opposite point of view, then the boss should be around my age, and I can see where this judgment would be based on: the view of twenty-something yuppies whom every envied adults would like to say, “The time’s on your side, have fun!”

Indeed, Chris Weitz had a blast in mis-matching the unlikely pair of Dennis Quaid as the sacked ad salesman with Topher Grace as his ambitious younger (much younger) boss who passionately driven to achieve nothing but figures while neglecting his employees to suffer, something that Quaid’s Dan Foreman actually excels in. Add in to their bitter, jittery relationship is Scarlett Johansson’s Alex, Dan’s eldest daughter who is smitten by Grace’s Carter Dureya with all his kookiness and hidden charm. All three perform a ménage-a-trois relationship in clean slate manner enough to garner the film a PG rating although I deem Johansson’s presence is a bit overtly sexual for her character as an 18-year old fresh college student, yet the way she cuddles around Quaid proves to be a lovable look of how a father-daughter closeness should be.

However, if there’s a film whereby the performance of its one relatively-new star overwhelms the film itself, then the credit goes to Topher Grace. Having hidden for too long under the shadow of That 70’s Show ensemble, Grace gracefully embraces his role in a suave, charming manner yet enough to reveal his character’s multi-layered behaviors very well, which surely paved his way to be one reliable actor in the future. Of course, playing a character of the same age does add his effortless way to slip into the shoes of Carter Dureya’s charismatic presence, yet Grace manages to tower over Quaid’s steady-like figure and Johansson’s uneasy performance.

What if Topher Grace becomes the next leading man?

Stick to exploring his sensitivity first, please.



Final Verdict : One would surely be ‘In Good Company’ when watching this enjoyable flick, thanks to believable, eclectic performance from its cast, particularly Topher Grace in his star-making role.

Grade : B