FILM FRENZY

Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid in In Good Company (Photos: Universal)

By Matt Brunson

(This feature is part of a rotating series that digs into the past and uncovers a movie as follows: Two-Star Tuesday for a movie that earns either two or two-and-a-half stars; One-Star Wednesday for a movie that earns either one or one-and-a-half stars; Three-Star Thursday for a movie that earns either three or three-and-a-half stars; and Four-Star Friday for a movie that earns four stars.)

IN GOOD COMPANY (2004)
★★★ (out of four)
DIRECTED BY Paul Weitz
STARS Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace

Decency is an increasingly rare commodity in American cinema. I’m not referring to the larger-than-life strain of honor and uprightness: The multiplexes are full of movies featuring superheroes and gladiators and kick-ass cops. Nor am I talking about the bogus morality found in curdled pieces of hypocrisy (Exhibit A: Christmas With the Kranks) in which characters are allowed to behave outrageously until the final five minutes, at which point they suddenly realize the error of their ways and absorb phony life lessons in the blink of an eye. No, this morality is the type we can all aspire to, the everyday brand that affects ordinary people trying to make the right choices when it comes to their families, their business associates, and their own inner moral compasses.

In Good Company, written and directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), works as well as it does because its central character, Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid), is a paragon of uncompromised ideals, and we can’t help but line up behind this guy and cheer him on. Dan, the savvy ad manager for a sports magazine, enjoys a camaraderie with his customers that smacks more of friendship than a business arrangement. He deeply loves his wife Ann (Marg Helgenberger) and their two daughters Alex (Scarlett Johansson) and Jana (Zena Grey), and he’s excited when he learns that Ann is again pregnant. He’s popular with his coworkers, especially the ones who flourished under his mentorship. Like all of us, Dan worries about financial matters (small wonder, with Alex headed to college and a baby about to be born), but overall, life is good. That situation changes once the magazine gets absorbed by a major conglomerate and layoffs start occurring at an alarming rate. Dan’s relieved to learn that he’s not losing his job, but he’s upset that he’s being demoted and will have to answer to corporate golden boy Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), a kid who’s roughly half his age (26 to Dan’s 51).

Sharp writing keeps the relationship between Dan and Carter hopping all the way through the film. Carter isn’t some brass, insensitive upstart but rather a decent guy who’s trying to balance his own code of ethics with life in the fast lane — he’s confused rather than corrupt, and even when he makes the ill-advised decision to start dating Dan’s daughter Alex, we know it’s because of genuine fondness for her and not as part of some sick power play (despite the title, this shouldn’t be confused with In the Company of Men, which was about immorality in the work place). Similarly, Alex isn’t a combative daughter who assumes she’s supposed to rebel against her parents because she’s at that age; instead, she’s a smart, agreeable person who loves her folks but also wants to begin making her own way in the world. Johansson’s role is the most sketchy of the three, but I nevertheless liked her scenes opposite Quaid’s Dan, as the characters attempt to locate that tricky zone between acting like a father and his little girl and carrying on a conversation like two mature adults.

Narratively, In Good Company rarely strays far from convention — when an opening scene establishes Dan’s chummy relationship with one of his longtime clients (Philip Baker Hall), we can bet that said customer will reappear in the final chunk of the film to help save the day. But ultimately, it’s hard to dislike a picture that goes out of its way to champion integrity in America. Good guy, good values, good movie.

(In Good Company is one of the approximately 600 Universal titles included in the Universal 25% Off Sale at Movie Zyng. The collection includes box sets, 4Ks, and Blu-rays as well as older DVD releases. There is no limit on the number of titles per order. The offer runs through February 28 and cannot be combined with other discounts. To redeem, simply enter the coupon code UNIVERSAL26 at checkout. To head to the Movie Zyng website, click here.)