Last year's documentary "The Corporation" drew rave reviews from across the spectrum. Through a series of interviews, historical analysis and interspersed factoids, the makers of the film diagnosed the modern day corporation as a destructive psychopath. "In Good Company" doesn't quite go that far. It's a light, engaging comedy-drama that takes some brutal jabs at the corporate structure, but abandons its dark undertone about three-fourths of the way through. If "The Corporation" was a bruising indictment of the corporate structure, then "In Good Company" is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist -- which isn't to say that its message is ineffective, only diluted.
As most Dartmouth alums already know, reporting to a boss younger than yourself is not entirely unusual in the corporate world. Ambitious young executives populate the offices of many corporations. What they lack in experience, they make up for in exuberance. Although lording over a sizable staff and possessing the power to fire and hire at will may be an exciting situation for the young executive, the staff, usually much older, isn't quite as enamored with the prospect. This situation forms the premise of "In Good Company." Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is a successful middle-aged advertising salesman working at "Sports America" magazine whose position is usurped when a conglomerate by the name of Globecom takes over the magazine and replaces him with Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), an experience-deficient young fellow who used to sell cellular phones to kids.
Not an effective manager or salesman, Carter has to continuously revise his goals at "Sports America." He has to throw around corporate catch-phrases like "synergy" in order to maintain the illusion of control in his job. During this time, his marriage falls apart as his wife of barely a year walks out on him, and his newly purchased Porsche is wrecked on its first day on the road. At work, Carter, in order to improve the bottom-line, embarks upon an odyssey of dismissal as he fires veteran workers left-and-right, making himself a source of much discontent in the office. The film takes a turn when he gets invited to dinner at the Foreman's home, where he meets Dan's wife Ann (Marg Helgenburger) and their attractive young daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson). After a chance encounter at a coffee-shop, Carter begins dating Alex, much to the chagrin of Dan.
The film is directed by Paul Weitz, who started out his career by reinventing the gross-out teen comedy genre with "American Pie." As a director he has, thankfully, matured considerably since then. Weitz dealt with the issue of maturation twice before, in "American Pie," and in the Hugh Grant vehicle "About a Boy," where an immature young man is forced to grow up when he is saddled with the responsibility of raising a socially-awkward youngster. But Carter Duryea isn't an adolescent, nor is he immature; he is only inexperienced and slightly overconfident (which is considered a virtue in the business world). He is in way over his head, so he wisely enlists Dan as his "wingman" to help him understand a grown-up world. These characters are intensely likable despite their myriad shortcomings, which is a credit to Mr. Weitz who made even the aggravating Stifler of "American Pie" into an affable chap.
Topher Grace, who previously starred in the forgettable "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton," is adequate in his role. He has great screen presence, but this is no breakout performance. His character never exudes the ruthlessness required of a corporate boss (no matter how young), and it is therefore a wonder his staff acquiesces to him at all.
Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, seems to have perfected the art of playing a young woman wise beyond her years (see "Lost in Translation"). Johansson sleepwalks through the role of Alex, looking fabulous in the process. While the romance between the two is under-developed, they have great chemistry when they are on-screen together.
Dennis Quaid gives a fantastic performance, as he strikes all the right notes while playing the new-age American hero -- the honest executive who cares for his friends and family. His combination of quiet resentment and overt submission upon being demoted in favour of a younger man suits his role perfectly. Here's a man who refuses to give up but, cognizant of his responsibilities, doesn't fight beyond his means.
The film succeeds when delving into the cut-throat logic of American corporations, rather then when it explores the on-screen romance between Grace and Johanson's characters. One of the best scenes in the film is when he deals an ignominious blow to the corporate propaganda spread by the media mogul Teddy K (Malcolm McDowell), owner of Globecom, who is venerated by all breeds of corporate executive. Up to the that point in the film we have heard Teddy K's name several times -- so much so that it's almost as if a cult of personality that drives apprentice executives to greater heights has developed around him. Although Dan's outburst is unconvincing, it is highly relevant. Today's corporate culture requires all participants to believe in the infallibility of the capitalist structure. Phrases like Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" continually resound in the minds of executives as they become convinced that profit, by any means necessary, serves the greater good. The cacophony of banal buzzwords like "synergy," "prioritize" and "risk-management" assumes the level of propaganda, as workers must be taught allegiance to the company, while the company makes decisions without any concern for them. CEOs are heroes, even if they are often found to have engaged in fraud and swindling, while any honest person that doesn't meet a "sales target" can pack his bags.
But this level of indifference cannot be made possible without the involvement of individuals willing to exercise such apathy. The film doesn't point any fingers (except of course at Teddy K, whose name we hear so many times it becomes grating) but only elucidates the choices faced by those engaged in the take-no-prisoners game that is corporate America. In one scene, Dan is outraged at the news that two of his co-workers are being fired. He challenges the decision but acquiesces when faced with the choice of either saving their jobs or losing his own. Dan realizes that on this battlefield, he must always follow orders. If he doesn't, there is always someone to replace him.
"In Good Company" starts out ambitious but drifts into mediocrity. It initially eschews clichs but later embraces them. The film-makers trade in social commentary for a feel-good flavour-- which is all the more jarring given their original impulses -- but handled the resulting "safe" drama effectively. Still, there is much to like. Quaid's performance stands out as one of the best of his career and the comedy is delightfully clean. You can spend the evening in good company.
