In Good Company (2004, dir. Paul Weitz)

In Good Company (2004, dir. Paul Weitz)

What Is It?: A romantic dramedy about a sad-sack, newly-divorced, young turk ad exec who falls in love with the daughter of the man whose job he just was handed post-evil-big-company takeover.

What About It?: This movie came and went when it arrived without much notice, one would imagine because of the lack of the appeal of the What Is It? above. That, and the star is That 70's Show alum Topher Grace, not your first choice for latter-day romantic leads. But it was directed by Paul Weitz, who brought us the surprisingly good About a Boy, a maudlin, self-important book turned into a fascinating humanistic comedy. He reminds the Lost Classic a little but of a kind of latter-day, budget Renoir in his obvious interest in what makes interpersonal relationships tick. Weitz, who wrote the film as well, has a deft touch for both the comedy and the drama here. In particular, he directs Grace with a peculiar agility and a naturalistic touch. Dennis Quaid (in his excellent supporting mode here, a la Traffic or Far From Heaven, as opposed to his charmingly smirky starring mode) underplays his role surprisingly well and the lovely and talented -- and new muse for Woody Allen -- Scarlett Johannson does more than you would imagine with a fairly straightforward part.

Why Should I See It?: To see a moving, well-written, -acted and -directed film with the love story framed entirely by heartbreaking Iron & Wine songs, to great effect (in particular the credit-sequence tune, "The Trapeze Swinger" is a doozy. Also, the film looks at corporate life in a even-handed, nuanced manner that's highly unusual for a Hollywood movie. A true sleeper.

What Else Is It Like?: About a Boy, The Apartment, Wonder Boys.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library

-- ddt/pdx