In Good Company

Real-world credibility is a big problem for this weightless, dishonest dramedy about a middle-aged ad man (Dennis Quaid) whose 20-year career is upended when a corporate takeover sees him demoted in favor of a clueless, under-ripe young executive played by a badly miscast Topher Grace. Quaid is more believable as the head of ad sales for a sports magazine, and Scarlett Johansson is fine as his 19-year-old daughter who becomes the object of his new boss's affection. But almost every scene in the movie lacks authenticity on some level (example: there's never a single discussion of sports in the magazine's offices, where not a single person wears a team jersey or cap, and there's not a single TV for watching games). The characters all seem contrived solely to serve the script and the plot is laden with cheap life lessons and cacophonous false notes--sort of like an After-School Special for grownups--when what this story really needs is some edge (like the recent Rick [VL-11/04], a darkly comical twist on Rigoletto, that makes clever, stinging observations about modern corporate culture). Not a necessary purchase. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Paul Weitz and actor Topher Grace, a “Synergy” behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews of cast and crew (23 min.), and 16 minutes of deleted scenes. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a somewhat disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder)