One of the myriad throwaway bits in Steven Soderbergh's underwhelming \Ocean's Twelve"" involved a humorously self-conscious cameo by Topher Grace, in which he confessed to ""walking through that Dennis Quaid movie."" That sly in-joke is particularly ironic considering that ""In Good Company,"" the wonderful new film from Paul and Chris Weitz of ""American Pie"" and ""About a Boy"" fame, is anchored by a charming, possibly breakthrough performance from Grace which is anything but a walkthrough. ""In Good Company"" deftly weaves the wit of a cynic with a non-intrusive sense of cheeriness evident in a decent Cameron Crowe movie, and ends up being naturally uplifting without sidestepping realism.
Dennis Quaid plays Dan Foreman, a sports magazine advertising executive whose life is drastically altered by two surprising events: His wife is pregnant with a third child, and he has been demoted in favor of inexperienced hotshot Carter Duryea (Grace). Despite his promotion, Carter's life isn't particularly peachy either; a pending divorce and the cool reception he gets from his rightfully skeptical coworkers have made him a lonely man. Carter and Dan have a rapidly evolving, tumultuous relationship that can change from love to hate in an instant, especially after the lonesome bachelor falls hard for Dan's lovely daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson).
What could have been a toothless soap opera soaking in sap proves through sharp writing and satisfying performances that incisive social satire and genuinely affecting drama don't have to be mutually exclusive.
""In Good Company"" is the best film yet from the brothers Weitz, a talented director-producer twosome akin to a more commercially viable Coen. In each of their four films, they have exhibited a flair for creating sympathetic but realistic characters that, while not lacking in shortcomings, win our affection anyway. They are equally comfortable depicting the turbulent but hilarious sexual shenanigans of a normal American high school as they are with creating an off-beat relationship between a single mom-hunting cad and a lovable but strange kid in London.
Despite the successes of ""American Pie"" and ""About a Boy,"" ""In Good Company"" has stronger emotional impact and a keener sense of acutely focused humor. While it is frequently hilarious, the Weitz brothers do not trivialize the tremendous effect that a firing has on someone, and when their otherwise delightful comedy pauses for a scene that involves ""letting someone go,"" they don't play it down. A noteworthy scene in which Dan must fire one of his friends (David Paymer) is not truncated in favor of a sunnier scene; instead, the Weitz brothers linger on Paymer and force us to observe this devastating information slowly sink in.
After a string of misguided roles in a multitude of flops, Dennis Quaid has finally found one that fits-and his accomplished performance here provides an ideal foil to Grace's caffeinated bravado. Johansson's character isn't given as much screen time as the two men, but she exudes a contagious warmth that is sustained throughout the proceedings.
Like ""In the Company of Men"" without the misogyny or ""Wall Street"" stripped of its glitz and glamour but given an ingratiating sense of humor, ""In Good Company"" is a buoyant yet considerate comedy that doesn't get bogged down in cynicism but refuses to shy away from it.
