In Good Company
dir. Weitz
Opens Fri Jan 14
Various Theaters

Oliver Stone recently blamed Middle America's "raging fundamentalism" for the commercial and critical failure of his latest cinematic debacle, Alexander. According to Stone, Americans are too scared/self-righteous to appreciate a film that even insinuates that Alexander the Great was part-gay.

There's a lot more to blame for Alexander's financial catastrophe than homophobia (namely, Alexander itself), but Stone might have a point about how art that deviates from America's newly-celebrated, Republican-approved morality can get ignored. While that bodes poorly for daring film, it bodes well for In Good Company, the happily inoffensive, warmly predictable, wholly inconsequential comedy/ drama from American Pie and About A Boy director Paul Weitz.

Fifty-something Dan (Dennis Quaid) is the successful head of advertising at a Sports Illustrated-y magazine. But when the magazine is bought by a monolithic multinational (led by Malcolm McDowell, doing his best Rupert Murdoch), wholesome, old-fashioned Dan is demoted to make room for his new boss: smarmy, slick, 26-year-old Carter (That '70s Show's Topher Grace). Carter spouts annoying business catchphrases and views employees as expendable cogs in a money-making machine; white-collar conflict predictably ensues. Even more predictably, Carter hooks up with Dan's super-hot daughter (the super-hot Scarlett Johansson), making the discordant father/son business relationship between Carter and Dan a more literal one.

In Good Company's surface-level themes--corporate takeovers, white-collar backstabbing, familial vs. professional relationships, fucking people you're not supposed to--could make for interesting conflicts in the hands of a sharp satirist or incisive sociologist. But the increasingly bland Weitz is neither, so there's nothing really motivating here, other than the fact that Grace's geeky charm and earnest sincerity hint that his career might not be limited to his sitcom.

While In Good Company gives lip service to examining those stuck within the corporate business model, it can't escape the irony that it consistently bears the formulaic trademarks of a film assembled by a corporate studio system. Sure, it's bad news for people looking for good film, but if In Good Company makes some bank, maybe Oliver Stone can finally prove he was right about Middle America all along.