Quaid, Grace shine in ‘Good Company’

Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid light up the screen in the corporate comedy “In Good Company,” now on DVD.

Quaid plays Dan Forman, a middle age father, who is head of ad sales at Sports America magazine with a perfect family and an all around great life. That is, until the conglomerate Globecom buys the magazine and the demotions and layoffs begin.

Grace plays Carter Duryea, the 27-year-old self proclaimed “ninja assassin” who is set to take over Dan’s old job and corner office. Carter has no real advertising experience, but thanks to his brilliant marketing of dinosaur cell phones to those under the age of five, the boss knows his name and that seems to be enough.

Dan is faced with a decision. He can either take the demotion and become Carter’s “awesome wing man,” or lose his job. The decision is all but made for him when his wife (CSI’s Marg Helgenberger) reveals that she is pregnant with their third child and his eldest daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson), decides to go to New York University, entailing a second mortgage.

Carter is not a bad guy. Instead he is just in over his head and afraid to disappoint. At the age of 27, he wonders if his life has peaked.l react if he finds out.

The movie marks the arrival of Grace, who is best known for his turn in “That ’70′s Show.” Here, he shows a great comedic timing coupled with a vulnerability that lets the audience connect with the character. This could be the movie that sets Grace apart from other young actors like Ashton Kutcher by showing that he can act with the big boys.

As far as Quaid goes, few could have done a better job. He makes Dan a very likable and a very different sort of hero for the new millennium. In a greedy corporate world, Dan is a hero whose main goal is the welfare of his family and coworkers.

The chemistry between Grace and Quaid is truly what makes the film. One without the other and the movie is just okay, but together, they turn what could have been mediocre into something truly special.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 22 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry