By Annie Sferrazza

‘In Good Company’ stars Topher Grace of “That 70s Show” as a successful, young ad executive and well-known actor Dennis Quaid, as a middle-aged family man struggling in the workplace. At first glance, the previews portray the film as just another chick flick. However, the film proves to be more than a sappy love story, if a love story at all.

Topher Grace’s character, Carter Duryea, at the young age of 26, has divorced his first wife and found himself alone, despite his wealth and charm. His hard work in the office, however, has paid off, for he lands himself a job as an ad executive after the conglomerate he is working for takes over a well-known sports magazine. Quaid’s character, Dan Foreman, finds himself in a much different boat. Because of the fact that the conglomerate, run by big-shot “Teddy K,” has taken over the magazine, he is demoted in the workplace, landing under the jurisdiction of Carter. At home, however, he is forced to deal with the large bills that come with his first daughter going off to college, and the fact that his wife is now pregnant with their third child, despite the fact that she is past child-bearing years.

The two characters find themselves working together closely, as Carter knows very little about the business, and Dan was once the best ad executive the company had. In the quasi relationship that they form, both exhibit hidden signs of jealousy and weakness at first, in an attempt to gain what the other already has. Carter longs for the comfort and security of a family, while Dan longs for a chance to be young and successful again. Neither character notices what the other feels they themselves are lacking, and pay no attention to the individual success that each of them already has.

The relationship between the two is already shaky, but when Dan finds out that Carter is secretly dating his 18-year-old daughter, things go haywire. Dan refuses to let his daughter, Alex, date his boss, and she, contrary to the average teenager, willingly follows her father’s orders. Needless to say, relations in the office completely crumble.

The rest of the movie follows the underlying friction between the two, and exhibits the cliché, “What goes around comes around.” However, it may not always be a bad thing. There are moments of pure sappiness and impracticality, but the struggle that each character faces rings the audience in and has them unavoidably rooting for both sides. The film will leave you wondering whether the title is in reference to the corporate company, or the company of others. There’s no way to tell if we’re supposed to know for sure, as both play a large part in the film, and the way the lives of the characters are played out.

In Good Company can be summarized as a story of finding out what is truly important and being thankful for what one has. The movie takes a turn away from what the audience assumes will happen, leaving the “happily ever-after” endings to Disney. The casting was very well chosen, as Grace and Quaid produce a combination of wit, sophistication, and entertainment. Other minor characters, such as Scarlett Johansson and Marg Helgenberger add to the dimensions of the film. The movie itself has a little bit of comedy, a little bit of romance, and a little bit of drama, making it an overall feel-good movie, and worth the $9 one would spend to see it.

Final Grade: B+

Topher Grace plays a young advertising executive who dates the daughter (Scarlett Johansson, right) of an employee (Dennis Quad, center) in the movie, ´In Good Company´. (Image courtesy movies.yahoo.com)