In Good Company

(Herald rating: * * *)

In his first leading role in a feature film, That 70s Show's Topher Grace proves he has more than a small screen future ahead.

In Good Company is a comedic satire from About a Boy writer and co-director Paul Weitz. It's a feelgood film about the cannibalistic nature of corporate takeovers and the ensuing cost-cutting measures which often value the cheapest and latest whizkid over higher-priced experience.

Dennis Quaid is Dan Foreman, a 51-year-old sports magazine sales executive who is demoted when the magazine's parent company is bought out by a large glossy corporation whose employees espouse words such as psyched and synergy.

Foreman deals with his demotion with grace, but is astonished to discover his replacement is 26-year-old rising star Carter Duryea, a psyched, ambitious young man whose career obsession has already ruined his young marriage.

Dennis Quaid is perfectly cast as Foreman. A dedicated family man and respected executive, Foreman is fast being pushed towards a midlife crisis. Not only has work taken a turn for the worse, his wife has just announced she's pregnant with their third child, and his eldest daughter Alex is moving out of home to go to university. To top it off, Alex begins an affair with Dan's new boss. It's a bad month for Dan.

The joy of this film lies in its relationships. Different sides of each character are revealed depending on who they're interacting with. While the film is a comedy, the drama is given room to be real and recognisable. All the performances are solid and entertaining, with Grace and Quaid well supported by CSI's Marg Helgenberger, and Scarlett Johansson who puts in another charming lower-lip biting performance.

In Good Company does well to avoid comedy cliches, and, refreshingly, has genuinely funny moments, but it's almost a little too soft on this tough corporate world. While verging on quirky, it feels like the film lost its way a little and is stuck between a Disney flick with its moralistic message and an edgier, smarter film.

CAST: Scarlett Johansson, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Marg Helgenberger DIRECTOR: Paul Weitz

RUNNING TIME: 109 mins

RATING: PG (adult themes)

SCREENING: Village, Hoyts and Rialto