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In Good Company
Universal Pictures


7.0

based on 40 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 53 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some sexual content and drug references

Starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Marg Helgenberger, David Paymer, Clark Gregg, Philip Baker Hall, and Selma Blair

A very human story of the unlikely relationship between two men who find their satisfying, status quo existences disrupted by the startling truth that they no longer have any control over both the professional and personal sides of their lives. (Universal)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Paul Weitz
DIRECTED BY:	Paul Weitz
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 10, 2005 Video: May 10, 2005 Theatrical: December 29, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	110 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor (Grace), 2004 National Board of Review

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Fresh comic thinking spices up this smart cookie of a satire from director-writer Paul Weitz (About a Boy). He makes it sexually provocative and subversively hilarious.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

Grace and Quaid imbue what could have been caricatures--with heart, intelligence and great comic timing.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The denouement of the movie is as preposterously happy as a children's fairy tale. But the moral is ageless.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

A smart, savvy and satisfying Hollywood comedy.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

The film is ultimately so extraordinary because it deals with something so ordinary: the desire to be better than we are, without knowing how to do it.

Newsweek David Ansen

A smooth mixture of satire and sentiment that owes an obvious debt to "The Apartment," not to mention "Jerry Maguire."

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Genial, generous-spirited and unmistakably entertaining.

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

Weitz's dialogue has sparkle and snap.

Empire Olly Richards

Clever, original and terrifically witty.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Has two strengths to recommend it: strong character interaction and a viciously accurate depiction of the modern corporate philosophy.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

An amusing and unusually compassionate look at today's corporate culture.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A star is born in In Good Company, which showcases Topher Grace.

USA Today Mike Clark

Gives Dennis Quaid one of his best screen showcases.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The comic spirit in this type of picture is wonderfully democratic, and so is the result.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Lively acting and timely humor are the main assets of this garden-variety comedy.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

While Weitz's story is diverting, the performances cut deeper than the film.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

In Good Company is a rare species: a feel-good movie about big business. It's about a corporate culture that tries to be evil and fails.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Engaging and enjoyable.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

A modest movie full of decent pop songs, three-dimensional humans and sharp observations about the male mind. It's also full of funny little ironies.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

A richly satisfying and darkly funny movie.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

A missed opportunity, though as usual Quaid is dazzling.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Isn't scintillating, but it's sort of embraceably funny.

Film Threat Don R. Lewis

The guy (Grace) simply steals the show here. He's at once goofy and hammy, yet so lost, sad and sensitive you buy into his performance from the get go.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

How, then, does "In Good Company" turn out for the better in spite of itself? No mystery at all. Whatever the fate of old media, or new media, for that matter, winning performances are here to stay.

Time Richard Schickel

Leaves a quiz show's quantity of unanswered questions. But it has the optimism and determination of a corporate whistle-blower. It makes us believe, for a moment, that it's possible to end-run the spirit of Enron.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Weitz gives all his actors room to shine.

Variety Todd McCarthy

An often lively comedy-drama that lands some nice jabs at the mega-corp ethos, In Good Company makes for pretty good company until going soft when it counts.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

In Good Company lacks both the emotional sting and the bright pop-culture snap of "About a Boy," as well as Mr. Hornby's carefully cultivated irony, but it makes for an agreeable solo directing debut.

Slate David Edelstein

It manages to be funny and charming while capturing a lot of disturbing things about the way we live now.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Weitz has done one remarkable thing in "Company" that doesn't strike you until later: He's given us a functional family that overcomes difficulties with patience and effort.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Cheerful and easy to watch but surprisingly inept in the telling.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

The scenario is stale but the actors are faultless.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Pleasurable.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

If the movie overall had the bitter brio of Malcolm McDowell's brief turn as Globecom guru Teddy K, a Franken-mogul stitched together from bits of Richard Branson, Barry Diller and Rupert Murdoch, it would be a pointed black comedy.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

It's "Rain Man" with ageism substituted for autism.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Only when it wraps up all its loose ends with a feel-good sitcom conclusion does it finally reveal itself: It's an interesting failure rendered all the more disappointing for veering so close to success.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Has its heart in the right place, and could have been an insightful rumination on corporate shortsightedness and mid-life obsolescence. Instead, it's another one of those Hollywood films whose feel for the workingman's life seems to come exclusively from other movies.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

The movie has some pleasures, but can be heartily recommended only to those who like their entertainments equally inoffensive and inconsequential.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Good points aside, In Good Company is a bland, occasionally phlegmatic pastiche of cliches and dull encounters.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Grace and Johannson's courtship has all the heat of a wet wipe and, worse yet, leaves Quaid offscreen for long stretches.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 53 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mathias C. gave it an8:
Come on, this is a sweet film, and its message that it shouldn't always be about the money is refreshing during these increasingly self-centered, cut-throat times. Let's call it "The Graduate" meets "Father Knows Best," and you'll be getting the right idea. All said, it's a warm tale that deserved better praise, a nice tonic after viewing "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," not to mention the president's State of the Union address, for that matter.

Josh gave it a2:
This film is terrible. Normally a chick flick like this has a possible happy ending, this ending though just makes no sense. The only reason it gets a vote is because Scarlet Johansson is so fit, though does sound like a man.

Scott Y. gave it a5:
This is hardly a romance movie, as the romance is a really just a side event to the overall younger-boss theme. The actors are acceptable, although you really don't see much of Scarlet J. Dennis Quaid is capable, although his facial expressions and manerisms are turning him into Harrison Ford. The theme was good, the execution was acceptable, but the last half hour really dragged the movie out and really never resolved much. It wasn't what I'd call a Hollywood ending but it did eventually become predictable and that last half hour really took away from my complete enjoyment of the movie.

Tanya gave it a10:
Awesome!

Ani gave it a10:
Excellent romantic comedy, a rare one in which the sappy moments are easy to swallow.

Dave F gave it an8:
The film offers few surprises, but it's a joy to watch. Funny and winning, even if you can see every plot twist coming a mile away. And Scarlett Johansson is such a BABE!

Paula V. gave it a9:
Excellent film. A great story about the phases we go through as we adapt to change compacted within a short period of time. Wonderful dialogue, great acting. Finally a really good Dennis Quaid film.

In Good Company Universal Pictures

In Good Company
Universal Pictures