Plot: What’s it about?
Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) has reached middle age, but his life isn’t getting simpler with age and soon, he will face some situations he never would have expected. He has enjoyed a successful career in the advertising field, even being somewhat of a star in his trade, a “go to” guy in the crunch. His years of loyal and productive service don’t seem to matter however, as when a corporate takeover is put into motion, he is removed from his position. A corporate restructuring takes him out of his normal office and now, his new boss is a man half his age. That man is Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) and as if taking Dan’s job wasn’t enough, he is also dating his daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson). As if all this wasn’t enough, Dan also learns that his wife is pregnant, so his life is going through the evolution of late. Can Dan somehow keep a handle on the situation and prove he still has what it takes, both at the office and at home?
The idea of a movie with a lead role given to Topher Grace doesn’t appeal to me, in fact I dreaded having to watch In Good Company when this disc arrived. As hot as Scarlett Johansson is, even her presence wasn’t enough to counteract Grace’s presence, so I avoided the movie until this point. In the end, Grace was even worse than I expected, but In Good Company does have some bright spots, despite his atrocious performance. Of course Johansson is hot as can be and provides a welcome distraction, but I was more taken by the corporate issues explored here. I think the film does a solid job in giving realism to the business side of the story, its the personal side that sinks the experience. This movie was just a bad match for me, with Grace’s useless presence and a story that never managed to make me interested. In the end, I can’t give In Good Company a strong recommendation, so if you must see it, a rental is the best option.
Video: How does it look?
In Good Company is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I’ve never seen the standard transfer, so I can’t make a comparison, but this high definition transfer looks impressive. Not all the scenes come off as razor sharp, but detail is strong and a lot of the scenes display solid depth. The color scheme here isn’t vibrant, but the hues look natural and bright, while contrast is up to the task and never wavers. I wouldn’t call this one of the better high definition transfers I’ve seen, but it is a good one and I don’t think anyone will be disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie uses a pretty basic sound design, so the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 option never gets much of a chance to shine. I did notice some added presence in a few sequences, but even then it wasn’t that dynamic. But the material doesn’t demand big impact audio, so the soundtrack simply performs as it should. The focus here is on dialogue and since vocals sound excellent, I see no reason to complain. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
disc looks to have most of the supplements from the standard release, which is good news for fans. I endured about half of the commentary track with director Paul Weitz and star Topher Grace, but enough was enough. I cannot stand Grace, so listening to him ramble on wasn’t in the cards for me. I did find the deleted scenes to be better than most and to be honest, most could have been put back into the movie. The last of the goodies are some featurettes, but none run in depth and most are promotional in nature, so don’t get too excited.
