Paul Weitz's comedy romance stars Dennis Quaid (pictured) as Dan Forman, head of ad sales at a successful sports magazine. The publication is taken over by media mogul Teddy K (Malcolm McDowell) who installs Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), a 26-year-old hotshot, as Dan's replacement.
Duryea keeps the experienced Dan on as his assistant, a post Dan can't quit for financial reasons. But when Carter meets and starts dating Alex (Scarlett Johansson, pictured), Dan's daughter, the fatherly instinct kicks in...
What could have been a vapid comedy is lifted by the three leads, in particular Grace, who portrays Duryea almost as a kid who doesn't know what he wants next or what he's got right now, while Johansson portrays Alex as a young woman with a brain rather than an airhead, leading to a film brimming with honest storytelling.
Did you know? The film was originally titled Synergy. You can still hear the odd references to this, which were kept in the final cut of the film. The name was changed after various test screenings showed that many people didn't know what "synergy" meant.
(4 Star)
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