I've been having a hard time lately finding a movie that I'm really crazy about. So, last night I was scanning movies at the video store, thinking,
Nope. Seen it. Don't want to see it. Another remake. Blah...blah...And I come across a new one with Jennifer Aniston called MANAGMENT that I'd never heard of, which didn't bode well. But I noticed one of the main characters was played by
Steve Zahn. Not sure exactly what it is about this guy, but I've always enjoyed his acting. He usually plays the side-kick or the dumbass boyfriend ( RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS), so I thought I'd give the movie a try.
Here's the thing. I generally need a fast-paced movie because I get bored easily, but a movie can be slow, if it's riveting. And that doesn't necessarily mean high-stakes drama. I just have to really, really care about a character. If something about that character connects with me, I will watch them eat french fries for an hour. I watched SUNSHINE CLEANING recently, hoping for the same thing--an off-beat beat movie with some emotional connection, but just found it sad.
MANAGMENT is not fast-paced ( it was actually slow in spots), not overtly funny, and no high-stakes drama. But Steve Zahn made this movie for me. He was so endearing, eager and real, that I just wanted to leap into the movie, take him for a beer, and help him out. He was a fantastic example of an underdog who you really, really want to see win the girl. He does some totally dumbass moves, which could be considered stalkerish but because of Steve's acting, and the writing, you believe in this character's innate goodnesss. And the writers did a fantastic job with his character arc, too.
Sue, the character played by Jennifer Anniston, wasn't as fleshed out for me. And I'm still not sure I buy into the motivation for her character growth, or whether there was any actual motivation. But I was able to forgive that because I was so impressed with Mike ( Steve Zahn).
For me, this movie is a perfect example of an actor making the words work. If I hadn't liked the actor, I'm not sure I would've believed the growth with the Mike character, either, or been so forgiving of some of his crazy moves. But Steven Zahn truly made this character come alive for me.
So, if you want to see a quirky movie, then check it out!
