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Dennis Quaid is finally back. Sorry, missed "The Rookie" and "The Alamo," they both looked stupid. While I know "Rookie" got good reviews, so did a lot of crap that would play on repeat in my own private Hell, so I'm still not counting it. "In Good Company" is, to put it simply, a worthwhile movie with a worthwhile cast, and Quaid heads it flawlessly, embracing his 50-years-plus daddy role well enough to make us not think about that young and charismatic dolphin trainer in the immortal classic "Jaws 3" for a minute.

We begin with Dan Foreman (Quaid) doing his thing, which is being a great advertizing salesman for a sports magazine. At the head of his game, he is rejoiced when his wife announces that she is pregnant, not mortified about how he's going to afford the little shit. His daughter Alex (the actually talented Scarlett Johannsen) may be 18, but he can trust her. Life is sweet.

Enter Carter Duryea, a 26-year-old hotshot who moves into the magazine via corporate buy-out and becomes Dan's boss via replacing him as... the boss. While Carter may look successful on the outside with his new job, new car, and pretty wife, it is made painfully obvious how out-of-water he really is in his "success" by way of an absolutely magnificent comedic performance by Topher Grace and (what's this?) a script that actually doesn't suck the dick of every moron in the theater too busy on their cell phone to follow a slightly unpredictable plot. Written and directed by Paul Weitz, who showed us what he can do with "About a Boy" and how low he is willing to sink with "American Pie," this one falls more into the "About a Boy" genre, the one that has smart writing, directing, and storytelling that doesn't rely on watching someone take a crap to desperately trigger a laugh.

All in all, this is a character story; one about parents and children, teachers and students, and the lessons we all inevitably teach one another whether we like it or not. While there are brief moments where on could possibly remember they are watching a movie in a theater, "In Good Company" is generally quite involving and entertaining. It's also good for if you're not in the mood to watch anyone go crazy, reflect on their kiddie-rapist days, die a violent death, or commit genocide.

(four bongs)

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