Originally published July 9, 2009 at 3:31 PM | Page modified July 9, 2009 at 3:33 PM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Share
Movie review
"Management": A romantic comedy not living up to its potential
No romance, no comedy in the new Jennifer Aniston-Steve Zahn romantic comedy, "Management." But Portland, Ore., has a nice cameo playing Aberdeen, Wash. Review by Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald.
Seattle Times movie critic
"Management," with Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn, Woody Harrelson, Fred Ward, Margo Martindale, James Liao. Written and directed by Stephen Belber. 93 minutes. Rated R for language. Uptown; see page 17.
Latest from our new movies blog
Popcorn & Prejudice: A Movie Blog
"The Dark Knight." "Spider-Man 3." "New Moon." Say what? NEW - 11/23, 10:08 AM
News flash: Movie popcorn is bad for you. And, it's raining. NEW - 11/20, 12:27 PM
An update: DVD recall of John Huston's "The Dead" NEW - 11/20, 09:22 AM
You would think that the combination of Jennifer Aniston's warmth and Steve Zahn's goofiness would result in a romantic comedy of rare charm. Unfortunately, in Stephen Belber's "Management," it doesn't. Aniston plays Sue, a rather remote corporate-art saleswoman who seems to live a life of utter blandness, except when she's helping the homeless. (It's sad to imagine that the sweet waitress from "Office Space" would end up like this, 10 years hence.) Zahn is Mike, an awkward man-child who's the night manager at his parents' small-town Arizona motel, and whose idea of small talk is "You have a great butt." They don't click on their initial meeting, and never do.
But the movie doesn't seem to notice this, and so "Management" unfolds as a sort of stalker romance, with Mike following Sue around the country (including a stop in Aberdeen, Wash., played by Portland) in the hopes of getting her to love him. Because Mike is such a charmless oddball, his behavior reads as creepy; because Sue is such a cipher (Aniston rarely gets to smile), we don't really care about what happens to her.
There are small pleasures sprinkled through the movie: funny performances by Woody Harrelson as Sue's eccentric ex-boyfriend (now a yogurt mogul in Aberdeen, of all places) and James Liao as an up-for-anything new friend of Mike's; an impromptu yet timely tribute to the late Ed McMahon; a nice silent shot of Mike smoking in the motel lobby, framed by a No Smoking sign. But you watch "Management" thinking of the comedy Aniston and Zahn could have made, and wishing you were watching that movie instead.
Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view
Share
![]()
'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
Director John Woo's 'Red Cliff' is an epic whose time has come
An epic revival for 'Gone With the Wind'
At a Theater Near You: Polish, Italian festivals lead weekend's films
Movie review: Bella + Edward + Jacob = a pale 'New Moon'

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
335 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
201 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
170 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
139 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
93 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
83 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
79 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
70 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
65 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
61
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit








