Movie Review - 'Management'

Management Starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn, and Woody Harrelson Directed by Stephen Belber Rated R

Primarily because I believe he'd know better, I don't buy the cross-country trip undertaken by Mike (Steve Zahn) as he pursues Sue Claussen (Jennifer Aniston) in Management. Mike works for his parents in their Kingman, Arizona motel. It's hardly a business traveler's oasis, one of those places where you kick yourself for not bringing your own sheets. And for Mike, the scenery rarely changes. He checks in guests, cleans the pool, manages the establishment, and lives on the premises. But then Sue arrives, and she's clearly not from around here. In fact, she's from Baltimore, traveling west to sell those nondescript paintings that hang on the walls of second-rate inns, places exactly like this one. Mike knocks on her down and offers her complimentary champagne. Grudgingly, she accepts. There's nothing that happens in Sue's motel room that sets the world on fire or even sets a story in motion. It's a non-event. The next day is...slightly different. Still, Sue gets in her car and heads back to her life. However, Mike is nonetheless overwhelmed by the belief that Sue does not just represent the world outside Kingman that's waiting for him but that she is also the answer to his many unanswered prayers. It's one thing to be a naïve character - and really, who hasn't been there before in pursuit of love - but Mike is a man who is at least in his mid-30s. Does leaving his life behind for a woman with whom he shared one intimate moment, especially if it means flying across the country in the hopes of establishing a permanent relationship with her? Furthermore, does that make for scintillating viewing? As a romantic comedy, which this film would have to check on the EEO form, Management is OK. There aren't nearly enough scenes between Aniston and Zahn, because Sue rightly brushes off the weirdo who keeps popping up in her life. To make up for that, writer-director Stephen Belber gives us supporting characters who might be more compelling than the leads. Sue recoils from her overexposure to Mike by reconciling with her aggressive and possibly imbalanced boyfriend, Jango (Woody Harrelson), and Mike find a true friend in Al (James Liao), who hires the lovestruck and homeless drifter to work in his family's restaurant. Zahn is an extremely likable character actor, and it's good to see him get a bigger opportunity here. He has good scenes with everyone in the cast, and Aniston has some moments, too, but this one is more about what Zahn is able to do as the underdog. Unfortunately, this underdog doesn't exactly have his day.