Management – A touching comedy

management poster Management A touching comedy

Jennifer Aniston might be one of the world’s hottest actresses — in every sense — but the woman who made her name on television’s “Friends” has shown a fondness throughout her career for interesting roles in smaller films.

But, to be honest, her character in the indie romantic comedy “Management” isn’t that interesting. Sue is your standard-issue hot corporate climber who dreams of starting her own charitable project to make a difference. Miss Aniston plays her with aplomb, of course, but the actress’s job here is simply to be a slightly discontented pretty face.

It’s Steve Zahn who turns what could have been a pretty predictable romcom into something surprisingly touching. He plays Mike, the management of the title who helps run his parents’ motel in Kingman, Ariz. The easygoing Mike doesn’t have much direction in life, spending his days cleaning the rarely used pool and putting the stolen letter “B” back in the motel’s sign advertising “Free HBO.”

Mike finds a purpose when the gorgeous, put-together Sue checks into the motel one day. She works at Corporate Bliss, a company that sells the kind of unthreatening art that hangs on the motel’s walls. He shows up at her room with a “welcome gift” of cheap wine, hoping to be invited to share. He isn’t then, but champagne the second night changes her mind. (The hilariously unworldly Mike actually sips the foam off the bottle when the wine spills out on opening.)

So the story goes on, with alot of funny stuff and it gets interesting every minute.