The Tao of Steve

Dex, the leading male character, has told Syd that he's falling in love with her, and she asks why he doesn't stop seeing other women. He responds, "Why? So I can bask in the warmth of your annihilating contempt?" The story of this film meanders much like its good-for-nothing hero, Dex, as we follow him through a slacker routine that allows him to do virtually nothing but pick up women and play games with his male friends.

He believes that he has the key to life in the "Tao of Steve," which is essentially a guide to fooling women into having sex with a fat loser--himself. He exclaims, "Why does the American Slacker get so little respect?" The clever dialog and the sweetness of Dex's discovery that he actually loves Syd and doesn't really want to be a professional cad all his life makes the movie worth watching.

Also fun is the truth in the "Tao of Steve" with its three edicts: 1) suppress your desire--and your agenda of getting her into bed 2) be excellent in her presence and 3) retreat. It's true that going into a relationship with nothing else in mind but sleeping with a woman is a huge mistake, and Dex recognizes the wisdom of being cool rather than needy, but then he uses it the wrong way (or the right way, depending on your perspective). We watch him explain his philosophy, use it to manipulate women, and then have to violate it as he finally figures out that while the "Tao of Steve" may get him women, it won't get him the one woman he really wants.

Dex is a ladies man who has a Zen-like art of seduction under his belt. So despite the fact that his belt has expanded since his best days in high school, he generally still has that going for him even if he has generally underachieved in everything else. Basing his rules around the approach of Steve (Steve being the embodiment of American male cool) Dex has managed to get into more beds than his looks really should have allowed him to and generally he is happy despite being a slacker in his late twenties. When he meets Syd though he finds himself feeling a bit more than normal (which is nothing) and genuinely liking her as a friend. Will she make him look again at his approach to life?

The title should at least give you some idea of the type of film this is going to be because it manages to sound cool and interesting and a bit hip without really doing a lot – which pretty much sums up the appeal of this as a film. The story is essentially quite a nice romance but it is set in a post-modern word of slackers who have relaxed jobs, relaxed morals, relaxed approaches to life, relaxed houses and generally just shoot the breeze about nothing. I suppose it will depend a bit on your age but, as some in his late twenties (at least, at the time of writing I am) I suppose I am target audience and I must admit it quite won me over. The story doesn't really go to any depth and, at the end of the day it does just what you expect it to do in terms of how it ends but it manages to get passed all this by having the same relaxed attitude of the characters.

I'm sure it was not as easy to put together as it appeared but the film moves nicely along with a lot of pop culture references, slacker humour and a touch of genuine humanity in the romance. It wasn't the most convincing story or scenario but I was so happy to just buy into the cool nature of the world within the film that I forgave it perhaps a bit too easily for this. The direction helps because it all looks sunny and chilled, while the use of music is cool without being too obvious. The cast also help and, in particular, sterling work from Logue who manages to take a fat, sexist womaniser and make him into a character who has those characteristics but still managed to make me like him and care where his story went. Goodman gave a good performance and, like Logue, she came over very natural (probably helped by being the writer). Although these two carry the majority of the film the support cast are still pretty good and enjoyably fill in the film and match the mood.

Overall a chilled and enjoyable little comedy that drew me in despite being slight and not having that much to it. Probably best watched by older members of the slacker generation or those that have grown up but still look back affectionately, this is quite fun and quite charming even if these qualities are covering up a multitude of sins in the background.

This is a somewhat endearing indie flick, but it suffers from an amateurish script and inexperienced directing. For a movie that has the potential to be pretty funny, it takes itself far too seriously. The protagonist's 'stoner wittiness' becomes pretty monotonous and annoying preachy. If the movie concentrated less on being hip and ironic, and more on the characters, the film would be better.

This movie was kind of flat and predictable. With all the good reviews it got, I expected more. One thing though I have to give credit to is the setting. Santa Fe was a great backdrop and it should be used more in films. With most of the scenes set outside, it brought brightness to what otherwise could have been a really dreary film. The two lead characters were good, though there was this one character with a space between his teeth that was horrible. The scene where they're playing poker and he's asking who Steve McGarrett and Steve Austin were was a testament to not only bad acting, but also horrible cliched screenwriting. 70s pop culture references need to be put to rest. Let's at least move on into the eighties. Overall, I say don't waste your money at the video store on this, though if it comes on TV, watch it if there's nothing else on.

The Tao of Steve: Casanova. Lothario. Stud. Whatever the moniker, everyone knows the type: a guy with stunning looks, a killer smile, lines that don't sound like come-ons, a silky smooth demeanor, an athletic build, whose only problem is deciding which women's numbers to cull from his rolodex. Why women gravitate towards these men is no big mystery. Why they are drawn to the Dexes of the world is.

Dex doesn't even cut it as "the average guy": an overweight, unkempt slacker, he teaches kindergarten, thinks pot is the breakfast of champions, spouts Taoist philosophy and sleeps around enough to be a mattress tester. His life creed is based upon the Steves: Austin, McGarret, McQueen… men who epitomized cool, weren't afraid to get roughed up, never pursued women and for whom things always worked out. His entire belief system is thrown into disarray when he meets Syd, a bright, headstrong opera set designer, with a flair with life and a sixth sense for B.S.. Suddenly Dex finds himself in the role of pursuer.

Good "relationship movies" are rare. Rarer still is finding one that approaches the subject from a male's perspective that isn't steeped in machismo and reeking of testosterone. Almost unheard of is to find the selfsame movie with a hilarious comedic tilt. Unlike "High Fidelity", the recent pre-midlife crisis movie which only skimmed the surface of relationships (but was a brilliant movie nonetheless), or "Autumn in New York" the shameless Rogue-sees-the-light-tear-jerker, "The Tao of Steve" is the thinking man's "About Last Night" - the intangible mixed with the right amount of brashness.

"Tao's" success is twofold: it boasts a tight, witty script - how many romantic comedies can you think of that are peppered with quotations from Lao Tzu? - and true to life characters. The "hero" is largely biographical, based on a friend of the director's who contributed heavily to the script. The Dexes of the world refuse to ascribe to the accepted maxim of relationships - men chase women get accepted/rejected, repeat if necessary. By adopting a calculated aloofness (not to be confused with jerks - we'll ignore the whole "Bad Boy Syndrome" discussion) they engender mystery and curiosity. Although it sounds ridiculous it actually works - I know two guys who could have been the model for Dex (I don't think there would be a strong reverse correlation however, as men generally don't understand signals- we're a bit thick that way…). Psychology and writing aside, the actors definitely bring the story to life.

Ottawa born Donal Logue, pulled a DeNiro, gaining 45-pounds for the role of Dex - now that's dedication to the craft. Having seen Logue previously only in bit parts - he has over thirty to his credit - I didn't think he could handle a lead. He quickly dismisses any doubts with his impeccable timing, both dramatic and comedic, which garnered him the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Logue creates a likable cad whose deviousness we both admire and despise, making his epiphany that much more enjoyable. Greer Goodman (in her first screen role) is an admirable foil as Syd, the woman who cuts through Dex's smokescreen and smashes his carefully cloistered world.

If you've grown tired of all that Hollywood has to offer, or more appropriately, what it fails to deliver, this may be the movie for you.