The Tao of Steve

no wonder this thing snagged donal logue top acting honors at the 2000 sundance festival, but i don't know what the better script could've been. this thing has it all: guy talk, girl talk, echoes and resonance, love and respect for all its characters, wit, poignancy, politics, uplift, a tremendous depth and breath of literary allusion, and a substantial dose of digestible philosophy from some of the greatest minds of world thought. seriously, this may be the first movie to quote Kirkegaard and george jetson in the same scene and make them both look wise. it's a movie about love, about wisdom, about fun, but mostly it's about learning real values and gaining all the rest through learning to be the best person you can be. that's a big load for such a funny film, but this one handles it all and then some. this doesn't mention the beautiful sets, the music (original, appropriate, and inventive, though probably the film's weakest suit)the cute kids and the celebration of contemporary gentle-souled hipster lifestyles. AND it's only 82 minutes long, you can almost fit it in on a lunch break but it will last you far longer than that. thanks so much to Greer and Jenniphr Goodman for their script and direction. from all us steve wannabes, but actual duncan north's of the world, thank you!

This movie is that extremely rare blend of "guy movie" and "chick flick". Every guy can relate to this and most women will enjoy the (twisted) love story. Dex is the ultimate slacker - part time worker, pot smoker, over-eater and heavy drinker. His life is based on emulating the coolness of Steve McGarrett (Hawaii 5-0), Steve Austin (6 Million Dollar Man) and the ultimate in coolness, Steve McQueen. Hence, the Tao of Steve. Dex has claimed for his own a part of Zen philosophy which has made him remarkably successful in seducing women. Syd changes everything. She is an independent, career minded, drum spanking, beautiful woman that doesn't appear to fall for Dex's charms. The chase is on. Dex pulls out all stops, until his past catches reaches up and grabs him. Syd and Dex have a strange relationship that never allows either to fully define the boundaries. There is an obvious attraction, but Syd's contempt for Dex and his methods always throws up the road block. Of course, Dex does some soul searching after a health scare (that seems out of place in the movie) and the somewhat predictable ending,nonetheless brings a smile to our faces. Donal Logue give a brilliant performance as Dex, and Greer Goodman is enchanting as Syd. Greer is the sister of the movie's director, Jenniphr Goodman, and also shared in the writing credits. Take note of the soundtrack as it adds a layer to the script, which itself is loaded with great lines. Go see this movie. And it will work as a date movie.

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.