Love Manager

In watching this film I felt the same way I did when I first saw Kevin Costner's "Fandango". This is a quirky film with quirky characters you can't help but love. Steve Zahn plays the lead with a subtle sweetness and innocence only he can pull off. He's one of those people who don't seem to have that built in stop button which prevents them from doing something extreme, yet even at his most extreme, you never seem to be intimidated by him. His lonely maintenance man working for his parents at their run-down Arizona motel, meets up with an inhibited, attractive travelling sales woman who is clearly trying to find her identity, but is too afraid of taking a chance. Jennifer Anniston proves time and time again she can handle any role to come her way, and understands this character. What I thought would be a run of the mill romantic comedy, turns out to be a thoughtful character study with it's share of tender moments.

Jennifer Aniston plays Sue Claussen, a lonely traveling saleswoman. In one of her trips she checks in in a roadside motel in Arizona.Mike,played by Steve Zahn, is the son of the owners and he feels attracted to her immediately.Trough little schemes Mike succeeds in seducing Sue and they spend a night together. Eventually Sue checks out of the motel;however Mike can't let go of her and flies across the country to meet her. There is a lot more to the story but I don't want to give anything away.But make no mistake, this indie is much more then your typical romantic comedy.It bursts with originality,humor and sweetness.Both Mike and Sue are looking for something meaningful in life but while Mike pursues what he wants(in this case,Sue) Sue holds back fearing for the complications of being involved with someone like Mike and for the complications of life itself. The soundtrack was good and Mrs. Aniston had plenty of charisma as always but the film belongs undeniably to Steve Zahn. Amazing performance. He plays Mike in a way that its impossible not to feel devoted for his character.

7/10

"Management" isn't necessarily a bad film -- I just found it entirely disengaging. Judging from some of the early feedback, I was expecting a sweet (if predictable) "indie" romantic comedy. I'm not a big fan of Jennifer Aniston, but she plays her types of roles well enough, and Steve Zahn proved with "Rescue Dawn" that he's an underrated actor.

My problem with "Management" is that it plays into the quirky subgenre clichés far too easily. I'd bet the director is a big Hal Ashby or Mike Nichols fan -- this comes off like an uneasy mix of "Harold and Maude" and "The Graduate." Its protagonist is a borderline stalker.

That's not inherently negative, but I just felt like there was no real spark between Aniston and Zahn. The whole thing felt very...calculated. It wasn't naturally offbeat -- and, as a result, I was left wondering why we're supposed to feel any type of entertainment in watching these people.

This film is about a man who works in his parents' motel who falls for a beautiful lady who is a guest of the motel.

"Management" is a disappointing despite a strong cast. The story is far too dull, slow and flat to be remotely entertaining. There is no joke. The relationship between Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn is forced and unconvincing. Their chemistry is poor, which kills the film's remaining chance of becoming a romantic comedy. The only character that shines is Woody Harrelson, but his scenes are few and far in between to make any positive impact on the snooze factor.

In summary, even Jennifer Aniston fans is unlikely to enjoy this film.

the trailer led me to believe this would be a 'charming stalker' movie, and that's about it. but the story and characters are deeper and richer than that, their motivations are realized beautifully, and the conclusion, if not real-life, makes sense. remember the ending of 'annie hall' and Woody Allen's explanation for why we create works of art. so, this isn't, y'know, 'rules of the game' or anything, but it's nice to see Jennifer Aniston playing a real, live person, lonely, uptight, scared, and aspiring to be a good person. Steve Zahn has a hard job, making his character likable and a reasonable facsimile of a guy desperately in love, but without much grounding in why he's stuck on this woman, except it's sort of the closest thing he's got to having a shot, however remote and unattainable. the soundtrack features great songs, well- placed, from the new pornographers, and the supporting cast is really strong. not a Woody Harrelson fan, and he's a bit of a cartoon here, but the script covers him and as unlikely as it seems every step of the way, it works as a journey of two good, lonely people learning to lean on each other and taking risks that have no guarantees. in spite of having lots of opportunities to totally go off the tracks, the filmmakers manage to make it work start to finish.