Management

Management casts Steve Zahn as Mike, an affable yet slightly goofy hotel manager who finds himself instantly smitten with a guest (Jennifer Aniston’s Sue). Tightly-wound Sue is inevitably drawn to Mike’s easy-going sensibilities, yet, as expected, the two must overcome a series of problems before reaching their happy ending. Writer/director Stephen Belber has infused the early part of Management with a laid-back, undeniably sweet feel that proves irresistible, with the palpable chemistry between Zahn and Aniston certainly playing a key role in the film’s initial success. Yet there reaches a point at which Belber starts to emphasize overtly silly elements, something that’s exemplified by Woody Harrelson’s over-the-top work as Sue’s punk-rock ex-boyfriend, and it’s hard to deny that the tonal shift from sweet romance to off-the-wall comedy is rather jarring (to say the least). By the time Zahn’s character finds himself at a Buddhist monastery, one can’t help but feel that the film has seriously lost its way – although, to be fair, the low-key character-study atmosphere of the third act is actually pretty well done and emotionally involving. There’s little doubt that Management benefits substantially from a genuinely romantic finale, which is almost effective enough to allow one to overlook the otherwise egregiously uneven nature of the proceedings.

**1/2 out of ****