Style: Drama
Director: Mark Williams
Starring: Gerard Butler, Gretchen Mol, Alison Brie, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina
Operating Time: 108 minutes
Synopsis: In Chicago, Dane (Gerard Butler) is a high-performing workaholic at a headhunting company, habitually ignoring his spouse Elise (Gretchen Mol) and their kids. He routinely makes use of unethical methods at work, however nonetheless can’t discover a place for unemployed growing old engineer Lou (Alfred Molina). The company’s boss Ed (Willem Dafoe) is retiring and encourages cut-throat competitors between Dane and Wilson (Alison Brie) to find out his successor, however a household disaster threatens to derail profession ambitions.
What Works Nicely: This work-versus-family drama probes the pressures of being the only earnings supplier, and the hazards of being sucked into the take-the-next-work-phone-call-at-any-hour ethos. Gerard Butler creates a worthwhile character out of Dane, who has advanced into an unlikable and egocentric man by no means accessible to his household, and disturbingly snug with maliciously manipulating lives and careers for private acquire. The plot’s maturity registers within the respectable time it takes for the household disaster, as soon as it strikes, to seep into his consciousness.
What Does Not Work As Nicely: The script shows an inclination for repetition, offering a number of examples of Dane’s immoral work practices, and replaying the identical argument with Elise greater than as soon as. Alison Brie is underused, and the dramatic moments within the ultimate act shortly creep from delicate to schmaltzy.
Key Quote:
Lou (to Dane): Each household has its points. However you solely have one household.
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