Management

A long time ago there was an afterschool special-type movie on TV about the dangers of hitchhiking. A teen girl hitchhiking alone was raped, and subsequently the guy got off because she was dressed "provacatively."

This movie begins with a similar concept although the outcome is definitely different, as it is a romantic comedy. Jennifer Aniston is a traveling saleslady Sue, selling cheesy corporate/hotel art, and stays at Mike's (Steve Zahn) motel. He finds her attractive, but doesn't really know how to approach her so pretends to give her a motel welcome gift of wine which for some reason she shares with him. This happens again the next night, and after Mike expresses how attractive her behind is, Sue allows him to cop a feel. Ugh!

So based on this vaguely creepy meet-cute, Sue returns home and Mike has misguided feelings so that he pursues her several times, despite her returning to her ex-punk rocker boyfriend Jango (Woody Harrelson). Jango's rich but I don't see what else she sees in him. It boils down to Sue wanting the safe life over apparently true love.

Mike then goes on a spiritual quest to forget Sue but there is little doubt how this story is going to end.


The cast is made up actors in character roles, with Zahn giving the biggest acting range in his performance. Aniston does the aging woman finding love, except I don't see what the two guys see in her either. Zahn is the goofy man-boy as he has so often played. Harrelson is the wild and unpredictable whackjob, a type of character he too is pretty familiar with. Not a lot of stretching of the wings here for these three actors. Fred Ward plays Mike's father.

Visually, the film has an indie feel but the creepiness of the meet-cute gives the movie a uneasiness that carries through the film for me.  Aniston has transcended the indie scene and to return to it she has to take different sorts of roles and not always one where she is torn between two lovers or constantly choosing the wrong man or looking for love. She's gotta get more range and it appears from recent choices she is trying to make you forget the America's sweetheart from Friends, and let you know she is a sexy and risque character actress.

Zahn gives a performance that I'm sure is better used elsewhere, although between Mike and Sue, his character is more mature, seeking in life instead of hiding like Sue. I wished Sue for once would seek Mike out, again and again he made the grand gesture and pursued her while she just sat and waited for love to find her.