Management, 2008

Not all what I was expecting from the trailer. I thought this was going to be a cat-and-mouse kinda love-story-with-obstacles, maybe like 50 First Dates, with Steve Zahn a much more likable and funny leading man.

But it wasn't. The comedy here is slightly darker, and it's themes much deeper. What do we do when we fall for someone who is complete wrong for us? What do we do if that person gives us everything we need emotionally, but makes little sense on a logical, practical front? The big themes are handled well. I thought the movie slipped in one area, but it's not enough to dampen what was a genuinely affecting film.

Career-woman Jennifer Aniston has a one-night stopover in a small town motel. She's a very serious, with almost no sense of humour. But she has passion -- she attempts to talk the motel owner into making a recycling area for certain hotel trash. So, she cares enough.

Hotel co-manager Steve Zahn likes her straight away, and uses his position at the hotel to get inside her room. What transpires sets the two of them on such a weird, romantic, heartbreaking path. Very quickly you come to understand where both are in their lives, what they need, and why they might not be right for each other, even if they are.

So, the film dropped a bit for me when Woody Harrelson's character showed up. I think it would have been much more realistic for Jennifer Aniston to be seeing someone a lot less weird. Woody's character doesn't match what we've learned about Jennifer Aniston and her desire for comfort and stability. And it's over so quickly that I wondered why it even mattered. Her not wanting to be with Steve Zahn because of his station in life and peculiarities was enough. She didn't need to be involved with someone else. That really didn't move the story along.

Anyway, this is only a small part of the movie, so it wasn't too bad. I really enjoyed it. Steve Zahn is hilarious, and he's so sad to watch when he gets all serious. Jennifer Aniston is good, too -- she is so underrated as an actress, and a movie like this really gives her a chance to show just how good she can be.

I liked it. Good movie.