Management (2008)

Director:

Stephen Belber

Writer (WGA):

Stephen Belber (written by)

Release Date:

21 May 2009 (Israel)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A touching comedy

Plot:

A traveling art saleswoman tries to shake off a flaky motel manager who falls for her and won't leave her alone.

Plot Keywords:

Motel | Deathbed | Champagne | One Word Title | Laundry Room

Cast

Jennifer Aniston	...	Sue
Steve Zahn	...	Mike
Margo Martindale	...	Trish
Fred Ward	...	Jerry
James Hiroyuki Liao	...	Al
Woody Harrelson	...	Jango
Katie O'Grady	...	Corporate Bliss Receptionist
Yolanda Suarez	...	Marissa
Kevin Heffernan	...	Jed
Don Burns	...	Businessman (as Don Stewart Burns)
Kimberly Howard	...	Colleague
Collin Crowley	...	Wally
Gilberto Martin del Campo	...	Priest
Mark Boone Junior	...	Jack (as Mark Boone Jr.)
Garfield Wedderburn	...	Bus Driver

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

USA:94 min | Canada:93 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44651) | Netherlands:9 | Iceland:10 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Madras, Oregon, USA

Company:

Image Entertainment

Quotes:

Mike: What about kids? Do you want to have kids?
Sue Claussen: [avoiding the question] You know what was really great about that Yoga class?
Mike: ?
Sue Claussen: It was the breathing stuff. I don't do that.
Mike: Breathe?
Sue Claussen: There are days where I have to instruct my heart to request additional air
[takes a deep breath]
Sue Claussen: and I have to tell myself "Breathe, Sue. Just keep breathing."
[exhales]
Sue Claussen: Yes, I want kids.

Movie Connections:

References An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Soundtrack:

North Winds Blow

Transcending To The Next Level

Steve Zahn plays Mike, a night manager at the motel his parents run. Mike is a typical case of arrested development. He has no friends,no girlfriend & potentially no future. All of this changes when an art dealer (Jennifer Aniston)checks into the motel on a business trip. He falls head over heels in love with her,to the point of stalking her across the country. The mere fact that she is engaged to be married to an ex-punk rocker doesn't sway Mike from his mission. This is a nicely played film about casting off the superficial and moving ahead. Woody Harrelson has some nice,but too brief screen time as the proto psycho boyfriend. First time director,Steven Belber directs from his own screenplay that mixes comedy & drama with a nice touch of quirkiness, and even manages to toss in a bit of eastern philosophy for good measure. Steve Zahn is a likable chap who just wants from life what everybody else wants. Jennifer Aniston is (as usual)Jennifer Aniston. This is a hold over film from last year that is just now getting some distribution (mainly to art houses). You could do a lot worse than this. Rated 'R' by the MPAA for some salty language & adult situations.