The Good Guy
Directed by: Julio DePietro
Starring: Alexis Bledel, Scott Porter, Bryan Greenberg, Anna Chlumsky, Aaron Yoo, Andrew McCarthy
Roadside Attractions
Release Date: February 19, 2010 (Limited)

If you know me or if you read the site, you probably wouldn’t think of me as someone who was into the lovey-dovey romance movies. Truth is, while I really get sickened by the ridiculously cheesy and unrealistic “rom-coms” that are mass produced to steal the incomes of a multitude of tissue-wielding women, I can admit that I enjoy a well-done romance movie from time to time. I’ve never been much of a relationship kind of person, but have still been considered something of a romantic at times, and so long as the movie is entertaining and doesn’t get out of hand, I’m down for a viewing!

Enter The Good Guy: a new film from Roadside Attractions and director Julio DePietro about a young, seemingly-perfect couple living the big city life. The movie debuted last year at the Tribeca Film Festival and follows Beth (Alexis Bledel), a sweet and beautiful young woman with a good job and a great group of friends in New York City. Beth has been seeing Tommy (Scott Porter), a Wall Street hot shot, for a few months now, and all seems to be going very well with the couple who are preparing to head to Italy on a business/vacation trip. At first the pair appear to be living the modern day fairy tale life, but when Beth meets Daniel (Bryan Greenberg) — who just happens to be the new member of Tommy’s team at work — she begins wondering if she’s where she wants to be. Tommy has all those good looks females desire and a big money job, while Daniel shows her a new, much more sensitive side to the male species. This of course creates that age-old dilemma for women: do you go for all the looks and financial security, or do you want someone who “gets you”?

Continue on reading for more and to check out the just-released trailer for The Good Guy.

OK, so by now you’re scratching your head and wondering why you’re even reading a review for a movie like this on a site called Geeks of Doom, regardless of my own personal preference, and that’s fair. The reason is that while we do love all things geek, we also love good movies, and we know that a lot of you are exactly the same way. Due to these factors, it is our goal to also try and bring to your attentions smaller upcoming films that you may not have heard of and might just want to check out. The Good Guy is one of these movies!

First of all: this isn’t your little sister’s romance movie. It’s officially classified as a “romantic dramedy” and that sums it up quite well. The foundation is a love story, yes, but there’s a surprising amount of good humor going on as well as some subtle drama. The comedy mainly comes from Tommy’s co-workers, which includes actors Aaron Yoo and Andrew McCarthy — YES, Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie’s Andrew McCarthy, and yes he’s fantastic in this role as the unbearable and self-centered boss at the Wall Street firm. The banter between these gentlemen can be crude, but it’s always funny, very entertaining, and a key factor in why I enjoyed this movie so much. Unlike most “romantic” flicks, this movie makes sure to add plenty of humor and content for the gentlemen audience, making the movie watchable by all. No longer do you have to be forced into stomaching movies like Failure to Launch — you just need to know the right alternates to suggest!

When I refer to the drama aspect as “subtle,” it’s because it doesn’t push too hard in some sad attempt at acquiring awards consideration. The Good Guy handles its content very calmly, and the emotional ups and downs of the film are approached by the actors with a sort of natural ease, allowing it to move across your eyes freely with very minimal awkward moments.

Another thing that this movie does — that you may or may not enjoy — is not waste any time…at all. The editing is handled in quickfire fashion, and the movie moves from one point to the next without slow fade away shots or filler content. I appreciated this because we all know how fatal it can be for a movie to drag, and whether you ultimately enjoy this picture or not, you will never ever be able to say it was slow. This movie is 90 flat minutes of a realistically presented big city love story that gets right to each scene and tells the story that it wants to tell, and I really dug that. I will for sure be adding it to the short list of romantic films that I would gladly add to my movie collection.

All of the performances were solid and impressed me. I had no expectations going in, but was still pleasantly surprised by the jobs done. I’m not too big into Gilmore Girls (shocking), so I had only seen Alexis Bledel in Sin City (which was enough for me to like her), but she’s born to play the sweet, innocent girl, and she nails it here. Scott Porter and Bryan Greenberg have appeared in popular titles like Friday Night Lights and Bride Wars, though I had not seen either, but both played their respective sides with precision. Something about watching a movie with a relatively unknown cast (to me anyway) who performs well is always a refreshing and enhancing experience. I was familiar with the supporting cast like the previously mentioned Aaron Yoo, who’s making a name for himself as comic relief in movies like Friday the 13th, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Andrew McCarthy, and a one Miss Anna Chlumsky (My Girl makin’ a comeback!).

The Good Guy is a modernized romance in the same vein as The Notebook but with a superbly entertaining slice of Boiler Room mixed in for the guys by the mad scientists who made the film. Though its release will be limited on February 19, 2010, I would suggest keeping your eyes open, and if it never plays near you, look to the disc release!

And remember: the next time your lady-friend begs you to watch The Wedding Planner, you can now spring a surprise movie on her that she’s not going to punch you for, like that time you coaxed her into watching Hostel because it had “kissing” in it.

Silly kids.

Trailer