Ted, the central character, begins the film as an eraserhead - the pejorative term used by
corporate hot-shots for their techies - but his dedication and proficiency are
at such a remarkable level that the company's senior managers eventually choose him to
head the IT department, effectively doubling his salary. In his former life as
an eraserhead, despite his tendency to be a workaholic, he had been able to
balance work with ethics, friendships, marriage, and fatherhood. That balance
is not so simple to achieve in his life as an executive. The pressure of
competition steers him into compromises with his company's product, and the
pressure to fit in to the executive set leads him into a life on the road
filled with high-priced call girls. He must ultimately face a choice between
his big promotion and his conscience.
This is a classic case of a film which simply couldn't decide on a
direction. Is it a satire of corporate life? Is it a cautionary drama? Is it a
sexy exploitation film? It has elements of all three, but couldn't seem to
commit, so one side of its mouth preaches moral lessons which would be
appropriate for the Hallmark Network, while the other side offers a little
sleazy softcore in the form of girl-on-girl action.
Ultimately it is not a satisfying film. Only one character is explored in
depth, and he narrates, so the film neither breaks from his perspective nor
shows anything he cannot see. Breckin Meyer and the rest of the cast do a
reasonably good job of delivering the material, but ultimately the story is
too lightweight to be a drama and too coy to be an exploitation film. It's
just a moral tale which offers truisms as lessons. You learn, for example,
that the connection you might feel to expensive prostitutes is not real, and
that continuous daily consorting with prostitutes may have untoward
consequences for your marital and legal status. Gee, really? Who could have
dreamed?
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
D+
It's not incompetent at all, but
there's just no good reason to recommend it. If it has an
audience, it will be a small one, and I can't picture what type
of people will be in it.
