Three stars

PG-13, 109 minutes, South Wind 12

For fans of Fox’s period sitcom That ‘70s Show, the generous charm, deadpan delivery and exquisite comic timing of Topher Grace are no secret. Now the rest of us can share the wealth with Paul Weitz’s new film, the endearing comedy-drama In Good Company.

Grace is Carter Duryea, a rising young star in a bloated media conglomerate named Globecom. The company has just acquired Sports America, the nation’s number-one sports magazine, and Carter is chosen to lead the periodical’s advertising department. That means taking the job of Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid), a seasoned family man now pushing 52.

Dan’s humiliation is doubled when he learns his new boss is only 26. Further complicating his life are a newly pregnant wife (Marg Helgenberger) and a suddenly distant daughter (Scarlett Johansson) who falls hard for Carter.

Weitz seamlessly blends broad comedy and emotional pathos. With this and 2002’s About a Boy, he’s developed a light-fingered tone with an emphasis on flawed, three-dimensional characters.

David Paymer and Kevin Chapman movingly embody two working stiffs victimized by corporate takeover. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Globecom tycoon Teddy K, played by a slyly cast Malcolm McDowell, still a tyrant all those years after A Clockwork Orange and Caligula.

Quaid is just as affable here as he was in 2002’s The Rookie. Johansson, another consistent performer, gives a delicate, understated performance, particularly in the extended sequence where she seduces Carter. And Grace shows off a deeper dramatic side that should serve him well in a long career.

Though ambition isn’t its strong suit, In Good Company has the same complex view of the world that made About a Boy so unforgettable. Weitz’s vision of a new kind of extended American family will warm your heart.

—Stephen Shupe