Love is a Funny Thing

“Management” is a wonderful comedy about maturity, one that follows the lives of two adults who haven’t finished growing up. They go through the usual Hollywood routine of falling in love with each other, but that shouldn’t suggest that this is some sophomoric sex comedy. Not only does it focus on the makings of a real relationship, but it also gives its characters their own identities, and it challenges them to love themselves before they can love each other. How can they understand their love if they can’t understand themselves?

It’s kind of hard to blame these characters for being so immature, especially considering the fact that the hero still lives with his parents. His name is Mike (Steve Zahn), and he helps his parents run a hotel in Arizona. They get a steady clientele of ordinary people, and although they’re pretty friendly, they’re also kind of dull. That might be what attracts Mike to a new guest named Sue (Jennifer Aniston), a working girl who doesn’t go anywhere without her laptop. Mike stops by her room and tries to get acquainted with her – even when he actually succeeds, he still feels pretty awkward.

All of this inevitably leads to them making love together, right before she has to leave and go on the road again. She promises to visit him when she’s in the area, and even though Mike really likes spending time with her, he can’t stop thinking about Sue when she’s not around.

His only option is to track her down in Maryland, where he embarrasses her by showing up at her office. She decides to let mike sleep on her couch in her apartment, and even takes the day off from work to spend some time with him.

Soon, Sue develops enough trust in Mike to tell him about her past. She talks about the relationship she had with a guy named Jango (Woody Harrelson) – the fact that she went out with a punk-rock aficionado like him makes her attraction to Mike seem even more unusual. She might not be able to explain her feelings, but she can’t deny them.

Part of what makes “Management” so satisfying is its honesty – lots of movies in this vein are melodramas sprinkled with comedy, with laughs that seem as if they’re tacked on for the audience’s sake. Here, the comedy comes just as naturally as the drama, and the film demonstrates that human companionship is funnier than we realize. It’s appropriate that, during one of the dates Mike has with Sue, he proposes a toast: “Here’s to people being happy.”