Metro Pulse/Movie Guru/The Tao of Steve

Movie Guru Rating:
Enlightening (4 out of 5)

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In The Tao of Steve, a ladies' man grows up

by Zak Weisfeld

Of course we all aspire to be Steve. Steve is the epitome of cool. The pinnacle of manhood. He is most easily recognizable in the person of Steve McQueen—the ultimate Steve. But elements of this primordial Steve survive in the person of Steve Austin and Steve McGarrett. Glimmerings of Steve also inhabit the body of Dex, a chunky pre-school teacher from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the star of The Tao of Steve.

Dex is the last of the true slackers—a man whose morning is not complete without a few bong hits and a couple of scoops of ice cream, and whose day consists of playing with little kids, screwing another man's wife and throwing the Frisbee around with his buddies. All in all, it's not a bad life. And it's a life that has been codified by the overeducated Dex into a something called the "Tao of Steve." With borrowings from Lao-tzu, St. Augustine and The Great Escape, Dex has turned an existence that others would term shiftless at best into a philosophical statement. A statement that is best summed up by Dex's line, "Doing stuff is overrated."

But Dex does do stuff. Despite his low status, his lack of ambition and his considerable belly, Dex is a king hell ladies man. The "Tao of Steve's" combination of Buddhist inner peace and movie star cool gives Dex an uncanny power over women. Like every good ladies man in a romantic comedy though, Dex meets his match—here, in the person of Syd. Too smart, too strong, and with prior experience with Dex's ways, Syd is the one thing Dex wants. And the one thing he can't have. At least not while continuing to subscribe to the "Tao of Steve."

In its set-up and its mechanics, The Tao of Steve is a fairly standard romantic comedy. What sets it apart, besides having a main character who is simultaneously fat and attractive (though that alone is revolutionary enough), is its quick-witted script, its unique grasp of location and its laid back, generous direction.

Like its main character, Tao of Steve is at its best when talking. First-time director Jenniphr Goodman has an ear for language and a loose, natural feel for the way people, especially men, talk. There are a few occasions, however, when she seems to love it too much—and several of Steve's worst scenes revolve around over-garrulous poker table chatter. But for the most part she makes excellent use of the smart, talky script co-written by her sister Greer Goodman (who also stars as Syd), and real-life Santa Fe school teacher and tubby Valentino, Duncan North.

And the script is filled with gems of dialogue, especially Dex's lines ("God must be the loneliest guy in the universe"), as well as some astute observations about the fine, if sometimes sordid, art of romance. The recipient of most of these lines is Syd. A better writer than a performer, Greer Goodman plays Syd straight—no histrionics, no plate smashing—just a decent woman with a good head on her shoulders. The rest of the cast follows earnestly in her footsteps.

As a whole the Tao of Steve is not filled with terribly good actors, but they, and their director, know their weaknesses and play around them. The cast keeps the performances understated, Goodman keeps the camerawork loose, and we are none the wiser.

What holds the rather ramshackle structure of the Tao of Steve together is the commanding (in a low-key slacker way) performance of Donal Logue. Logue, who was last seen in The Patriot, is the warm gooey center and saving grace. With his big gut, scruffy beard and Irish grin, Logue brings a frighteningly relaxed realism to the role. He doesn't just play Dex; he seems to become him. Somehow, Logue manages to make Dex believable as both a slacker jerk and a fragile man in love, make him sympathetic without ever letting him slip into the easy laughs or easy sympathy of the fat guy. It's not an easy task, but its one that the Goodmans and Logue rise to.

And it's a rewarding one. The Tao of Steve is one of those rare romantic comedies that is both romantic and funny.