"Management" isn't necessarily a bad film -- I just found it entirely disengaging. Judging from some of the early feedback, I was expecting a sweet (if predictable) "indie" romantic comedy. I'm not a big fan of Jennifer Aniston, but she plays her types of roles well enough, and Steve Zahn proved with "Rescue Dawn" that he's an underrated actor.

My problem with "Management" is that it plays into the quirky subgenre clichés far too easily. I'd bet the director is a big Hal Ashby or Mike Nichols fan -- this comes off like an uneasy mix of "Harold and Maude" and "The Graduate." Its protagonist is a borderline stalker.

That's not inherently negative, but I just felt like there was no real spark between Aniston and Zahn. The whole thing felt very...calculated. It wasn't naturally offbeat -- and, as a result, I was left wondering why we're supposed to feel any type of entertainment in watching these people.

Mike (Steve Zahn) works at his parents' (Margo Martindale, Fred Ward) roadside motel. Sue (Jennifer Aniston) sells art for office buildings. She's passing through for the night. He's a lonely loser who falls for the cold lonely woman. He tries his best to connect. She's also strange in her own way. Just maybe they're perfect for each other.

It's a very predictable low budget indie. Nobody is really stretching their acting skills. Steve Zahn does this lovable loser character often while Aniston plays the same cold superior woman with a heart if only she's willing to open up. Writer/director Stephen Belber has created some quirky moments, but none of them are truly gut busters. It does take a wild left turn later on with Woody Harrelson. It's not any funnier although James Hiroyuki Liao is a fun sidekick.

Steve Zahn deserves to be a more celebrated actor. Reminiscent here of Michael J. Fox in his "Secret of My Success" period (though a much fuller presence and more comically dogged),Zahn takes a very thin script about a ne'er-do-well in love and actually makes something engaging out of it. Stuck working in his father's motel, Zahn has a fling with a fledgling art dealer (a nicely low-keyed Jennifer Aniston) and instantly feels this woman is his soul-mate. She has other plans, of course, but that doesn't stop our hero--he knows without a shadow of a doubt she could easily grow to love him, despite mounting obstacles. Advertised as a comedy with potentially edgy quirks, "Management" covers that territory and then commendably goes a different route. It isn't much more than a sketch in hindsight, though Zahn manages to infuse the picture with heart. He upstages a strong supporting cast with a three-dimensional performance which goes beyond the atypical puppy dog-looks and manic gestures. Writer-director Stephen Belber keeps Zahn reigned in and allows him to be human--and when the moment comes and the actor has to knock one outta the park, he does so without shrillness or strain. It's a star-making turn. **1/2 from ****