I really liked the first hour of this movie--really liked it. I liked the energy of the new boss, played by Parker Posey, (even though she's hard to take in many ways),and the fact that she inspires the just-get-through-the-day-in-a-job-we-don't-care-about office mates to care about their work. She's a Steve Jobs in drive and in treatment of her underlings, and I appreciate that a lot (the good and the bad of that). The whole office becomes glad for what they're getting to accomplish during the workday, which enriches their lives. They get a bonus doubled. Especially in this regard, I enjoyed how Eric Mabius's character (think: Jim Halpert) goes from wasted potential to useful, competent, better-paid worker and better provider for his family. I loved Annie Parisse as his wife. She's a mom, yet (don't take offense, moms!) beautiful, intelligent, sexually engaged, loving, and supportive to her husband. She's a fantastic, caring wife. They have a great, committed relationship and are a good model of a great marriage. And, Pete (Eric Mabius) is, like a few characters verbalize, a good, honorable, truthful guy who's intelligent and competent, but truly humble about himself. He's very likable. I like how Parker Posey as boss over Pete includes Sara (Annie Parisse) in work things and befriends her, almost as a safeguard to let Sara know that even though Pete and she are working closely together and hard on work stuff that she acknowledges that Pete is Sara's husband and not her (Parker's) love interest in any sense. So much positive is going on. The reason I gave the movie a 5, rather than an 8, is because I was so disappointed in what happened in the storyline in the last 45 minutes, both in actions that are taken and in the undeveloped resolution to the mistakes that were made. I'm glad the movie wound up in the end where it did, but I was in mourning for about 35 minutes as a few characters "go off the rails," so to speak. "Uggghhh. Oh, no. Oh, no. Don't become that!" was my response during that time. For me, it was brutal. I always enjoy movies in which good or bad characters have a choice, admit to themselves what the right action is, and then do what's right, even at great personal sacrifice, shame, or loss to themselves . . . out of love and care for others. Perhaps this movie makes the case for its viewers to be better than its characters by showing the significantly muted gains they experience by the film's end.

Parker Posey has been one of the queens of the indies for the past two decades, and she extends this with Michael Walker's "Price Check", in which she plays a no-nonsense woman who becomes boss of a company. However, it negatively affects the home life of one of the employees.

Posey's character reminded me of her character in "The House of Yes": you grow to love them, but you'd probably be afraid to approach them. Eric Mabius's character starts out nothing like his character on "Ugly Betty", but becomes more like him. In the end, this is a movie that you truly have to appreciate: with limited resources, they made an infinitely better movie than anything that Michael Bay's ever made (as can be expected with indies). I recommend it.

Price Check" is a very brave film. Its characters are not the most sympathetic and its message may be off putting to many in the audience. However the questions it raises and the inner conflict of its protagonist will resonate with viewers, particularly men, especially in the current zeitgeist.

When we first meet Pete Cozy, (Eric Mabius) he is a happily married family man of modest means. His wife, Sarah (Annie Parisse) is a stay at home mom, and despite mounting debt, has a rather nonchalant attitude towards paying bills. Pete, who had worked in the music industry years before and loved what he did, is now responsible for looking after his family and works in marketing for a moribund supermarket chain in suburban New York City. Enter Susan Felders (Parker Posey) as textbook Type A personality, who is brought in to save the fledgling business.

Susan is a foul mouthed termagant. She lives for her career, she belittles her staff mercilessly, and she is bombastic and thoroughly unpleasant. But she is a slave driver and is on a jihad to bolster sales and get the job done. However, she does take a particular shine to Pete, immediately doubles his salary, she is very impressed to learn that he was graduated from an Ivy League university. She drops by his house to meet his wife and, seemingly, shows her soft side when she meets the Cozy's toddler – an adorable blond boy, Henry (Finn Donoghue) who is very enthused about the upcoming Halloween party at his preschool. Susan asks Sarah if she could attend this event, much to Sarah's surprise. Sarah signs off on it and Susan finds the entire event charming - to the point that she demands that everyone in the office dress up in costume and initiates the staff's first Halloween party.

Despite all of her treacle, in true Machiavellian fashion, Susan enlists Pete as her confidante. She asks his opinion on who should be made redundant and confers many important projects upon him. Pete is very conflicted in this role - he is very flattered and his salary is sweet, but, increasingly and, perhaps, inevitably, he is spending less time with his wife, who is very keen to have another child and his co- workers feel betrayed by him. It's all very Faustian, but Pete goes along with it, despite his misgivings.

Susan and Pete travel to Los Angeles to make a presentation at a very key board meeting. In a scene reminiscent of Norma Desmond and Joe in "Sunset Boulevard," Susan buys Pete a very expensive suit and a $300 haircut. Nicely groomed and preened, Mr. Bennington, chairman of the board (Edward Hermann) is very impressed with this young man. Bennington asks Pete if he would consider pulling up stakes and moving to Los Angeles for an executive position. Susan, who feels entitled to this job, is wary, but that night, back at their hotel, Susan is drunk and pleads with Pete to make love to her. She says she wants to get pregnant and wants his seed. Pete, eventually, relents and the affair continues upon their return to New York. Sarah discovers what's happened, but doesn't confront her husband.

Pete promises Bennington that his New York staff can get an important project done in six weeks, Susan is at her histrionic worst, it's Christmas and there's very little joy in the office. Susan, now convinced that Bennington will hire Pete, does a background check on him and discovers a secret from his past, fires him on the spot, ice water coursing through her veins. Shocked, Pete views this as an opportunity to follow his passion and return to the music business, but he burned his contacts and is at a complete loss, with Sarah, now pregnant, harangues him. As if by magic, an executive head hunter calls and offers Pete a great job with a fabulous salary and the family move to California, his wife, with new born baby and toddler, in tow, very happy, indeed. Pete is clearly unhappy despite his good fortune.

The film is beautifully directed and written by Michael Walker ("Chasing Sleep" ) The cast are uniformly excellent. Eric Mabius's does an excellent job of conveying Pete's inner turmoil, trying to reconcile his family life, which is very important to him and the increasingly important role, thrust upon him, in the corporate world. Parker Posey is very good as Susan, the ultimate shrew – but her character is a bit one dimensional. She is the quintessential Dragon Lady, but the why and the wherefore of her character are never exposed and mores' the pity. Annie Parisse does a fine job, with what little she has and kudos to the supporting cast – especially to Edward Hermann as Bennington, in an honest, subtle and a very fine performance, Remy Auberjonois as Todd Kenner and special kudos to Josh Pais as Doug, numbers crunchers extraordinaries, who is luminous in a beautifully executed scene, when discussing his sex life with Pete.

The issue of careerism is nothing new in modern fiction and film, but it is usually the woman who is the victim. Walker is a very brave director and writer, for here, Pete is the victim. The women in this film get EVERYTHING they want and neither Susan nor Sarah come off well here. Pete, does what responsible men do – he provides for his family, at the expense of his own happiness and passion. Feminists might despise "Price Check," but the message that the MAN in the family is, invariably, the breadwinner and all expectations and responsibilities fall to him is something we've not seen in films in recent years. Equal pay for women, when it is the man who brings home the bacon? Walker says, "The Emperor Has No Clothes."