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Over thirty years ago, Michael Caine achieved stardom playing the endearing and exasperating ALFIE, a cockney ladykiller who finally realizes the emptiness of his life. In THE TAO OF STEVE, Donal Logue takes on a similar role as Dex – an overweight, womanizing kindergarten teacher living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although a veteran of over forty films, Logue has appeared previously in a supporting capacity only (most notably in RUNAWAY BRIDE as the priest who was one of Julia Roberts’ spurned suitors). This is his first starring performance, and he makes the most of it. Like Caine before him, he brings a seriously misguided character to life with humor and heart
By twisting the ideas of some great philosophers, Dex believes he has developed a foolproof theory of dating. Quoting Heidegger, he tells one of his followers, “We retreat from that which pursues us.” According to guru Dex, that means never appear eager. From Lao-tzu, he incorporates the important principle of ridding oneself of desire. Like Alfie, Dex avoids emotional attachment to one woman. “Be desireless, be excellent, and be gone,” he advises his disciples. Alfie says much the same thing when he remarks to the audience, “If you’re not attached to anything, you can’t lose it.”
For Dex and his friends, becoming “Steve,” as in Steve McQueen, is the ultimate goal. Dex puts it this way, “Steve isn’t just a name. It’s a way of living. James Bond is a Steve. Spider Man is a Steve.” In this philosophy, the opposite of Steve is Barney Fife --- a state of existence too horrible to contemplate.
During his college career, Dex was a big man on campus. Now, he's just big. But, despite gaining more weight than wisdom, Dex still has no trouble dating plenty of women. His “Tao of Steve” seems to work well for him until he meets the lovely and talented Syd (Greer Goodman) at their ten-year college reunion. Puzzled at first because he doesn’t remember her, Dex can’t help falling under the spell of this charming woman who rides motorcycles and designs sets for the Santa Fe Opera. His volatile relationship with Syd soon exposes the shallowness of Stevedom.
Logue and newcomer Goodman project a quirky romantic chemistry as Dex and Syd. They are especially amusing when forced to share a tent during a miserable camping trip. “So help me, if you touch me, I have a knife,” she threatens. He thinks she means it and looks much too frightened to be a “Steve.” In another humorous scene, Goodman shows Syd’s tender side while watching Dex play poker (using crayons instead of money) with his kindergarten students. From the expression on Syd’s face, it’s clear she’s captivated by Dex’s behavior with the kiddies. And we are too. Like Alfie again, Dex is at his most humane around children. His appealing playfulness keeps them interested, but he also treats each child with respect and concern.
Both director Jenniphr Goodman and her sister Greer (Syd) make impressive feature film debuts with THE TAO OF STEVE. In addition to their directing and acting chores, they served as co-writers with Duncan North, the real-life inspiration for Dex’s character. (One wonders how much North himself has been influenced by ALFIE.) Their collaboration paid off with a very different type of romantic comedy -- one as enlightening about relationships between the sexes as it is entertaining.
THE TAO OF STEVE ends on a much brighter note than ALFIE. Although beginning to understand “what the heart hungers for is what makes something beautiful,” Alfie remains a lonely man. Happily, things work out better for Dex and Syd. Together, they discover the truth behind an old Indian proverb that states, “Where love reigns, the impossible may be attained.”
(Released by Sony Pictures Classics and rated “R” for language and some drug use.)
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