Starring Donal Logue and Greer Goodman
The hero? Dex (Donal Logue) in "The Tao of Steve" is an unconventional lead in a conventional relationship comedy that could please a convention full of armchair romantic theorists.
The overall feeling is very fresh, as is the philosophy. This movie has cult classic written all over it, owning the ability to attract an army of disillusioned guys without washboard abs or name-brand smiles.
In all the major philosophers' work, from Plato to Thomas Aquinas, lies the key to happiness: Landing a smokin' femme fatale. OK, maybe not in those exact words (there needs to be some ambiguity), but try arguing with Dex, the round mound of charm.
Dex, a 32-year-old teacher with a large belly, employed as a child-care teacher with a penchant for smoking marijuana, uses his vast amount of knowledge gathered from a philosophy degree to entice women.
Once, Dex was a thin womanizer. But a sweet tooth added 100 pounds, eliminating what many women considered "desirable." So, he devises an amalgam of theories to keep his sexual appetite somewhat satiated.
Dex preaches his theories to a number of friends, many in the smart/slacker role as well. The first rule of Dex's club is for a man to never overtly desire a female -- to do so would be dating suicide. Instead, a man must find one thing that will impress that woman. And the final step? Withdraw. A woman will pursue he who does not pursue her.
The masters of this three-step plan can each call themselves Steve -- a name laden with cool ('60s icon Steve McQueen, $6 Million Man Steve Austin, movie star Steve Guttenberg ... well, maybe not the last). Detached machismo is the ultimate slacker ideal. The typical horndog loser is Stu, named after many mythologies of dorkitude.
Oddly enough, the Steve theory works better than most of the philosophies it is based on. Dex begins a sexual relationship with a married woman and earns enough money playing with glue and glitter to add cool baubles to his Santa Fe, N.M. bachelor pad.
But the ultimate test comes in the form of Syd (Greer Goodman), a set designer who slices, dices and entices Dex's health-hazard heart. The two share a ride to work, and the daily conversation offers up a strong resistance to the usual for Dex. She mathces him insight for insight. The tao of Steve didn't budget for this.
Logue beams a jovial, charming personality, like a philandering Santa Claus. The movie doesn't hide the fact that it's about fat people; instead, it is the main plot detail. Between ice cream munchies and frisbee games, directionless Dex finds destination in Syd. Paradoxically, this is when he can't rely on his books to protect him. A beautiful girl can make a Stu of anyone.
Director Jenniphr Goodman overcomes the terrible spelling of her name and uses a very indistinct style, allowing rapid-fire dialogue to dominate. The characters are friendly and amiable, sunny like a New Mexico spring.
And while the background characters add depth and superficial charm, even Syd takes a back seat to Dex's charming ramblings. The guy that likes to hear himself talk can be sweet, even if he digs himself into a hole by calling a former flame the wrong name.
Whether the tao of Steve works in real life can be debated and tested. Philosophically speaking, though, there is no arguing its attractiveness.
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