Rating: 
Summary: A bit rough, but still enjoyable
Review: The Tao of Steve lies firmly in the movie tradition of "irascible but lovable girl-scamming scamp grows up and falls in love". What sets it apart are its (flimsy) philosophical underpinnings, its unusual location (Santa Fe, which deserves a co-billing), and a hard-to-define "freshness" that characterizes the film, its leads, and its actors."Viewer from Brooklyn" (below) pans the script and direction; and, indeed, both are clumsy. However, "viewer from Brooklyn" recommends that Jenniphr Goodman (director) attend film school -- ironically, he is clearly not aware that she graduated, with honors, from New York University's Graduate Film School. The main character, "Dex", is based strongly on the life and personality of the co-writer, Duncan North. North is a graduate of St. John's College (of both Santa Fe and Annapolis), a very unusual liberal arts college whose curriculum is based entirely on the so-called "Great Books" canon. (This reviewer is also an alum of the college.) SJC is never referred to directly, which is a pity because some information about Dex's unusual education -- and the social milieu that he's a part of as a result -- might have better explained Dex's unusually erudite and philosophically oriented world-view. Large ideas and significant quotes persist throughout the film (though almost always presented in a lighthearted manner), and there's no doubt that this will have an effect on how one views and enjoys this film. For many, it will seem insufferably pretentious. On the other hand, the college itself and its alumni might all be grateful for the lack of identification: Dex's erudition seems to be put exclusively to the task of cocktail-party (and poker party) chatter, intellectual sexual come-ons, and general puffery. Furthermore, the erudition seems all-too-shallow, as if Dex's primary source was the Reader's Digest version of Mortimer Adler's "Great Ideas". Whether this is representative of Duncan North himself, I don't know, but it certainly is not representative of the college or its alumni. The fact remains, however, that ultimately Dex's only real charm is his unabashedly childish (and very Taoist) love of being a kindergarten teacher. This part of Dex is perhaps the only evidence that there's a part of himself that is truly engaged with the world, that perhaps takes these great ideas earnestly and with good nature, and that there is, in the end, a reason for a woman to fall in love with him. All in all, "The Tao of Steve" is itself a gem-in-the-rough. It's a film of scattered pieces, some of which are attractive and valuable, others of which are fool's gold, (and still others of which are just plain old rocks). Like Dex, the film has within itself something beautiful and important to reveal, and yet cannot truly do so because of a certain preoccupation with superficiality due to the imperatives of insecurity. Expect Ms. Goodman's next film to be more self-assured.
Rating: 
Summary: Straight out of the Seducer's Diary
Review: There is more to this movie than "indie" cliches and "boy gets girl". Dex is working straight out of Soren Kierkegaard's "Seducer's Diary": the ultimate story about the manipulation of human desire. Kierkegaard is one of the greatest Western philosphers of the mid 1800's whose descriptions of irony and the transience of humnan love and relationships are still entirely relevant, providing amazing insight into thirtysomething culture. Everything written about relationships since Kierkegaard (mid 1800's) has pretty much been a footnote. So take a second look folks: there is much to learn here!
Rating:
Summary: Smart, funny and very original...
Review: This film was obviously made by recent liberal arts graduates: it's chock full of references and quotations to Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and other philosophical heavies.
On one hand, it very deftly unfolds Taoism as applied to the realm of dating: the idea is that if guys didn't so blatantly lust after and work so hard plotting to seduce women, they'd bag a lot more of them. Dex recommends that men step back from their overwhelming physical desires and just FLOW with the women they're with in the moment and WHAM before they know it, they'll be boinking like rabbits.
Contrary to the marketing-driven advice of mens' magazines like GQ, Details, Esquire, Men's Fitness, et. al. you DON'T need to look like Brad Pitt, have perfect looks, muscles, clothes, cologne, car, schlong, or anything else their advertisers are seling. Of course these things don't hurt, but they're not ESSENTIAL. It's all about smoothness, a.k.a. FLOW.
All the above is good and dandy, and the directors say they've gleaned this info off of a real-life less-than-handsome Cassanova named Duncan (forgot his last name) who does appear briefly in a cameo. You find out all this when you watch the DVD again with the cast/director's commentary on---usually this bores me to tears but with this film it was well worth it, since you find out just how personal and intimate of a production this film really was, most of the cast is either related to each other or knew each other in real life beforehand in some way. Plus Duncan speaks on the commentary track too.
Where the film finally gets pulled back into the dreary confines of "conventional" wisdom is at the end, when the male protagonist decides that he's finally met The One woman for whom he'll abdicate his effortless womanizing habits once and for all. Why? For no other apparent reason than necessity---because that's the only way she'll have him, and he really really really wants to be with her, so he'll bite the bullet and get on the wagon.
This retreat into cliche was the only disappointment in the movie. It didn't have to be cliche---the same sort of philosophers that Dex used to inspire his womanizing genius could've easily been reinterpreted to inspire his cessation of womanizing. So this last minute conversion, while certainly not as drawn out and cheesy as a major Hollywood production would've made it, is still a bit unsatisfying.
All in all though, this is a richly entertaining film which deserves a much wider viewership.
Rating: 
Summary: Steve or Stu?
Review: This has got to be the best movie nobody has heard about. Dex and his friends have perfected what they call the "Tao of Steve" as a way of winning over one-night stands. They define every male basically as belonging to one of two categories: 1. Steve. These are the guys you emulate by showing up, being excellent in a girl's presence, and getting the heck out. The way Dex describes it to one of his friends, men can only wait five minutes before hitting on a woman. Women, on the other hand, can wait ten minutes. So Steves wait it out so they become the chased, rather than chasing women and looking like fools. 2. Stu. These are the fools. They come on way too strong to women. The only way they see action is through pressing a woman into it. No glory here. Dex names people like Gomer Pile as a-list Stus. The movie then shows how although Dex's rules are awesome for the single guy on the prowl, the [...] games don't work when you want to be honest and true to a girl you really care about. Dex pleasently breaks all of his own rules and looks noble doing it! The icing on this movie is that it is so incredibly true. If I were five years younger when I saw this movie, it probably would've changed my life. It also explains (somewhat) to my satisfaction why guys who have a girlfriend/fiancee/wife always seem to get hit on when they go out with their friends. It's because they don't give a rip about women, and that perplexes the fairer sex. Watch this movie, then admire your friends who are Steves and laugh at the Stus.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining flick with great dialogue!
Review: This is a really great movie that keeps you laughing and gets you thinking. I see from previous reviews that some critics were harsh and I cannot understand why. Maybe you have to be in your thirties to really catch the full flavor. Anyway, the characters were believable, the scenery gorgeous and the actors were brilliantly low-key and "real."
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply a great movie.
Review: This is one of the best, smartest movies I've ever seen. I've lent it to all my friends and everyone of them has fallen in love with it. I think it catches so much of the dynamic of that late twenties to mid-thirties single crowd. College is over, sure the same tricks work on college girls and unhappy housewives but you've got to grow up eventually.
Such is the story of Dex and Sid. Dex can still reel in the college girls, but come on that's like shooting fish in a barrel. That smart 30 something is a different story. I'm not going to spoil anything here just check it out for yourself.
Some reviewers seem to think it was a movie about frisbee golf, I guess if you didn't get it then the movie was way to smart for you. Who cares how Dex threw the frisbee Stu, Rocky had terrible form in the ring and Mojo didn't play for the Texas State title in 88. Get over it, pretend for a minute you're an adult and try to understand the story.
Anyway, I think you'd be a fool not to watch this movie. In fact buy the movie, buy the soundtrack, embrace the Tao of Steve. If for no other reason than it's the only movie I've ever seen that uses the word solipsistic. Might be hard for a Frisbee Freak to figure out but I'm sure all the grown-ups can kick back and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: great flick
Review: This movie is a single guy's bible. If studied it will teach you certain laws of nature (re: interactions between the sexes) that have existed since the beginning of time. When practiced you will not get more women. More women will get you. Any man that has seen it will tell you the same thing. Hanging out with your boys every Friday and Saturday night talking trash about chicks and smoking weed is no way to live your young adult life. Go get this movie and become a doer rather than a talker. Might I also recommend a book called "The Modern Gentleman"?
Rating:
Summary: great flick
Review: This movie is a single guy's bible. If studied it will teach you certain laws of nature (re: interactions between the sexes) that have existed since the beginning of time. When practiced you will not get more women. More women will get you. Any man that has seen it will tell you the same thing. Hanging out with your boys every Friday and Saturday night talking trash about chicks and smoking weed is no way to live your young adult life. Go get this movie and become a doer rather than a talker. Might I also recommend a book called "The Modern Gentleman"?
Rating:
Summary: Aweso movie!
Review: This movie is great. It brings us a lot of memories about who we were and how stupid we were when young. It's one of those independent movies that never had a lot of fuss about it, but it's an awesome movie to have it and share with someone special. It's a movie that lifts up your spirits and makes you feel good after whatching it.
Rating:
Summary: contrary to what they'd have you believe...
Review: This movie really is not just for the boys. Women, you'll "get it" too...and I don't think you'll be nearly as surprised or enlightened as the male reviewers below would have us believe!
"Girls will watch the film in disbelieve[sic], while their boyfriends are quietly taking notes"? No, not really...I think another reviewer got it right when he/she pointed out that a major point of the film is that Syd also employs the 'Tao of Steve'. And that such essentialist definitions of male/female behaviour don't really hold up.
"It also reminds me that the film's core essense can only be understood by guys." Again - not so much. And let's keep in mind that this film was directed by...yup, a woman! She obviously understood the writers' vision well enough to bring it to the screen in a film that men clearly relate to.
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