Rating: 
Summary: All men should practice Taoism
Review: "The Tao of STeve" is a comedy in which, Dex(not STeve, so who is steve?), played by the hilarious Donal Logue(That taxi driver guy that used to be on MTV). He certainly doesn't fit the "romantic lead" like Richard Gere, but he does stand out. He's the type of guy us normal women would date seeing as Richard Gere would just be way out of our league. The title of the movie is based on the way Dex "gets" women to go for him, and "Steve" is for all the cool Steves, the coolest being STeve McQueen. He's trying to be cool, trying not to let these women know his ulterior motives or motive. This movie was very entertaining. Despite The brooklyn reviewer's opinion, I thought the movie was well written. It was like listening to any guy talk of his ways to get women whether it involves isms' or not. If you are looking for a modern day comedy, this is a good choice. It certainly worth the rental fee.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging and smart...
Review: ...look at the world of dating from the perspective of philosophical man-child Dex. As played by Donald Logue, Dex is a likable slacker who's used his considerable intelligence to narrow dating down to an art form: The Tao Of Steve.His easy-going life includes joyful employment as a part-time teacher in a kindergarden, a cadre of admiring friends -- including a Tao trainee -- gorgeous country, and ample proof of just how well The Tao works in the collection of Dex-groupies. We should all have it so good, right? Well, not so fast. See, Dex is not the only smart one in this movie. Director Jenniphr Goodman and her sister and co-star, Greer Goodman, who wrote the script between them, have plenty of intelligent things to say and show as well. From the earthy tones of Santa Fe to the witty repartee and bulls-eye casting, this is one terrific and smart romantic-comedy. Oh, did I mention how much I liked the soundtrack? :o)
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and Insightful Movie
Review: A must see-Donal Logue breathes hilarious and insightful life into this romantic comedy that studies the Tao of being cool and pulling chicks...
Rating:
Summary: Smart and Funny Twist to An Eternal Theme
Review: A running time of under 90 minutes is perfect for this new take on the oft-played slacker meets love theme. Dex's Tao, stripped of its multi-cultural philosophical trappings, is simple--don't look interested and when they fall don't get involved. It is also, of course, bullbleep, which he naturally realizes just before the final credits roll. In other words, nothing new or particularly surprising emerges as we watch the developing romance of Dex and Syd. But, to throw my own philosophical shaggy dog into the mix, it is the journey not the end that matters and The Tao of Steve gives a good journey for your time. The dialogue is sharp, fast, and intelligent. Real people do talk like this. For example, when Dex and Syd have to commute together because Dex's motorcycle gives up the ghost, Syd puts together a spreadsheet of their not too congruent schedules and Dex quips, "How Marcia Brady of you." The Goodmans capture Dex's household of slacker buddies and their life style perfectly. Here I particularly liked the periodic trips to the roof to retrieve errant frisbees. The views of the Santa Fe area, most often shot as distant backdrops to ongoing scenes, are spectacular. Most important, perhaps, this movie is smart enough, unlike many other of the slacker genre (e.g. practically anything with Ethan Hawke or Christian Slater) not to take itself too seriously or claim to be more than what it is -- an fast-moving and witty entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: I want to be Steve McQueen
Review: After seeing this movie, my eyes have been opened. I loved this movie. Everyone who said it sucked is lying and deserves a kick .... This movie was nothing that I haven't seen before, but it was the delivery. Donal Logue (Dex) was amazing. From the moment he was on the screen till the end, I was cracking up. I thought it was beautifully written and although shot on a filmmaker's budget, it was still a great movie. It was one of those films that you watch when you've seen everything else - a breath of fresh air. Rent it, you'll love it. Remember, be a Steve, not a Stew.
Rating:
Summary: nookie koan
Review: Before I begin, I should probably acknowledge that all that I understand about women, dating,
relationships between men and women, and sex in general can comfortably be written on the the head
of a pin with room left over for a whole passel of angels to dance upon. So my comments on a film
whose main concern is the "Merry War" (Orwell's felicitous phrase) between men and women should
be taken with an even larger grain of salt than usual. At any rate, in a film which sisters Jenniphr and Greer Goodman based on a friend (co-writer Duncan
North), Donal Logue plays a slovenly, bong loving, philosophy major, who, now ten years out of
college, is a kindergarten-teaching sybarite, whose improbable continued success at bedding women,
including a friend's wife, makes him the philosopher king of his group of housemates and hangers-on.
As such he expounds upon his method for hooking up with babes, a series of shallow, though amusing,
maxims that he's dressed up as "The Tao of Steve". Named for a group of ultracool guys from the
70s--Steve McGarrett (of Hawaii Five-O), Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man), and the
ultimate Steve, Steve McQueen--the Tao boils down to three rules to follow when pursuing women : (1) Eliminate your desire. (Which basically suggests that you pretend you aren't trying to get
your hood waxed.) (2) Do something excellent in your target's presence. (Typically this might include playing pool
in a barroom setting, but in Dex's case consists of showing off intellectually and being good
with the kids he teaches.) (3) and, Retreat. (Prior generations would have called this "playing hard to get.") God only knows, if even he does, what makes certain men successful with women, but one thing is
reasonably certain : it isn't the Tao of Steve. Instead, as both the time that Dex put into developing his
theories and his obsession with sex tend to prove, it's really just a matter of effort and willingness.
Persistence, to the exclusion of pride and decency, and the acceptance, of whatever's offered, those are
the real keys. Dex, though he is charming in a roguish kind of way (in what should by all rights be a
star-making turn by Logue), resembles the babe hounds we all know, or knew, in just that one way; for
all his talk of desirelessness and retreat, he works really hard at scamming babes, to the point where he
doesn't really have time for much else. That is until he meets Syd, a pretty, blonde, stage set designer, at their 10th college reunion and she
proves maddeningly immune to his charms. At one point when he starts pontificating about Don Juan,
she says that he : ...slept with thousands of women because he was afraid that he would never be loved by one. In his increasingly desperate pursuit of her, Dex pretty much ignores all of his own rules--his desire is
manifest; he humiliates himself on a camping trip and gets beaten up by the cuckolded husband; and he
is omnipresent--but still, inevitably, gets the girl. Holding her however proves to be far more difficult,
particularly when she finds out about the Tao, and Dex is forced to choose between an adult
relationship with a woman he loves, or a continuation of his rather infantile existence. You'll not have
difficulty guessing which he chooses. All of this is exactly as predictable as it sounds in the retelling, but it somehow works. The film has a
few things going for it. First, the script is intelligent and frequently funny, not in a pretentious and
intellectual way, but in the manner of late night conversation around a beer tap. It may not hold
together too well when exposed to the light of day, but it's amusing while it lasts. Second, there's
Donal Logue. Dex is so cretinous that it is impossible to like him all of the time, or even much of the
time, but Logue is so charming that it's equally hard to truly dislike him. Lurking beneath the layers of
fat, the clouds of pot, the erudite facade, and the saccharine exterior, we sense there's a worthwhile
fellow trapped within his own immaturity and selfishness. Third, the New Mexico setting and the
excellent soundtrack help to give the film a strong and unusual identity, a distinctness that the
somewhat overfamiliar story does not have. Finally though, what makes the film stand out is something that probably shouldn't, that it requires its
main character to become a better person. The blockbusterization of Hollywood--which has largely
substituted action and special effects for plot, dialogue, and character development--and the chicness of
the independent industry--which has elevated snappy dialogue and sensational plots over all else--and
the blanket of political correctness which has descended over both, have brought us to the point where
the rarest of all things in the movies is a traditional moral tale like this one. How old-fashioned to
offer us a movie where a smart but smarmy ladies man is transformed by the love of a good woman--it
sounds more like a Rock Hudson/Doris Day vehicle than a Sundance entry, doesn't it? One social phenomenon that you'd like to think started beforehand but which has at least accelerated
since the events of September 11th is the search for entertainment that's actually about something. The
next time you're in the video store, and the concept of watching the latest explosion fest or inane
comedy is unimaginable, try to find The Tao of Steve, it's well worth your effort. GRADE : B-
Rating:
Summary: Doing Stuff is Overrated...
Review: But this movie certainly wasn't. A huge hit at last year's Sundance Festival, Tao of Steve totally lived up to the hype. The script is very funny and well-written -- dialogues are a bit Kevin Smith-esque, but more genuine and less over-the-top. Jokes work because the actors don't sound like they are just reading their lines. Interesting note: I had a chance to attend Q&A session with Jenniphr Goodman (the director/co-writer), Duncan North (real-life Dex/co-writer) and Donal Logue (who plays our slacker lothario to perfection) at the Seattle Film Festival, and apparently very little, if any, of the movie was improvised. Donal said since it was written by "real" people (as opposed to those non-human screenwriters ;) he felt natural saying the lines that were given to him. "Tao of Steve" ain't no masterpiece, and the ending is rather predictable, but it's a super fun movie -- something worth keeping around for occasional viewings.
Rating:
Summary: A pixilated charmer.
Review: Dex is an obese thirty-two year old who has figured out how to "get" women. Lots of them. How? He emulates his heroes, all Steves: Steve, the million dollar bionic man; (there's another Steve, but I can't remember! Darn!); and Steve McQueen who tries to escape the Nazis on his German motorcycle. With this ammunition, women can't resist him. Except Syd, a pretty and pretty-annoyed alumni he meets at his college 10th reunion. Why can't Dex charm Syd, and to what lengths will Dex go to try to woo her? Don't miss this unusual romantic comedy. You'll be glad you caught it!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Look at Men and Dating
Review: Donal Logue is marvelous as the fat slacker Dex, who has perfected a system for attracting women (it's based on obtaining the pefect cool attitude of Steve McQueen.) He meets up with beautiful Greer Goodman, who resists Dex's advances because of a secret she's hiding. Shrewdly written comedy makes Dex a charismatic guy who nevertheless falls victim to his own intelligence--he outsmarts himself by focusing on the chase, and not the women who are the objects of his pursuit. Goodman is terrific as a woman who at first appears too good to be true but knows more than she lets on. When I saw this at the theater the audience was laughing so hard we missed some of the dialogue. Highly recommended--it gives hope about the ladies to us guys who aren't exactly George Clooney.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny Movie!
Review: From the outside, Dex is large, messy, and almost totally unmotivated (he does teach pre-school part-time), yet because of his undeniable cuteness and completely perfected Taoism on Sex and Relationships, he is **completely irresistible** to women. Well, to all the women in the world, except one. Guess Who he falls in love with! The opening credits of ThE TAO oF STeVE are displayed against the spines of philosophy books on a bookshelf, a reference to the many philosophies which have been honed and perfected by Dex, in his quest to become the most irresistible guy possible. His philosophies, culminating in 'The Tao of Steve,' (based on the belief that every "truly cool guy" in the world has been named Steve, most notably Steve McQueen) which instructs its 'disciples' (a couple of Dex's friends who follow Dex's thoughts mainly because he is so damn successful with the ladies, they all agree he must be doing something right!!) to follow three golden rules, basically The Rules but for Men. And the prize isn't marriage and a mortgage, it's Sex. I think the main rule was "We pursue that... which retreats from us." He will say that, do some cute mannerism, then say something like, "Think about it." Hilarious. The first major scene reveals Dex at his best, and, as we'll see, his worst. He's having hot, stand-up sex against a row of library books.... but it's with his friend's wife! (they are having an affair). As the scene pans out, we see that this is taking place during a college reunion while the rest of his friends are outside in the courtyard, milling about, drinks in hand, sun beating down. And we see that there's a girl out there, playing the drums, temporarily unaware of Dex and his current, er, activity. And we'll come to find out that, given a bit of time, and a few tugs on Dex's heart-strings, this not completely unfamiliar woman has got a thing or two to teach our hero... that no book or self-obsessed philosophy could ever accomplish!! It's all uphill from there.... well, you'll see. He might have a chance at True Love!! A lot of the comic force of the movie comes from this look into our habits, and the Garfield-esque slouch which has resulted from Dex having so many bad ones. He's a smart guy, and he does have a conscience -- he knows what he should or shouldn't do... he just can't help himself, and he has no motivation to change. If anything, all these adoring women and fun times have pushed him in the other direction. That is, until he meets Syd, the drummer-girl with the looks, the brains, and the attitude to stop 10 Dex's dead in their tracks. This woman will NOT be played, and she won't settle for a guy whose habits involve eating whipped cream straight from the can (and sharing some with the dog(!)), being habitually late to everything, flirting incessantly with anything in a skirt, and, especially, sleeping with the wife of one of his best friends. So....will true love prevail, and give our Dex the kick in the pants he needs to change his life? To go for the girl, and not just the chase?? Watch this fabulous movie, and see for yourself! (Hint, what's missing in predictability and plot is SO MUCH MORE THAN MADE UP FOR by the natural, glowing presence of the actors, and the amazingly funny dialogue. The director deserves much praise for her ability to create a realistic atmosphere and a warm, familiar mood among her actors. Top notch independent film material, this one.) This is one of the funniest, smartest, natural, giddy, hilarious, classic films I have ever seen! There are so many good lines, I can't even stand it. It was filmed in New Mexico (Santa Fe), and as such the mood is warm, sunny, and light, complete with sunny interiors, patio parties, motorcycles, and desert scenes. At the Seattle International Film Festival, this film had people rolling in the aisles laughing. Rent it, Buy it, whatever... just SEE THIS MOVIE!! You might recognize its rising star, the cutest red-haired round guy I've ever seen, Donal Logue, from his new Fox sitcom, "Grounded For Life." In my opinion, his skills are somewhat wasted in that series, but no matter, I'm sure we'll be seeing more and more of him as time goes on. Enjoy!
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