Good Advice (film)

2001 film by Steve Rash

2001 (2001)

Running time

93 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Good Advice is a 2001 romantic comedy film starring Charlie Sheen, Angie Harmon, and Denise Richards. The film also features Jon Lovitz and Rosanna Arquette and Lisa Rinna and Barry Newman as a married couples in supporting roles.^[1] The film was released in United States by Artisan Entertainment.

Plot

Ryan Turner (Sheen) is an arrogant broker living a Playboy lifestyle in New York City with his conceited girlfriend Cindy Styne. One morning, he is playing golf with Donald Simpson, the owner of one of the biggest newspaper publishers of New York. He tells Ryan of a huge merger between his company, Simpson Inc., and a large drug corporation. Ryan, convinced that this could be his big break, informs all his clients of the huge deal that is going to happen and they all place large amounts of money into the merger.

However, the next day, Simpson reveals that there is not going to be a merger. Ryan loses most of his own, and much of his clients' money in light of the news. While confronting Simpson in his office, Simpson tells him he that he deliberately lied as revenge for sleeping with his wife. Ryan, now unemployed and bankrupt, sells his possessions and moves in with Cindy.

Ryan tries to get a job at another brokerage, but his license is revoked. Depressed, he lounges around all day, until Cindy tells him that she is leaving for Brazil with another man, dumping Ryan who she now considers "a loser" for a diamond mine owner.

Cindy was working at a small newspaper as an advice columnist. Ryan charms the editor Page Hensen (Harmon) and takes over the column. Inexperienced at giving advice and thinking about other peoples feelings, Ryan struggles at first, and Page wants to get rid of "Cindy". However he begins giving good advice to the people writing in. The column turns into a huge hit and Page's newspaper begins to sell rapidly across the city.

Public interest expands with many people wanting to interview Cindy, but Ryan either tells them she does not give interviews or just sends them to the door. He begins to develop feelings for Page, feelings which turn out to be mutual, and they sleep together.

Cindy unexpectedly moves back to New York, as her plans in Brazil failed. Simpson, who now wants Cindy's column for his own paper, is interested in buying. Ryan and Page are caught in bed, and reveal everything to Cindy. However, she blackmails them, and moves to Simpson's company.

Ryan uses his brokerage skills to make money off the combination of Cindy and Simpson. Inevitably, she ruins the whole transaction, as she is incapable of expressing the sympathetic advice that Ryan was offering in her absence, and Simpson's stock plummets. Ryan becomes a successful columnist and proposes to Page, ready to settle down and happily live his life with her.