THE FIRM meets THE NET in this predictable techno-thriller populated by teen stars and flat-panel computer displays. Milo Hoffman (Phillippe) is an idealistic computer genius who is about to launch a garage start-up with his best friend when he is recruited to work for Nurv, a multi-billion-dollar software company run by Gary Winston (Robbins). Swayed by the opportunity to develop software that will change the world (as well as a Mercedes Benz SUV), Milo and his artist girlfriend (Forlani) move to Portland. At first Milo enjoys being the boy wonder, basking in Winston's attentions and even catching the eye of the resident girl wonder (Cooke). But when he gets his first taste of the shine rubbing off in the form of getting yelled at by Winston, Milo suddenly begins to harbor suspicions about his boss (really I'm serious) and goes into Hardy Boys mode. You can figure out the rest from there.

Although the filmmakers pay lip service early in the story to the fact that Winston is not Bill Gates, everything else in the movie relating to the fictional company Nurv, from the sprawling campus to the puzzle-shaped tables in the offices, screams Microsoft. Apple computer lovers such as myself will gain some extra satisfaction in squinting their eyes whenever Robbins is onscreen and picturing him as Bill Gates, making the ending all the more satisfying and therefore garnering this movie an extra half a star.

—Sandhya Shardanand

hybridCinema Ratings Guide:

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