Tommy (Scott Porter) is a hotshot Walls Street trader who is living in the fast lane. He is cocky young man who has given up his womanizing ways for an intimate relationship with Beth (Alexis Bledel), an urban conservationist. She is a very traditional girl who wants a long-lasting and meaningful relationship. But Tommy soon finds out that pressures at the office demand more of his time than ever before. When a co-worker leaves for a larger salary at another trading company, Tommy's power hungry and greedy boss Cash (Andrew McCarthy) asks him who he wants to take his place. He chooses Daniel (Brian Greenberg), a computer wiz kid who was in the Army as a pilot. He is a reserved, soft-spoken, and highly principled young man. Cash doesn't think he's a very good choice.

Tommy decides to transform Daniel by teaching him how to sell himself to women at a club. It proves to be a difficult task since the former soldier doesn't like to put on a phony façade to impress anyone. Then he and Beth set him up with Lisa (Anna Chlumsky), one of her best friends. But instead of falling for her, Daniel is smitten by Beth. He wins some points with her by joining her book discussion club where he's the only male. Beth begins to see the sensitive side of Daniel and establishes a friendship with him. Meanwhile Tommy grows more distant and returns to his old womanizing ways. When he finds out that Daniel and Beth are taking their relationship into another dimension, he responds with anger and aggression.

Writer and director Julio Depietro has fashioned an unusual love story which celebrates the old virtues and condemns the harm done by men who use women for their own indulgent pleasures. It is truly odd to see a young man and woman move toward each other by reading the same books. It is easy to see why Beth was tricked by Tommy — in the early scenes, he comes across a man with integrity when contrasted with the self-absorption of his boss. Honesty is what matters most to her and once she realizes that her boyfriend has betrayed her with other women, their relationship is over. The Good Guy shows how the old-fashioned virtues can still play an important role in matters of the heart.


Special features on the DVD include an audio commentary with writer/director Julio DePietro and cast member Alexis Bledel; and the theatrical trailer.