Though the CD credits an orchestrator, Thomas Newman's score is not orchestral, rather it is performed by a small ensemble with some synths thrown in for good measure. This small ensemble plays a lot of light, bouncy music to underscore the antics of a man making his way through his mid-life crisis, and the way he effects other people by his actions. And as comical or bouncy as the music seems at points, it is all very effective and it fits the movie very well.

Generally I'd argue that Thomas Newman writes more thoughtful and personal scores than any other composer in Hollywood (then again, he's responsible for the score to Erin Brockovitch). He puts an awful lot of thought into most of what he does and he tries very hard to make his music unusual while still fitting the context of the movies that he composes for.

The largest downfall of this score is the simple fact that it's not your general orchestral fare that most are used to. I would suppose that Newman's choice to keep it so simple reflected the fact that this was a very personal movie, and the score, while it bogs down in places because of its simplistic nature, reflects how personal music can be.