Career Opportunities | | Cast : | Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, Dermot Mulroney | | Director : | Bryan Gordon | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 29, 1991 | | DVD Released Date : | September 02, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | November 22, 2004 | | Summary | Endearingly Silly Comedy With Some Subtle Weight | Content
 | The comedic story of two people locked overnight in a department store, one of them being Jennifer Connelly and the other being, obviously, one of the luckiest guys in the world. They end up encountering some rather incompetent would-be robbers in the process. Underneath the surface there are some kind of dark hints though. Connelly's character is in the store hoping to get caught shoplifting in order to embarrass her rich but scummy father. He's apparantly quite controlling and verbally abusive of her, and it's even implied that it might go far beyond that. The movie never really gets into that possibility beyond a glimmer, because it's chosen to be a fun, endearing romantic fantasy rather than a dark and disturbing drama, but the hint does add an extra dimension.
I think I'd prefer to think that the father is just an immense creep and not something far worse, because while that path could have made a really good drama, I like the really good comedy we got instead. People complain that this isn't serious; but it's a romance and where is it written that romances have to be all somber, stone-faced serious all the time? This romance is chipper, at times endearingly goofy, and wonderful fun, as the two leads (Jennifer and male co-star Frank Whaley) fall in love over the space of an evening. Cynics will scoff at that too, but good grief if you can't believe that something so cool could happen in one night in the movies, what hope do people have of love striking like lightening in real life? Not to mention the pluses of scenes like Jennifer riding the store's coin-opreated mechanical horse (with, happily, the inevitable bounce) or the fact that hearing her giggle is worth buying the movie alone.
Now that Connelly has finally received her rightful acclaim thanks to her recent movies, alot of people have dismissed her earlier stuff. To me, all through her career she's been brilliant. She's shined in the dramas everybody knows about (and a few that have slipped through the cracks, like "Seven Minutes In Heaven", one of her alltime best), she's shined in horror ("Phenomena", aka "Creepers"), she's shined in action/adventure like "The Rocketeer" and she's shined in comedies like "Career Opportunities". This diversity makes her one of moviedom's most valuable performers.
I don't mean to ignore the other performers; they all did fine jobs, but Jennifer was the main draw for me. Besides, I just don't think Whaley or the bumbling robbers would have looked quite as good in that white halter top.
As good as it is, it missed some opportunities to be significantly better, so it's refined to a strong four stars. The script was pretty minimal, and there were missed opportuities for humor, but the cast have made what they have work splendidly, and I fully recommend it. If you like this kind of comedic romantic fantasy fun, I also recommend the 2 "Mannequin" movies, the charming and enchanting "Amelie" and the heartpoundingly sexy "Dream Trap". |
| Rating | | | Date | April 17, 2004 | | Summary | I like it for what it could have been..... | Content
| I absolutely love this film- it's strangely endearing. and the best part is, it is most endearing for what it COULD have been. i think that's why i like watching it so much. the film was made during john hughes' fall from grace (his deal with the devil had to run out sometime) and the early 90's weren't as kind or interested in his fantastic dissections of 80's class conflicts and teenagers know best philosophy. career ops does run a tad thin but there was a great deal of potential. i think whaley's performance was really underrated. if the film had kept some of the scenes shown in the teaser trailer in 1991, he would have been even more likable. the problem is, hughes wants whaley to be a cross between Duckie in 'pretty in pink', ferris bueller and even the anthony michael hall char. in 'weird science'. this amalgamation doesn't do Whaley justice in what was probably a sincere attempt to create an original character of his own. His Jim Dodge is actually really interesting- a cool guy that doesn't trust his own coolness, a lower middle class son who doesn't know how to do well in his parent's eyes and an imaginative, articulate guy who can't quite escape midwest america. if the film would have been less about slapstick (please please please shoot whoever decided bringing in the mulroney brothers for their unecessary subplot that just ruins the film) and more about the dynamic between whaley and connelly, it could have been fantastic. connelly, meanwhile, is also let down by someone- the editor. she is fantastic- beautiful, articulate, classy, and graceful, but appears to be acting in a totally different movie than whaley. the scenes both about and with her father border on the uneasy. i have a feeling that in the original script she was really abused by the bullying dad, perhaps both physically and sexually. i could see it as a possibility with that character. we get a hint of this but then the movie shies away from it completely and we never quite get if its a joke or not (although the scene of connelly in profile with the father outside her door always made me nervous.) i really do like she and whaley together but both hughes and the editors don't seem to know what kind of movie they wanted to make- a slapdash comedy in a newly popular chain store, or a character study of a 'much cooler than his town gives him credit for' guy and the genuinely kind and rich girl who befriends him under strange circumstances. for this matter, we also (b/c of the editing) are never quite sure where connelly's afections lie- in liking jim dodge, or in getting the hell out of town. i just have a soft spot for this film and what it could have been if everyone involved in the production had agreed on what they wanted to make. the ending is atrocious and corny but the rest has promise. this is a great film for aspring filmakers and especially WRITERS to watch both for its good points but mostly for its wrong turns. A great deal can be learned from it. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 01, 2003 | | Summary | Yes, It Definitely Has Jennifer Connelly In It | Content
| I watched this movie for the first time in many years the other day and had to come to this board to see the comments. Just as I thought, a lot of guys oogling Jennifer Connelly. And with very good reason. This movie was the worst in the John Hughes collection, but I can't tell you why because I didn't care a thing about the plot or the lead male character or the robbers or even John Candy, of whom I was a very big fan. I just know that Jennifer Connelly is an absolute doll in this movie, whether it be on roller skates or on a mechanical dime-store horse (especially a mechanical dime-store horse). In fact I think she comes across sexier here than she does in The Hot Spot, where she shows even more of her assets. Alas, today Jennifer Connelly has gone the way of Calista Flockhart and lost the babyfat and become a serious actress, even carting home an Oscar, but her role in Career Opportunities will be the one remembered by fans years from now. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 18, 2003 | | Summary | Ugh! | Content
| Little did I know as I watched this movie that Jennifer Connelly would be a huge star or that a Target would acutally open in my neighborhood in the years to come. But even that doesn't mitigate the bad taste I still have in my mouth from this movie.Try not to watch it if you're in a career slump or in between jobs or depressed! I was all of the above at the time, and watching this was the worst punishment I could have inflicted upon myself.This was surely the last hurrah of 20something-bashing, you know, the kind of uneducated diatribes in which this demographic was perceived as lazy, unambitious, boring, and jaded. In reality the 20somethings were in a slump in the early 90's because of a recession and a poor job market, not because of any lack of ambition on their part. But you wouldn't know it to watch this movie. It does great injustice to GenX. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 06, 2003 | | Summary | Sweet-Natured Comedy. | Content
| Now, I'll be honest . . . this isn't a really good movie. ... However, this is a John Hughes comedy, and he has this indescribable appeal in all his movies . . . this film is very corny and cliche-ridden, but it is self-aware of all its cheesy jokes! Because of this, it is a highly-enjoyable piece of popcorn fluff, as only John Hughes ("the master of watchable teen flicks") could write 'em. The plot is simple: a 21-year-old guy, who happes to be the town liar, can't seem to find a job anywhere. He lives at home with his parents, who have just about had it with their son's laziness and innability to keep a steady income for more than three weeks. So, in a desperate move, his dad gets him a position at. . . . . . none other than. . . . Target! But there's just one problem: he's the night shift pick-up boy. So, locked in at 7:00, he tends to his chores, and then begins to do some hysterical time-passers. Little does he know it, however, that he was also locked in accidentally with the town beauty (the gorgeous Jennifer Connely). The two slowly become friends as the night passes; until two "Home Alone"-esque thieves attempt to rob the store. The ending is somehow disappointing, but hey, it was never that great of a movie to begin with. Now, don't get me wrong, it has its funny attributes to it (heck, at times it's downright side-splitting). But one can easily tell who its main audience was meant to be (teenage boys). Jennifer Connely is constantly showing off her glamour and good looks; the overlong close-ups of her face, and the dancing & rollerskating scenes give it all away. But, Jennifer Connelly was (and still is) hot-as-hell, and her showing off of her body gives the movie many of its high points, especially when she's distrating the thieves (just watch the scene with her riding the nickle-ride horse to see what I mean). Now, some may call it slow and boring. But I think that's part of what makes John Hughes such a great filmmaker: he's not afraid to move at a steady pace, like far too many films these days are. In short, it serves as a more-than-worthy time passer, and should especially please any Jennifer Connelly and/or John Hughes fan. |
|
