rsnappy@hydra.unm.edu (Roger Snappy Rubio) (04/10/91)
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
A film review by Roger Rubio
Copyright 1991 Roger Rubio
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Starring: Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, and Dermot Mulroney
Written and Produced by John Hughes
Directed by Bryan Gordon
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES is a story about a 21-year old who really
hasn't done anything with his life; he is also not liked very much
around town. It is also about a girl who is very unhappy with her home
life and wants very much to escape. They find themselves one night
locked inside of a Target store, they get to talking, and consider
whether or not they should just run off out of town to L.A. These are
basically the highlights of the film (it does not elaborate on them much
further); the rest is mostly antics. This movie could have been a first
draft script for HOME ALONE that got rewritten by John Hughes, thrown
out, and then revitalized somehow by Bryan Gordon. Gordon probably
figured that since this script was written by Hughes, it was sure to be
a hit. He got Hughes to produce it, and figured he couldn't go wrong.
Well, I'm sorry to say, I think he did anyway.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES is a movie full of overpowering rock music,
sensational film credits, and very little plot and/or character
development. This film has an interesting premise, but I believe it was
underexecuted by Gordon and his crew. This film is advertised under the
following headings: "A new comedy from John Hughes, creator of HOME
ALONE," "He took the job that no one wanted...and got the girl that
everyone did," and "Maximum comedy at minimum wage!" Unfortunately,
this movie lives up to none of these tag lines. It's not much of a
comedy; it doesn't even have it's "moments." There are only one or two
funny lines, and only one or two funny sight gags. The two hoods in
this movie gave me the impression that they were the prototyype
characters for the two hoods in HOME ALONE (which makes me believe even
more that this script was a preliminary throw-out version of HOME
ALONE), and even they are not convincing. This movie doesn't even live
up to it's name. It seems the biggest star of this movie is Hughes,
rather than Connelly or Whaley.
Frank Whaley is not very convincing as Jim Dodge, the "Town Liar,"
who seems to be a rip-off of Ferris Bueller. Second, Jennifer
Connelly's looks are perfect for the character she plays, but she fails
to display any real depth. I think that if this film had been cast
better, the characters might have been more convincing (and I stress
might). There is nothing in this movie that does real justice to
Connelly's acting talents (and I know she's got talent, I've seen it, it
just hasn't been tapped by any of her roles; the closest would have to
be SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN) and I don't remember if I have seen Frank
Whaley anywhere before. If I have, he didn't make much of an impression
on me. Connelly, however, did, and I hate to see her so poorly used.
For the purposes of this movie, Connelly was merely beautiful, and
Whaley was merely a wisecracker.
I am basing this review on the previous films spawned by John
Hughes. Even though HOME ALONE is getting lukewarm reviews from the
"critics," I believe the basic appeal of the movie is that it is pure
fun; it's like a big Looney Tunes cartoon in flesh and blood, and it
embodies everything you go to the movies for. On the other hand, we
have the Hughes' fan's all-time favorite, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, where the
characters do have fun, but they also display some depth and substance.
A good example of a combination of the two is FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES emulates only ghosts of these things. I think the
basic problem with CAREER OPPORTUNITIES is that it was not directed by
Hughes. I believe that when he does not direct the scripts he writes,
the results are lukewarm (with the granted exception of HOME ALONE).
One movie that exemplifies what I mean is SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL. It
was not a bad film (it was better than this one), but I think it could
have been better under Hughes' tutelage. The majority of Hughes' films
have some kind of sentimentality in them (and I mean that in the best
way), even among those which, upon first glance, you wouldn't expect to
have any, such as PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES. I'm afraid CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES just doesn't deliver what a Hughes fan would normally
expect in a Hughes movie. After all, Hughes is the most advertised name
of this movie....
There is a small attempt to furnish the characters with some traits
normal to the Hughes' characters (like people who are frustrated with
their lives and just want to break out of the routine), but Gordon just
doesn't do justice to what might have been a entertaining movie (again,
stressing might). The movie is formulaic, which is in my opinion, what
sours the film. It seems that Gordon believes that if you put enough
rock music and beautiful people in a movie, it doesn't matter if it
doesn't have a plot. That's exactly what kills this movie. It lacks
feeling. A good telling of a John Hughes story is one where the music
is right, the actors play the parts right, and it leaves you, dare I
say, "fulfilled." That's part of Hughes' appeal. This one left me
"unfulfilled." Maybe I should say shame on him for letting this movie
slide by!
Unless you're a die-hard Jennifer Connelly fan, I would not
recommend seeing this movie. This is a movie that might have been, but
just doesn't deliver what it should. The Hughes' fan has higher
expectations than he/she had before, and this film does not live up to
those expectations. It's too bad the actors can't see the finished film
before it comes out; I'm sure they all did it in good faith...
THE SNAPMAN
rsnappy@hydra.unm.edu
(Roger Rubio)