CAREER OPPORTUNITIES (1991)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
I am sure I am in the minority when I declare how much I liked John Hughes'
"Career Opportunities," one of the last, if not the last, of the 1980's teen
comedies, from the age of Molly Ringwald and the Brat Pack. Apparently this
film had a multitude of problems getting released and even John Hughes had disowned it,
but that did not deter my reaction in any way. It is not up to the wild energy of "Sixteen Candles"
or the hard truths of "The Breakfast Club" (this one is directed by Bryan Gordon) but it has enough
laughs and comical innuendoes to warrant a mild recommendation. Heck, I do
recall Gene Siskel even liking it (Ebert abhorred it).
Frank Whaley plays Jim, a loser, a geek, a nerd, and a wannabe Ferris Bueller living in Monroe, Illinois. Jim is a con-artist, convincing the kids from the neighborhood that he is a wealthy businessman and entrepreneur. Truth is that Jim is unable to hold a job, having been fired from just about every business in town. His father offers him a deal: work at the Target store or go to work for his uncle. Jim chooses Target, relegated to night clean-up boy position at $4.44 an hour.
While maintaining janitorial duties at the store and generally goofing off, Jim discovers a rich "high-profile ingenue" in the store (played by the beautiful, certainly lusty Jennifer Connelly). They talk, bicker, and get to know each other over some corn dogs and other assorted meals Jim has prepared. Before you know it, Hughes introduces two burglars (Dermot Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney) who invade the store in a tired bit cribbed from "Home Alone."
It is the second half of the film that is ruined by these unfunny, stereotyped burglars and it probably doesn't help that Dermot was cast since he is one of my least favorite actors (the exceptions being that TV movie he did with Patricia Arquette and "Longtime Companion"). What works better are the brief roles by Noble Willingham as Connelly's father; John Candy's hilarious cameo as C.D., Jim's new boss; the always boisterous Barry Corbin as the town sheriff; and William Forsythe as the ponytailed janitor who hates slackers. If only these people had more screen time, particularly Willingham who is the apparent abusive single father of Connelly.
Despite one too many music montages and a sour climax, "Career Opportunities" is lots of fun thanks to Whaley's easygoing charm and appeal and some precious one-liners ("I did not know this was a hire-fire situation.") The film is mostly a showcase for Connelly, and she is a beauty indeed but lacking in the dramatic department. Still, she has fine chemistry with Whaley, and the music by Thomas Newman is bouncy and energetic. The film is not as bad as reputed to be, and certainly superior to most of the latter films by Hughes. Having been a janitor once myself, I can readily identify with Whaley's situation in this movie.
