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)
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