Marathon of Shops: Career Opportunities (1991)

When I think of a John Hughes movie, my mind wanders back to the classic eighties flicks that most of us know and love.  He was the mind behind Vacation, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, among others.  Of course, Hughes did not only make movies in that decade.  His influence continues beyond the eighties.  One such movie that he wrote, but did not direct, in the nineties was a movie called Career Opportunities.

Career Opportunities was a 1991 film directed by Bryan Gordon, written by John Hughes, and starring Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly.  The movie was about a twenty something man who cannot hold a job and his first night as the night time custodian at Target.  He is locked in for the entire night with a girl that he has a crush on.  They spend the night in Target.  They are locked in Target all night long.  That is all I can say to describe it without spoiling anything.

My name is Jim, and I have a problem.

The movie itself was an entertaining little movie.  The characters were fun to be around, the situation was humorous, and the results of the characters in the predicaments they end up in were even funnier.  The supporting roles were filled admirably with solid performances provided by actors such as John Candy and Dermot Mulrony.  These elements helped this movie overcome the two major issues that I had with it.

First issue.  Frank Whaley is a decent actor.  He was good in the lead role of Career Opportunities.  I have nothing against the guy.  The way that Career Opportunities felt though, seemed like it was tailor made for Matthew Broderick, were it a few years earlier.  This had nothing to do with the quality of the movie.  I will be the first to admit that.  It was my own personal issue that I got stuck imagining Matthew Broderick in the role, and in the end wishing it had been him in the role instead.  It just felt like a Matthew Broderick role that they could not get Matthew Broderick for.

Oh, what could have been.

The second issue was about as strange as the first.  There is something about Jennifer Connelly.  No matter when she was in a movie, or what the movie is, she pulls me out of it.  Let me use Career Opportunities as an example, because I should do that in the writeup about that movie.  Her character was supposed to be detached but you were also supposed to somewhat relate.  Her style of acting seemed detached from everything.  Then there was her face.  She’s good looking, yes.  But there was something about her face that seemed hollow.  It was as if there was nothing behind the face, and it distracted me a lot.  I do not know how else to describe it.

These are petty little issues I had with the movie, however, so they do not mean anything in my overall thoughts on the movie.  It was still had a rather pleasant experience watching the movie.  From the writing of the movie, to the music in the movie, to the supporting actors, to the wacky antics, I enjoyed it.  It was like a teenage fantasy.  Not necessarily my fantasy.  I mean, it’s twenty years later.  But it still seems like a real world fantasy.

I dress like this when I'm bored.

Career Opportunities was a good movie that deserved better than I was able to give it.  My two distractions took me out of the movie in a way that should not happen.  I wish I could watch it without those two things in mind, but alas, I cannot.  Check this movie out if it sounds interesting enough.  I did not do it justice.

Up next in the Marathon of Shops, I think I will go with Empire Records.  There is something about this movie that gets me.  I think it is the characters.  I think I just want to spend time hanging out with them.  We will see.  And that’s all I have to say about that.

That was a nice thought.