Customer Reviews

Associate [VHS]

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A Fun Light-Hearted Movie about a Woman in a Man's World. That one sentence sums up the Associate, with Whoppi Goldberg playing a woman trying to break the glass ceiling in the world of high-finance.

Whoppi does a good job playing Laurel Ayers, a woman who has been passed over too many times. When she sets out on her own, she can't get clients until she creates a partnership with a fictional male, Mr. Cutty. While she experiences success, it is bittersweet because her fictional male partner is seen as the brains of the organization. In the end, she goes to drastic measures to make the world see that she is the one who deserves the credit for her ideas.

This movie is a lot of fun to watch. It's true, you can watch it many times over, especially if you love the world of finance and enjoyed movies like "Trading Places."

The movie also has a real message, which is the prejudice that prevents women from sometimes getting the credit they deserve. It's been 10 years since this movie was made. One would hope that the business world had changed since then, and it has in some ways. But, some of the painful neglect she suffers in the movie still rings true.

While this is a good fun movie, it is not a masterpiece of film. It's a fun movie to watch if you don't want to think too much and if you like cliche's about the "old-boys club." Some of the plot gets just a little too silly towards the end, as her elaborate ruse unravels. I think they could have given the audience a little more to chew on with a more believable portrayal.

Still, it's worth a watch. Buy it, watch it, enjoy it!

This movie got iffy reviews when it came out, much to my shock and dismay. I didn't see it until it came out on video and was astonished that it had been so under-rated for so long. This is a fantastic, hilarious comedy with a wonderful script of surprises, empowerment, and that really "complete" feeling you get after watching a classic. Whoopi is excellent in this role, and it will make everyone feel great. People who really know what good writing and acting are will love this movie, unlike the one negative reviewer below. He obviously didn't see the same movie we all watched. The plot is tight, the characters ring true, and the ending is perfect and succinct. This is not the run-of-the-mill Hollywood film, which is perhaps why it didn't blow away the box office. If you like rehashed scripts, such as the kind that are created by Tim Robbin's studio executive-role via the movie, "The Player," and the kind of movies that keep teens paying $8 just for "something to do" on a Friday night, then you probably won't like this movie. It is definitely no, "Dude, Where's my car" or "Lethal Weapon 4" etc. It's thoughtful, and it's unlike anything else in Hollywood, as it portrays women in a very positive light, and does not attach their main defining characteristics with sex. This movie does have sex in it, however, and an accurate portrayal of the roles men and women actually occupy in the U.S.A., especially in business. Women who watch it are the best judges of this, since we all live this kind of life and see this kind of thing very frequently. If you want to see an original film, and you're in the video store thinking, "I'm so sick of this and that and this and that, I want something DIFFERENT and interesting," then I'd definitely rent this video. Better yet, buy it. Everyone who I've shown it to now owns it, including my male friends (and boyfriend). Women will love it, and good guys who don't treat women in the way some of the male characters in this movie do, will also love it. It's just plain good.

Whoopi Goldberg stars in THE ASSOCIATE, a humorous movie about the stock market and a woman finding her way. She plays Laurel Ayers, a stock broker who is promised a promotion. When her co worker takes her promotion right from under her, she is determined to make it on her own. She quits and starts her own company. To her dismay she finds out that it's not easy making it in the world as a woman, doors are constantly slammed in her face because of her gender, so she sets out to take the world over by storm, by creating a fictional person, Robert Cutty. Yes she creates a man and even dresses up as one. Cutty takes the world by storm, but Laurel has to keep up with her charade. Eventually she realizes that Cutty has been nothing but trouble for her, no one cares about what SHE has been doing, and a man is still getting all the credit for her ideas. So she sets out to kill a fictional man that doesn't exist! She realizes she is no better than she was, because Cutty is getting credit for all her work and ideas. ...Overall a really humorous and well acted film, worth seeing many times.

The Associates is a Whoopi Goldberg vehicle about a Black woman on Wall Street. Though she is smart and hard working, no one takes her seriously, so she invents a White male associate, Robert S. Cutty. Though no one ever sees him, he gets the reputation of being a financial genius. The more he hides, the more people want to see him, until finally, Whoopi, with the help of a drag queen, does reverse drag as a White male.

The Associates is mildly entertaining, though the rapid rise of Robert S. Cutty is not really plausible. He makes one deal and the next thing you know he is on the cover of Fortune. Still, it is just an excuse for Whoopi to turn the tables and make a statement about racial prejudice and sexism. Oh, yeah, it is a comedy, not a Wall Street Journal primer on finance. The financial stuff is not very realistic, and I guess it isn't trying to be Wall Street(the Oliver Stone film), but Trading Places with Eddie Murphy was a lot more successful in showing how the world of high finance operates, and also in exploring racial prejudice with comedy. The Associates doesn't really aspire to be realistic, as it is only a flimsy premise for the whacky antics of Goldberg & Co.

Bebe Neuwirth plays a smart broker who tries to use her gender to her advantage. There is a totally gratuitous scene with her modeling lingerie, which I enjoyed--but felt that it was not integral to the plot; in fact it was more like a non sequitar. Perhaps it was meant to set up a joke later on, and should be judged solely on whether or not you laughed. I did chuckle a bit here and there, and was amused.

One other quibble, the whole movie was building towards a climax where Whoopi impersonates Robert S. Cutty, her imaginary White male Associate, and I think they cheated. He is not credited, but I think they just used an actual White male with Whoopi's voice dubbed in. That was kind of a let down. I remember in Little Big Man Dustin Hoffman was made to look very old with make up. As the story begins, Jack Crabb, who is about 100 years old, tells his tale of being raised by Indians and fighting at Little Big Horn. Then the story flashes back and you see it is Jack Crabb, the same person, only much younger. It was a make up tour de force, and most impressive. They may have had something similar in mind with The Associate, but then reality and budget constraints set in. I am not 100% sure it wasn't her under that latex and make up, but I am highly dubious. If someone knows otherwise, please speak up, and leave a comment.

Whoopi Goldberg ... Laurel Ayres
Boys on the Side (1995) .... Jane Deluca
Ghost (1990) .... Oda Mae Brown

Dianne Wiest ... Sally Dugan
Edward Scissorhands (Widescreen Anniversary Edition) (1990) .... Peg
September (1987) .... Stephanie

Eli Wallach ... Donald Fallon
The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) (1960) .... Calvera
Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo (1966) .... Tuco
... aka The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (UK) (USA)

Tim Daly ... Frank Peterson
"Wings" .... Joe Montgomery Hackett (172 episodes, 1990-1997)
Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995) .... Dr. Richard Jacks (Sean Young plays Ms. Hyde)
Diner (1982) (as Timothy Daly) .... William 'Billy' Howard

Bebe Neuwirth ... Camille Scott
"Wings" .... Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane (1 episode, 1992)
"Cheers" .... Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane / ... (80 episodes, 1986-1993)
"Frasier" .... Dr. Lilith Sternin (11 episodes, 1994-2003)
Tadpole (2002) .... Diane Lodder
Celebrity (1998) .... Nina - the Hooker

This movie gets funnier each time you see it. Whoopi Goldberg is at her best in this movie. Everyone should see this movie at least once. Believe me, you will want to see it again.

Whoopi is fun, ispiring and as always wonderful in this movie! She plays the talented woman who found a way to be successful in men's world. A must see!

Laurel Ayres is a bright financial analyst with more brains than most of her male colleagues. She's fed up with following the rules to get ahead, and when she's passed over for a well-deserved promotion, Laurel decides the fairer sex has played fair long enough. She sets about creating the perception that she's formed a partnership with a powerful financial whiz. Whoopi Goldberg handles business her own way in this outrageous comedy. Watch this movie you will love it.

I appreciate Amazon's vast array of products to choose from. Whoopie Goldberg is one of my favorite actors and receving this item as quickly as I did allowed me to enjoy what would have been an uneventful evening. I was able to laugh, cry at times and enjoy the fact that women came out on top AGAIN!!! Keep up the good work. Thank you again, Amazon.

I've never been a big fan of whoopi in any shape or form, but the movie is great.

I think is one of the funniest movies by Whoopi! She has to go through some great lengths and a hilarious transformation just to have Wall Street, a man's world, realize woman should not be underestimated! Brought together by a great supporting cast and great story... this movie is 5 stars! YOU GO WHOOPI!!!!