Customer Reviews

Career Opportunities [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This movie is all right, I suppose. Jennifer Connelly is in it, long before her Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind," when she started looking like Lara Flynn Boyle thrown under a steamroller. The story is fairly lightweight, a bit of thinly comic fluff about Jennifer Connelly and some other guy whose name doesn't matter getting stuck in a Target store after hours. Unfortunately, just as the story really gets going, with Jennifer Connelly roller-skating around in tight pants and a dangerously overstressed T-shirt, an unwelcome plot twist intrudes in the form of two burglars, who are neither absurd enough to be funny nor threatening enough to be dramatic. At any rate, Jennifer Connelly is in it.

One highlight of the movie is a scene where Jennifer Connelly, without roller skates but still in the T-shirt, goes for a ride on one of those drug store mechanical ponies. Sadly, even in the DVD version of this film, this important scene was cut far too short in favor of the less compelling themes of the script. Still -- Jennifer Connelly. In a T-shirt. Riding a mechanical pony in her T-shirt. Jennifer Connelly is doing this.

So, even though it's not exactly Schindler's List, I give this film 4 stars -- 2 each -- for Jennifer Connelly.

Did I mention Jennifer Connelly?

Jennifer Connelly. Thank you.

Yes, it's an okay film. In some ways, it anticipates later films such as "Raising Arizona." It never reaches the level of hilarity, but it has one undeniable strength:

Jennifer Connelly rides a K-Mart-style mechanical pony for about five minutes. That's worth the price of the DVD alone.

Folks, any guy's review in here that has anything to do with cinematic technique is a shameless ruse. This movie is about two things and two things only -- Jennifer Connelly's breasts. Period; end of story. It's why the movie was made, why she was hired for the part, why she wore that clingy white top, and why it even made it to video. Guys, you know I'm not lying.

That's why I gave it four stars and not five -- I couldn't divide five evenly.

Though this film was released in the early 90's, it has a very 80's feel to it, compliments of John Hughes maybe. It's your typical teen comedy in many ways, just not one of the better ones. The plot was rather weak, though it did make me wonder what I would do stuck in a store overnight. Frank Whaley did a decent job as the town liar/geek/loser. Also the ending was fairly abrupt, and made you wonder what happened to everyone. However, there were two things in the film that were literally outstanding, and both of them were in Jennifer Connelly's tank-top. A must for fans of hers.

Amusing tale of a town liar (Whaley) who is down on his luck in obtaining and holding a job in a small Southern town. When forced by his father to get a job or get lost, Whaley gets a job at the local Target store working the midnight shift as the store janitor. There, he encounters Josie (Connelly), the daughter of the richest man in town, who is hiding out in the store past closing hours.

The relationship between Whaley and Connelly develops, and they discover each other's strengths and faults. When two burglars break into the store to rob it blind, Whaley and Connelly must play it cool in order to stop them. However, the beautiful Connelly only leads all three guys into further trouble due to lust.

Written by the great John Hughes, "Career Opportunities," is somewhat like a "Home Alone" for teens. Hughes, who has written similar stories in the past (e.g. "Pretty in Pink" & "Some Kind of Wonderful" have the same premise) does a good job in illustrating life in a small town (suprisingly it does not take place in Shermer, Illinois, the fictional town Hughes has used in his past films).

While the film starts to slow down after the discovery of the two burglars, the film ends happily, justice served and all. The transfer to DVD is great. The only NEGATIVE thing about the DVD version is the fact that there is no theatrical trailer included on the disc, even though the packaging states that there is. Whether an act of false advertising or a company error, this leaves the owner short of all expectations we expect when we buy films in this great format.

If you are in the mood for a cute comedy involving a geeky hero and a beautiful girl, this is the perfect film for you. Keep an eye out for Dermot Mulroney (Julia Robert's "best friend" in "My Best Friend's Wedding") as one the scruffy burglars (the other burglar is played by Dermot's real-life brother, Kieran). Also watch for a special unbilled cameo by the late comic John Candy who plays the manager of the Target store.

This effort, directed by comedic genius John Hughes is fun, heartwarming, and sarcastic, while maintaining the usual Hughes comedic Touches. Jim Dodge is the town liar. After having his father threaten him with a move to St. Louis if he loses another job, Jim takes a job as night janitor at a Target store. His first night on the job finds Jim trapped in the store with Josie Mclellan, the daughter of the town's richest man. While Josie tells how she has tried to get arrested shoplifting to embarass her father, Jim listens, not understanding her reasons. She calls him the town liar, and a new honesty is born between them. Jim and Josie, two desperately misunderstood youths from different backgrounds in this town decide to run away together. Soon, two vagrant thieves break into the store, making this blossoming love affair appear to be in jeopardy. All is well, though, as the bumbling Jim becomes a hero, with his saving grace, Josie looking on. A really fun movie with touching sentiments and the John Hughes touch make this one that has been desperately overlooked by box office patrons, as well as critics.

I watched this movie for the first time in many years the other day and had to come to this board to see the comments. Just as I thought, a lot of guys oogling Jennifer Connelly. And with very good reason. This movie was the worst in the John Hughes collection, but I can't tell you why because I didn't care a thing about the plot or the lead male character or the robbers or even John Candy, of whom I was a very big fan. I just know that Jennifer Connelly is an absolute doll in this movie, whether it be on roller skates or on a mechanical dime-store horse (especially a mechanical dime-store horse). In fact I think she comes across sexier here than she does in The Hot Spot, where she shows even more of her assets.

Alas, today Jennifer Connelly has gone the way of Calista Flockhart and lost the babyfat and become a serious actress, even carting home an Oscar, but her role in Career Opportunities will be the one remembered by fans years from now.

Career Opportunities I first discovered on television one late night years ago in the 90s. After recently remembering it, I knew I had to buy it and see it again. So how did it stand up for my second viewing, and the first in over a decade?

I enjoyed it. Isn't that enough for any movie?

Seriously, what we have here is a movie about a 20-something year old guy named Jim. Jim is someone who compulsively lies, not out of hurtful spite but of esteem building exaggeration. It's also implied (or perhaps stated in not so many words) that Jim has monophobia, the fear of being alone. Enter Jennifer Connelly's character, Josie, who is the daughter of the town's wealthiest man. Like true John Hughes form, Josie is very unhappy with her father and living with him.

After being fired, Jim gets a job as a janitor at the local Target. However, he soon discovers a job detail not discussed--having to clean up the store after hours where he must stay in the store all night alone. Josie, meanwhile in an effort to embarrass her father, nearly decides to shoplift and get caught but decides otherwise and falls asleep in the dressing room.

Much of the movie is spent with the two characters, who went to school together their entire lives, truly getting to know each other and falling in love.

That, and dealing with a pair of crooks who decide to break into Target.

All in all, Career Opportunities is a fun watch when in a light-hearted kind of mood. It's not the type of movie to watch to get into some serious thought. But it's definitely a fun movie to pop in every so often. If you're a fan of Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, John Hughes, or any combination of the three, and with cameos by the likes of John Candy, then it's definitely worth a pick up, especially at the prices on Amazon.

well it looks like i am one of the few girls that liked this movie. it was funny, and yes most guys will like this because jennifer connely is definetely not bad looking. many people think it's stupid, but i thought it was cute

As John Hughes movies go, this is as good as the best of them. Jimmy who lets everything slide off his back and models himself to be everything he isnt, is fun to watch and reminds me of all the times I wanted to pump myself up to be larger than what I was. Jennifer Connely is great, and there is a cameo by John Candy that is one of the films funniest moments. There is something about this movie that captures a piece of the eighties, and that makes it enjoyable as well. This is one of those films that get you in a good mood when you need it.