Career Opportunities (1991)

CULT CLASSIC REVISITED: A FILM STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

FIRST OF ALL, AMAZON IS GREAT! THIS IS MY FIRST REVIEW AND IM ACTUALLY INCREDIBLY SURPRISED BY THE AMOUNT OF INSIGHT THIS SIMPLE FILM HAS GARNERED. OVERALL, IT'S WORTH A LITTLE TIME INVESTMENT TO WRITE ABOUT. I DON'T THINK IT'S MEANT TO BE MUCH MORE THAN FUN, LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT. BUT AFTER THOUSANDS OF FILMS LATER, IT STILL REMAINS AMONG MY PERSONAL FAVORITES.THE MORE I APPLY WHAT I'VE LEARNED SINCE AND ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS BRAND/CONSUMERISM/PRODUCT PLACEMENT, IT ECHOES SIMPLE CONCEPTS LIKE A VIRTUAL ALLEGORY TO ADAM AND EVE UNTIL ALONG COMES THE BUMBLING HAPHAZARD FORCES THAT TEAR IT APART, THE IDEA THAT IN THE END THE PARENTS ACTUALLY DO CARE ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN IN THEIR OWN WAY, AND THE STRATEGY USED IN MOST MARILYN MONROE FILMS, TO PLACE AN EVEN MORE MANIC OR COMIC CHARACTER NEXT TO A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN MAKES HER THAT MORE A FANTASY IS EVIDENT. HOWEVER, CONNELLY MIGHT'VE MIMICKED CONVENTIONAL ADULT MATURITY BUT SHE DOES HOLD HER OWN INTELLECTUALLY AND UNFAIRLY REDUCED TO BEING JUST A TOKEN.AS IN BREAKFAST CLUB, HUGHES HAS A WAY OF BRIDGING SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS AND BE PLAYFUL ABOUT OUR FEARS, DESIRES, AND DISPOSITIONS. WHILE SETTING IT TO A CATCHY MUSICAL SCORE AND POTENTIAL FOR MEANING:

GRANTED,UPON SEEING ITS THEATRICAL RELEASE TO PRETENDING TO FILM IT IN THRU MY VHS CAMCORDER PLAYBACK EYEPIECE, THEN FINALLY REVISITING IT ON DVD LAST WEEK, I TOO WAS ENAMORED BY 21 YR OLD CONNELLY (WHOSE CINEMATIC CHARACTER HAUNTED ME SINCE THAT SLEEPLESS NIGHT).HOWEVER, BEYOND BEING THE "TARGET" AUDIENCE AND BECOMING MY FILLMMAKING MUSE AND IDEAL IMAGE FOR THE NEXT DECADE RIVALED PRIOR BY OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN IN "GREASE",LINDA CARTER AS WONDERWOMAN, JESSICA RABBITT, KELLY PRESTON IN "TWINS", AND LATER CAMERON DIAZ IN "THE MASK", SALMA HAYEK, "DUSK TILL DAWN", OR ALBA'S AND BECKINSALE'S KICKBUTT SCREEN PERSONAS. ANYHOW, GETTING PAST THE BLINDING AESTHETIC AND PHYSICAL BEAUTY AND WIT OF THE RESPECTIVE LEAD CHARACTERS, I OFFER THE FIRST OF THE FOLLOWING INSIGHT ABOUT THIS PICTURE:

IRONICALLY, HUGHES FILMS STARRING MOLLY RINGWALD WERE MORE CRITICALLY AND FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL WHERE RINGWALD'S UNCONVENTIONAL LOOKS WERE CONSIDERED LESS MARKETABLE. FRANK WHALEY SAYS HE PLAYS JIM DODGE WITH SOMEONE DESTINED FOR GREATNESS. THE SELECTION OF TARGET BRAND:VISUALLY SYMBOLIZES MANY THINGS. THE IDEA THAT CHARACTERS ARE TRAPPED OR STUCK AT HOME, IN THE STORE, AND THE PAIRING OR EXPRESSION OF THEIR LOVE TO SHARE, ETC.
THERE'S EVEN A SUBTLE AMBIVILENCE AS TO THE MOTIVES OF THE CHARACTERS TORN BETWEEN CHOICES, BUT ULTIMATELY THEY YEARN TO BE FREE OF THIS SMALL TOWN OR THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES AND FIND THAT ANSWER IN EACH OTHER. THERE ARE EVEN WAYS TO INCORPORATE IT AS CONTINUATIONS, PARALLELS, OR EXTENSIONS TO THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JOHN HUGHES WORK AND OF HIMSELF. I CAN GO ON AND ON AND IT MORE THAN ALLOWS CREATIVE INTERPRETATION, EMPOWERMENT, AND ROMANCE.
I COULD DECONSTRUCT IT ALL DAY, BUT INSTEAD I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH DIALOGUE FROM THE FILM THAT SPEAKS TO IT'S ESSENCE, "THE SAME REASON YOU WANT TO STAY AT HOME, IS THE SAME REASON THAT I CAN'T LEAVE MY FATHER.." JOSIE MCCLELLAN SUGGESTS, "WHAT'S THAT?" ASKS JIM. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE.".SHE TELEGRAPHES IN ALL HER EMOTIONAL NAKEDNESS AND THE GENTLE ALLURE OF HER COUNTENANCE.WITH A SILENT SUBTEXT BEING. WE DON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE, WE CAN ESCAPE AWAY TOGETHER AND START NEW LIVES..SO BASIC YET SO PROFOUND AN OBSERVATION. ASIDE FROM MY PRAISE FOR HOW THE THEME AND CREATIVITY FITS TOGETHER, ITS AS IF THE TITLE ITSELF REFERS TO THE POTENTIAL IN STORE FOR THE "FUTURE CAREERS" OF THE TWO LEADS AND THE FEATURE FILM DEBUT OF THE DIRECTOR ALL COURTESY OF MR.HUGHES WHO HIMSELF SEEMS TO BE AN ENIGMA TO THE LIKES OF SALINGER AND ANOTHER FAMOUS HUGHES.
August 27, 2008

Career Opportunities

Esse filme é DEZ!!! Adoro esse filme!!!
Muito bom, bem divertido e com a lindíssima Jennifer Connelly. Se você quer diversão, esse filme te garante bons momentos do início ao fim. É o típico filme para se ver a dois ou num dia chuvoso... É SHOW DE BOLA!!! June 22, 2008

Funny!!!!!

This movie is great. It makes me wish I got locked in a store overnight-Hee-Hee! Not really, Its been out a while and some people missed it. Very Funny- A must see!!! A.W. December 26, 2007

Career Opportunities

Great movie. Frank Whaley's funny. Dermot Mulroney hot in a weird way.
Love the soundtrack.
Watched it years ago. Kept hiring it out at the video store.
Looked to buy it for years. Finally found it for sale.
Worth the money. September 10, 2007

Late 80's & Early 90's Innocence

I love this movie! I see it several times, because it takes away my stress. It's has such funny characters. I would say that it's displays the theatrical bridge between the 80's and 90's. It has an innocence within an ambient of security that small towns had at the time. If you like malls you'll find this movie to be a lot of fun. The fantasy of being in a huge store and playing with all the stuff is very soothing. It's a movie for those who find theft to be wrong, yet recognize that it's tempting. Frank Whaley is a real character; he would make an awesome talk show host! The scenes where the characters save the day give the happy ending a real boost. August 7, 2007

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