Filofax - Ich bin Du und Du bist nichts

I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it, although the script is not brilliant the cast made a great effort and made it very convincing, James Belushi plays nice guy convict Jimmy Dworfski as he plans to escape prison for the weekend to see the Chicago Cubs in the World Series, getting his fellow in-mates to cover it up. While out he finds business executive Spencer Barnes (Charles Grodin) filofax and takes over his life. Belushi & Grodin are great together in this feel good comedy, as a lover of Baseball I was drawn to this even more, but if you're not you'll still find it just as enjoyable. This is the best James Belushi film I've seen!

This movie was one of the funniest James Belushi films. He is ideal as a convict who wins tickets to the Cubs' World Series game, has to break out of jail to attend, get his fellow inmates to cover for him, and break back in before the warden knows what has happened. In between, he finds uptight executive Charles Grodin's little black book and assumes Grodin's life, turning it upside down and being a better "him" while he poses as Grodin.

Belushi and Grodin are magnificent in the leads, and the film is overall very funny. See it if you get the chance; you will not regret it! I happened to love it myself.

*** out of ****

Funny, funny, funny and funny! This is the only word to define this lively comedy starring to James Belushi and Charles Grodin and directed by a master as Arthur Hiller. The pasted 80's were the best years for the American comedy, started to the later John Belushi till to the Chevy Chase's `Flecht' came to the Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd `Ghostbusters' the entertainment industry had generated a great lot to funny comedy, that it's true many funny movie are do still now, but the elegance and intelligence in the old movies are insuperable and unequalled. `Taking Care A Business is a comedy that it's do in the early 90's but it include all the 80's funny spirit thanks to a fast script and a professional directed to Arthur Hiller, but also thanks to the two leading players Belushi and Grodin two great comedians and also two great actors(You can see them in many drama movie). Belushi is surprising in his naturalness and expressiveness, he succeeded to give at his character a reality dimension where it's very believed his carefreeness and his `live a day at the time'. Grodin is very funny and professional in the measured and unlucky business man. The story is easy and simple in fact it's based to the classical Hollywood theme `the guy changed'. A rich business man Spencer Burns, lost his precious note-book where there all his life during a business travel, and this note-book is found to a likely jail man Jimmy Dworsky (Belushi) that he's escaped for see the baseball macht of his favourite league. Naturally the lucky fugitive take the place to the Spencer. You can not consider this movie as a great movie or a social flick with many reflection, but you must see the movie only for that's it's, a long and crackling unity to funny and laugher. And if I see under this aspect I give to the movie a good 8 to rate.

An extremely well-paced and funny mistaken identity movie that got no credit. Belushi pulls off perfectly the exhuberant, boy-like fugitive who breaks out of prison for a couple days so he can see the World Series (wouldn't you)? The tickets he won on a radio show are to be picked up at LAX, where a bigger pick up awaits. While dodging a set of cops he spots Grodin's day planner atop a phone booth with the note of a reward to anyone who returns it. So he heads to Malibu looking for Grodin who has found himself in the slums of LA trying to get people to believe who he is. He's come to town to close a big advertising deal but loses his beloved orgonizer ("My life was in there!"). In the process he's mistreated by gang members, can't get anyone to believe him, has to resort to help from DeSolvo's mind-numbing nitwit, and ends up walking Pacific Coast Highway in the rain. Meanwhile Belushi takes it upon himself to enter Grodin's boss's Malibu mansion and even assume his job which includes a tennis date and dinner with a witchy female executive. Belushi even scores with the boss's daughter, leading to one of the film's funniest lines: "I slept with Walter's daughter?! How was I??" "You were great!" "I knew I could be great in bed!" It all culminates in an extended finale that goes from the World Series to prison. A lot of people point out the film's inplausibility, but as I always say, don't all films have a level of that? Just ignore it and enjoy the laughs. Though the film does feature the nicest set of prison inmates in history, maybe a little too far-fetched. And when Belushi gives a stolen car to his date, he's obviously unaware that cops are probably on the lookout for it (and he's supposed to be a car thief). He and Grodin also get along too well, but again, movie magic. All told this is a lot of fun and oddly enough was very reminiscent of Belushi's other work from 1990, "Mr. Destiny" (guy's life is altered with riches and adventure).

And a little sidenote about all the dumb brother comparisons by critics: Belushi is his own performer, judge his ability on that alone and stop comparing him to his sibling, please. At the point of this movie John had been dead nearly ten years and James had made his mark in great offerings like "About Last Night", "Red Heat" and "K-9". Be it comedy or drama, he can hold his own and needn't be put up against his brother's incomplete career.

When I first watched this movie, I laughed and laughed and laughed! I was dying! Yes, it's a silly comedy that mostly depends on slapstick, but it works. The plot becomes more implausible by the minute, but with a film as fast-paced and funny as this, you tend to overlook all those flaws. Unless...it's your second viewing.

Some comedies are incredibly funny on the first viewing, and are almost as--if not just as--funny on all the following viewings. You even start to laugh at jokes you didn't get the first time around. And there are comedies that are incredibly funny on the first viewing, but the laughs decrease on all the following viewings. Unfortunately, "Taking Care of Business" is an example of the latter. And as the laughs decrease, I felt more obligated to observe the plot. Though it succeeds in delivering big-time laughs, "TCOB" is a shallow farce that doesn't know when to quit.

James Belushi is the main saving grace. Comic talent and energy obviously runs in the family (his brother, the late John Belushi) and he's doing a terrific job at carrying on the Belushi name. His starring roles in little-known films haven't given him the opportunity to show off his knack for comedy, but every once in a while he steals the show, one of which was his supporting role in the underrated romantic comedy "Return to Me." Jim's an underrated talent, who has an amazing comic energy--without being obnoxious--and I hope to see him in more and more comedies. Charles Grodin is amusingly deadpan. Then again, portraying his stuck-up character wasn't much of a stretch. But towards the film's conclusion, he shows off his more outrageous side and he's quite good. That blonde chick who plays Belushi's love interest is an absolute knockout! I didn't get her name, but I hope to see her more often.

Despite its flaws, I can't completely downgrade a film that made me laugh hysterically the first time. Sure, you won't like it as much the second time, but who said you have to watch it a second time? Just watch it once and indulge! Plus, it has that great title song!

My score: 7 (out of 10)