Une place à prendre

Oh John Hughes, my favorite writer. Trying here to return to teen territory with this tale of a night clean up boy at a Target. The guy stumbles into a girl hiding inside and the two have some harmless fun till a couple of robbers show up (sound familiar). There are maybe 2 or 3 laughs in this movie, but many of the 81 minutes majorly suck. Hughes great insights from the 80s are absent here, and Whaley just comes across dull. Conellys gorgeous yes, which is the only thing to keep male viewers going with all that cleavage, but others will doze off. Thought Id never say it, but Hughes has delivered his worst here. Ick.

Frank Whaley plays Jim Dodge (Frank Whaley), a thoroughly annoying smart-mouthed wise-ass waste-of-space with a dead end job as a night janitor in a supermarket. Jennifer Connelly plays Josie McClellan (Jennifer Connelly), a poor little rich girl desperate to get away from her millionaire daddy (who beats her). When Josie chickens out of shoplifting at the last minute, she is locked in the shop for the night and meets Jim (as he roller-skates down an aisle in his boxers and a wedding veil!). Together they do a bit of collective soul-searching, swap sob stories and decide to run away together. However, their plans are interrupted somewhat when a couple of gun wielding thieves break into the store...

Despite being written by top teen-movie maker John Hughes and featuring a pretty decent cast (John Candy has a cameo and the two leads are both capable actors), Career Opportunities (AKA One Wild Night), is a rather weak comedy with irritating characters and very few laughs.

I, like most males who have reviewed this movie on IMDb, do agree, however, that it is worth viewing if you are a fan of Jennifer Connelly and her very impressive curves. The delectable JC looks stunning in a tight white vest and standout scenes include her rollerskating through the shop, and rocking slowly back and forth on a supermarket horse ride (a moment guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of all heterosexual men).

But of course, Ms. Connelly looking damn fine doesn't make this a great piece of film-making (just great eye-candy), and ultimately this is a rather desperate 'comedy' that comes nowhere near to the matching the quality of Hughes' 80s output.

I get such a kick out of all the comments that mention how beautiful Jennifer Connelly is. Basically because in this movie that's all Josie's ever heard... how she's such a great piece of a$$ ("the town tease"), and the redundancy of these comments she's encountered up to now has her almost proud of that fact. "... I never tease..." But the truth is, nobody cares who she is as a person (including you the viewer), and that kills her. Those that have criticized and commented on the movie are actually characters IN the movie. As we comment on how beautiful Connelly is, we in turn become a part of Josie's past, and we are responsible for who she is now. Add the issues of her father, who only threatens her (and the cop) with abuse and attempts of control. Josie is physically beautiful, but that is her main problem. She's a really f'ed up chick. She is a temporary trophy, until something better comes along. And being that negative attention is better than no attention at all, you can understand what brought her to the store in the first place. When Jim tells Josie of his dream of her, she instantly thinks "sex"... cause up until this point in her life, that all she has to offer anyone. She is instantly caught off guard when Jim suggests a simple dance, one that he's been dreaming of since the 7th grade. And of all the people Josie has ever been with, Jim is the first gentleman she's ever met. And for the first time in both of their lives, a true connection is made. Yes, the Home Alone skits are below average, but for me, the problem is that they take away from the connection that the two leads are making. The best part of this whole movie is the unspoken dialogue between Connelly and Whaley, as they tried desperately to comfort each other in this time of chaos. Whaley has most of the creative dialogue, but Connelly's character is the one of interest (and issues). This is a much more psychological romance than most give it credit for.

I've noticed many a red blooded lad has made mention of how lovely the ever-so-lovely Jennifer Connelly is in what may be the worlds most amazing white tank top. Some have also mentioned the exestintial bliss of watching her rocking back and forth atop the luckiest dime-store mechanical horse ever constructed. And believe me when I say bravo to you all, all you men (and possibly ladies?) of good taste. For these are great images indeed in what turns out to be a very very funny little flick (to this day I still refer to TARGET as JIMGET).

However, it is the awe inspiring sight of watching the absolutely stunning Miss (sadly Mrs.) Connelly moving with absolute grace and beauty through TARGET's open isles on a pair of classic style roller skates.

I remember having the good fortune of seeing "Career Oppotunities" when it played in the theaters (damn, that tank top looked good on that 50 foot high screen). I already had the world's biggest crush on Connelly since I first saw her in "Labyrinth" back in the Summer of '86. So seeing her "all grown up" in films like "The Hot Spot" and "Rocketeer" was like Heaven. But best of all, I had the good fortune of having a laser disc player back in the early 90's. And on one very lucky B-Day, I was given a widescreen LD copy of "Career Opportunites". I gotta tell ya, as good as the whole movie was, on side two of the album sized discus was a scene that bordered on the very edge of Nirvana itself: Jennifer Connelly on skates. Mmmmm mmmm good. It was my absolute fav moment from when I saw it in the theater. I can imagine getting the rythme and pattern of their choreography was probobly a nightmare for Frank Whaley and Connelly, but honest to God, they look like they are having a total blast. And the more fun it looked for them, the more amazing she looked in a state of perpetual motion that can only be described as stunning. *Mmmmmm, Jennifer Connelly* spoken in Homer Simpson like voice.

It's funny. I haven't watched this film in quite sometime (my old LD player she don't play so well no mo'). And after having read some of these wonderful reviews and typing out this testimonial to the beauty and grace of a young Jennifer Connelly, I may have to track down a nice new copy of it on DVD. It's just too bad the local TARGET doesn't have it in stock. The irony alone would be worth it. Well, that and our lovely Miss Connelly, of course. ;)

Long live JIMGET!!!

A very well done, humorous teenage love story that every "not so popular" guy who was passed over in high school can appreciate. Funny, awkward, and lighthearted, this movie has something for everyone. This was the first movie I saw Jennifer Connelly in and just like the main character, immediately fell in love with her. What an outstanding actress, although this is perhaps not her best performance. All together this is a great "Order in on Saturday night and have a few laughs with the wife/girlfriend" kind of feel good romantic romp.