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Strictly Business

  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Strictly Business (1991)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:57
1 Video
15 Photos
ComedyRomance

Sharp social satire in which the uneven friendship between an ambitious Black businessman and his streetwise pal is thrown into further confusion when the professional falls in love with a m... Read allSharp social satire in which the uneven friendship between an ambitious Black businessman and his streetwise pal is thrown into further confusion when the professional falls in love with a mind-numbingly gorgeous waitress.Sharp social satire in which the uneven friendship between an ambitious Black businessman and his streetwise pal is thrown into further confusion when the professional falls in love with a mind-numbingly gorgeous waitress.

  • Directors
    • Kevin Hooks
    • Rolando Hudson
  • Writers
    • Pam Gibson
    • Nelson George
  • Stars
    • Tommy Davidson
    • Joseph C. Phillips
    • Anne-Marie Johnson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Kevin Hooks
      • Rolando Hudson
    • Writers
      • Pam Gibson
      • Nelson George
    • Stars
      • Tommy Davidson
      • Joseph C. Phillips
      • Anne-Marie Johnson
    • 12User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Strictly Business
    Trailer 1:57
    Strictly Business

    Photos15

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    Tommy Davidson
    Tommy Davidson
    • Bobby
    Joseph C. Phillips
    Joseph C. Phillips
    • Waymon
    Anne-Marie Johnson
    Anne-Marie Johnson
    • Diedre
    • (as Anne Marie Johnson)
    David Marshall Grant
    David Marshall Grant
    • David
    Jon Cypher
    Jon Cypher
    • Drake
    Samuel L. Jackson
    Samuel L. Jackson
    • Monroe
    • (as Sam Jackson)
    Halle Berry
    Halle Berry
    • Natalie
    Kim Coles
    Kim Coles
    • Millicent
    Paul Butler
    • Leroy Halloran
    James McDaniel
    James McDaniel
    • Roland Halloran
    Paul Provenza
    Paul Provenza
    • Larry
    Annie Golden
    Annie Golden
    • Sheila
    Sam Rockwell
    Sam Rockwell
    • Gary
    Ira Wheeler
    • Mr. Atwell
    Sarah Stavrou
    • Karen
    Ellis Williams
    • Teddy Halloran
    Joe Torry
    Joe Torry
    • Darryl
    Susan Haskell
    Susan Haskell
    • Donna
    • Directors
      • Kevin Hooks
      • Rolando Hudson
    • Writers
      • Pam Gibson
      • Nelson George
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    5.52.4K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    6LivingDog

    Before they were stars?

    This is a cute little flick in which many actors, who later get more fame, appear in the same film.

    Tommy Davidson (In Living Color, stand-up comedian), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction and Star Wars?), Halle Berry (some movie where she got an Oscar for some reason), Denis Leary (stand-up comedian known for his song "A..hole"), and Sam Rockwell (Galaxy Quest) get together in this not too interesting flick about business as usual.

    It's simple formula works for people in their teens. It has a "70's" feel to it that makes it not worth watching. I found it interesting to see them all together before they became more famous. Halle Berry *is* adorable.

    The ending is incredibly drawn out. I kept screaming in my head "END IT, PLEASE END IT!" 6/10

    -Zafoid
    9dgordon-1

    Still Da Bomb!

    I remember seeing this movie back in 1991, and a couple of times on TV, then it just disappeared. I was surprised to find that it was still in print on VHS, and I purchased it immediately! Tommy and Joseph are great in their roles. Not to mention it's great to see Halle Berry in her dope early '90s fashion, complete with ripped knee jeans and a leather jacket. Samuel Jackson plays his role great too as the boss from hell! This is a fun movie, and is very enjoyable to watch multiple times. It would be great to see it available on DVD in the future, but the VHS still looks great even after all of these years.
    5UnknownDoomer

    Unlucky traders

    Sketches from the everyday life of a successful New York office, with varying results achieving its goals by selling real estate, ranging from detached expensive buildings to entire neighborhoods. There are two African Americans on its staff. The first is a trader named Wayon, drowning in work 24/7, aiming for the position of a business partner, «whiter than other whites». The second is a typical street slob and party animal, leading his way, apparently, from somewhere in Harlem, in his own way reflecting the context of his era, a guy named Bobby. He barely holds on to the role of a messenger, delivering and sorting documents of varying importance, periodically causing the wrath of the episodically appearing boss in the person of Samuel L. Jackson.

    One day, opposites working in the same structure, but coming from different worlds, will have to collide, as Wayon really liked an unfamiliar beauty in the person of Halle Berry. Bobby will help Wayon find «his dream», and Wayon will help Bobby move up a few notches in business, where the term «stepping on heads» is not rude at all, but a factual reality. In general a fairly standard and classic plot twist, with some adjustments for the «street» specifics, a light melodrama, with a dash of comedy.

    Actually, this very «lightness» becomes the other side of the coin - there is no high-flown dramaturgy or conventionally complex messages here, and you can't expect anything in the spirit of Spike Lee's «Jungle Fever», released in the same 1991, where Halle Berry also managed to make her mark in one of her earliest and rather atypical roles. The film also does not claim the laurels of «Wall Street» (1987). To a greater extent, there is a set of purely situational, topical sketches, strung together on a common, rather conventional plot line and placed in a not very long running time of one hour and twenty minutes, but devoid of any depth. The film is generally not bad, but does not stand out in any special way.
    10GPeoples

    Fun movie.

    Good clean movie with a message. They don't make them like this anymore. This movie reminds me of a later movie Mo Money!, though more for comedy with the Wayman brothers still clean and fun to watch. I gave this movie a 10 for entertainment value.
    5Uriah43

    A Bit Light on Comedy

    "Bobby" (Tommy Davidson) is a young black man working as a mail clerk in a large firm with aspirations of getting ahead. Unlike his mentor, "Waymon Tinsdale III" (Joseph C. Phillips) he doesn't have the temperament it takes to work in a management position. He's too brash and hip. However, he has connections and one of them just happens to be "Natalie" (Halle Berry) who Waymon is just dying to meet. So Waymon promises Bobby that he will get him into the training program if he will introduce him to Natalie. At the same time however, Waymon is working on a huge business deal which can either make or break his career. Along with that there is at least one person named "David" (David Marshall Grant) who would rather have him fail miserably. Anyway, so much for the plot which has been used in one scenario or another many times before. That said, there really wasn't anything special or unique about it. The acting was adequate but the only person who stood out was Halle Berry who was absolutely gorgeous. The bottom line is that this is a film that is a bit light on comedy but cute all the same. It's not great-but it's not bad either. I rate it as average.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Halle Berry and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in Jungle Fever (1991) and Losing Isaiah (1995).
    • Goofs
      The detail-oriented Waymon misspelled the first names of his secretary and his girlfriend on his computer's daily agenda screen.
    • Quotes

      Bobby Johnson: You know what, G? You are straight-up whiter than the *whitest* white man!

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Cape Fear/Strictly Business/All I Want for Christmas/Liebestraum/The People Under the Stairs (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Now's the B Turn
      Performed by Laquan

      Written by Laquan, Bret Mazur & Richard Wolf

      Courtesy of Island Records

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Strictly Business?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Go Natalie!
    • Filming locations
      • Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Island World
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,683,267
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,456,772
      • Nov 10, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,683,267
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 24m(84 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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