Writer John Hughes, Perhaps better known for his popular yet overrated 'Home Alone' series scores here with a charming and delightful romantic comedy starring clever comedian Frank Whaley. When the town liar Jim ( Whaley ) loses his umpteenth job in comical fashion. His father lays down an ultimatum. If Jim loses one more job he will be kicked out of the house. Where Jim has already confessed that he loves living at home since the accommodations are four star. Having burned most of his bridges with the local businessmen through his incompetence Jim has few options left. And we find our hero as 'Night clean up boy' at none other than the local 'Target' store. Well this leads to all types of mishaps and hilarious situations which are executed nicely, by the clumsy and exaggerating yet imminently likable Jim. Enter the crush interest, portrayed by the fabulous Jennifer Conelly. Josie is the daughter of a local bigwig, yet she seems disenchanted by what life in the small North Carolina Town has to offer. She is the apple of Jim's eye, and just about every other male's eye within the range of vision. Conelly really looked beautiful in this role. It was before she had dieted down to where she now has two pool cues for legs. Nowadays Conelly looks as if she's had two crackers a day for the last three years. And the nose job which makes her face seem sharper and pointier does not become her. But she looks amazing here as Whaley discovers after they've locked him inside the store for the night, to look after things and tidy up. Josie, you see, in an act of rebellion has locked herself inside the store in a botched shoplift attempt. And it turns out her and Jim are the only two people in the building. The dialogue between Jim and Josie is refreshing even if it isn't realistic. Jim is incredulously surprised when Josie identifies him as the town liar. Even though she doesn't mean it as an insult. But Jim does treat her like a person instead of a sex object and this is something that Josie is not used to. The two share TV Dinners in front of the electronics presentation and even a slow dance. And you can relate to the way Jim would feel in the presence of such a gorgeous creature. He does not want the Sun to come up. It's not perfect of course. Anyone would have a hard time believing that beauty Queen Josie would fall for the twerpish bullshitting Jim. And the actors are being too serious for comedic license. But the thing is, you want to believe it, and that only adds to the film's charm. Eventually, the whole thing starts to unravel and the film degenerates into the Hughes tradition of bungling burglars and other stupid nonsense, and the magic is lost. But for a brief time the suspension of disbelief makes us exist in this modest oasis of romance, and there's no red blooded American male who didn't imagine himself there with Conelly. But between the capable antics of the sidesplitting Whaley and the remarkable beauty of the breathtaking Conelly. They are more than enough to carry a film that definitely has some top moments. Credit Hughes for coming up with a good premise than finding the perfect actors to make it work. A very enjoyable and original romantic comedy. 7 out of a possible 10 T.H.
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