I'll start with the obvious here: "Career Opportunities" is not a great film. Despite the venerable John Hughes having a hand in the story, this movie is silly at the beginning, silly at the end, and the middle sections--that actually show some thought/heart--are far too fleeting.
For a very basic overview, "Career Opportunities" tells the story of Jim Dodge (Frank Whaley), a 21-year old bag of hot air living with his parents. When forced to get a job, he lands at Target as the night custodian. On his first night of "work" (i.e. Screwing around), Jim finds that the drop-dead gorgeous Josie McClellan (Jennifer Connelly) has joined him for the night as penance for chickening out of a shoplifting excursion. As the two get to know each other, they are accosted by a pair of bumbling thieves (Dermot Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney) looking for a major heist.
Though far from being a great (or even good) film, like I said, "Career Opportunities" has enough going for it to not be utterly unwatchable. Towards the middle of the film, there are some moments that--while fleeting--showcase Hughes' skill in setting up interesting character scenarios. The soundtrack is also strong all the way through. A John Candy cameo is fun. Of course, the aspect this film is probably most known for is Jennifer Connelly's almost impossible beauty and poise (however underutilized it actually is here).
The two biggest problems that ultimately sink this flick, however, are...
1. It is far more focused on screwball or odd antics than anything character or plot-related. The film starts this way, ends this way, and only showcases some decent material in the middle. The ratio between "fun" and "serious" is way off.
2. Whaley's Jim is one of the least-likable or interesting lead characters I've ever seen in a movie. Any shred of emotion one can hope to take from this experience comes from the viewer needing to empathize with Jim a bit, but that didn't happen (not even a smidgen) in my case. I'm not sure if it was the acting or the writing, but the lead being DOA here is devastating to what the themes are trying to accomplish.
As such, I have to classify this as one of the weaker efforts in the Hughes canon. Not total rot, but nothing I'd ever return to.
For a very basic overview, "Career Opportunities" tells the story of Jim Dodge (Frank Whaley), a 21-year old bag of hot air living with his parents. When forced to get a job, he lands at Target as the night custodian. On his first night of "work" (i.e. Screwing around), Jim finds that the drop-dead gorgeous Josie McClellan (Jennifer Connelly) has joined him for the night as penance for chickening out of a shoplifting excursion. As the two get to know each other, they are accosted by a pair of bumbling thieves (Dermot Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney) looking for a major heist.
Though far from being a great (or even good) film, like I said, "Career Opportunities" has enough going for it to not be utterly unwatchable. Towards the middle of the film, there are some moments that--while fleeting--showcase Hughes' skill in setting up interesting character scenarios. The soundtrack is also strong all the way through. A John Candy cameo is fun. Of course, the aspect this film is probably most known for is Jennifer Connelly's almost impossible beauty and poise (however underutilized it actually is here).
The two biggest problems that ultimately sink this flick, however, are...
1. It is far more focused on screwball or odd antics than anything character or plot-related. The film starts this way, ends this way, and only showcases some decent material in the middle. The ratio between "fun" and "serious" is way off.
2. Whaley's Jim is one of the least-likable or interesting lead characters I've ever seen in a movie. Any shred of emotion one can hope to take from this experience comes from the viewer needing to empathize with Jim a bit, but that didn't happen (not even a smidgen) in my case. I'm not sure if it was the acting or the writing, but the lead being DOA here is devastating to what the themes are trying to accomplish.
As such, I have to classify this as one of the weaker efforts in the Hughes canon. Not total rot, but nothing I'd ever return to.