eldarkinhof | Too far from Jennifer Connelly | 12/23/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This movie is all right, I suppose. Jennifer Connelly is in it, long before her Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind," when she started looking like Lara Flynn Boyle thrown under a steamroller. The story is fairly lightweight, a bit of thinly comic fluff about Jennifer Connelly and some other guy whose name doesn't matter getting stuck in a Target store after hours. Unfortunately, just as the story really gets going, with Jennifer Connelly roller-skating around in tight pants and a dangerously overstressed T-shirt, an unwelcome plot twist intrudes in the form of two burglars, who are neither absurd enough to be funny nor threatening enough to be dramatic. At any rate, Jennifer Connelly is in it.One highlight of the movie is a scene where Jennifer Connelly, without roller skates but still in the T-shirt, goes for a ride on one of those drug store mechanical ponies. Sadly, even in the DVD version of this film, this important scene was cut far too short in favor of the less compelling themes of the script. Still -- Jennifer Connelly. In a T-shirt. Riding a mechanical pony in her T-shirt. Jennifer Connelly is doing this.So, even though it's not exactly Schindler's List, I give this film 4 stars -- 2 each -- for Jennifer Connelly.Did I mention Jennifer Connelly?Jennifer Connelly. Thank you."
Come on, guys, be honest
Vincent R. Corvaia | Maine, United States | 12/11/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Folks, any guy's review in here that has anything to do with cinematic technique is a shameless ruse. This movie is about two things and two things only -- Jennifer Connelly's breasts. Period; end of story. It's why the movie was made, why she was hired for the part, why she wore that clingy white top, and why it even made it to video. Guys, you know I'm not lying.That's why I gave it four stars and not five -- I couldn't divide five evenly."
Ride that pony!
Luis Hernandez | 06/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, it's an okay film. In some ways, it anticipates later films such as "Raising Arizona." It never reaches the level of hilarity, but it has one undeniable strength:Jennifer Connelly rides a K-Mart-style mechanical pony for about five minutes. That's worth the price of the DVD alone."
A simple fun 83 minutes.
H3@+h | VT | 12/05/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Though this film was released in the early 90's, it has a very 80's feel to it, compliments of John Hughes maybe. It's your typical teen comedy in many ways, just not one of the better ones. The plot was rather weak, though it did make me wonder what I would do stuck in a store overnight. Frank Whaley did a decent job as the town liar/geek/loser. Also the ending was fairly abrupt, and made you wonder what happened to everyone. However, there were two things in the film that were literally outstanding, and both of them were in Jennifer Connelly's tank-top. A must for fans of hers."
Attention Shoppers! Comedy on Aisle 5.
Luis Hernandez | New York, New York, USA | 07/22/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Amusing tale of a town liar (Whaley) who is down on his luck in obtaining and holding a job in a small Southern town. When forced by his father to get a job or get lost, Whaley gets a job at the local Target store working the midnight shift as the store janitor. There, he encounters Josie (Connelly), the daughter of the richest man in town, who is hiding out in the store past closing hours.The relationship between Whaley and Connelly develops, and they discover each other's strengths and faults. When two burglars break into the store to rob it blind, Whaley and Connelly must play it cool in order to stop them. However, the beautiful Connelly only leads all three guys into further trouble due to lust.Written by the great John Hughes, "Career Opportunities," is somewhat like a "Home Alone" for teens. Hughes, who has written similar stories in the past (e.g. "Pretty in Pink" & "Some Kind of Wonderful" have the same premise) does a good job in illustrating life in a small town (suprisingly it does not take place in Shermer, Illinois, the fictional town Hughes has used in his past films).While the film starts to slow down after the discovery of the two burglars, the film ends happily, justice served and all. The transfer to DVD is great. The only NEGATIVE thing about the DVD version is the fact that there is no theatrical trailer included on the disc, even though the packaging states that there is. Whether an act of false advertising or a company error, this leaves the owner short of all expectations we expect when we buy films in this great format.If you are in the mood for a cute comedy involving a geeky hero and a beautiful girl, this is the perfect film for you. Keep an eye out for Dermot Mulroney (Julia Robert's "best friend" in "My Best Friend's Wedding") as one the scruffy burglars (the other burglar is played by Dermot's real-life brother, Kieran). Also watch for a special unbilled cameo by the late comic John Candy who plays the manager of the Target store."