Career Opportunities is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
romantic comedy film that was released in 1991. The film starred
Frank WhaleyFrank Joseph Whaley , an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Albany, New York. He has two sisters and an older...
and co-starred
Jennifer ConnellyJennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress and former child model. Although starring as early as a teenager in films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Labyrinth and Career Opportunities, she gained critical acclaim following her work in the 2000 drama Requiem for a Dream, and the 2001...
in one of her first lead film roles. It was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by
Bryan GordonBryan Gordon is a television and film director. He has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award and in 2002 received the Directors Guild award for comedy directing. He’s been nominated for an Emmy twice – both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which...
.
The film stars Whaley as Jim, a lazy slacker who is trying to get a well-paying job but instead ends up as a night janitor for
TargetTarget Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville...
. On his first shift at his new job, Jim is locked, alone, in the store by his boss.
Career Opportunities is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
romantic comedy film that was released in 1991. The film starred
Frank WhaleyFrank Joseph Whaley , an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Albany, New York. He has two sisters and an older...
and co-starred
Jennifer ConnellyJennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress and former child model. Although starring as early as a teenager in films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Labyrinth and Career Opportunities, she gained critical acclaim following her work in the 2000 drama Requiem for a Dream, and the 2001...
in one of her first lead film roles. It was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by
Bryan GordonBryan Gordon is a television and film director. He has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award and in 2002 received the Directors Guild award for comedy directing. He’s been nominated for an Emmy twice – both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which...
.
Plot summary
The film stars Whaley as Jim, a lazy slacker who is trying to get a well-paying job but instead ends up as a night janitor for
TargetTarget Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville...
. On his first shift at his new job, Jim is locked, alone, in the store by his boss. Connelly is Josie, the stereotypical "spoiled rich girl". The main action of the film begins when Josie, in a half-hearted runaway attempt, hides in Jim's store after hours. Discovered by the lonely janitor, Josie and Jim identify each other as kindred spirits and proceed to enjoy the freedom of being locked together in the store overnight. But things become complicated when two incompetent crooks, played by brothers
Dermot Mulroney-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
and
Kieran MulroneyKieran Mulroney is an American actor known for his numerous television appearances. He is also a musician and screenwriter, along with his wife, Michele. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia, where he graduated from T. C. Williams High School. His brother is actor Dermot Mulroney.-Television:* Navy...
, break into the store and hold the two teenagers hostage until the tables are turned.
Cast list
- Frank Whaley as Jim Dodge
- Jennifer Connelly as Josie McClellan
- Dermot Mulroney as Nestor Pyle
- Kieran Mulroney as Gil Kinney
- John M. Jackson
John Murice Jackson is an American actor, best known for playing Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden on the CBS series JAG....
as Bud Dodge
- Jenny O'Hara
Jenny O'Hara is an American actress who is part of a performing family whose influence encompasses regional and New York Theater from Warren, Pennsylvania to Greenwich Village, Broadway, and rock music from England to New York....
as Dotty Dodge
- Noble Willingham
Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. was an American television and film actor.-Career:Willingham had appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Harry's War , Up Close and Personal , City Slickers , The Last Boy Scout , City Slickers II , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Chinatown...
as Roger Roy McClellan
- William Forsythe
William Forsythe is an American actor. He is frequently cast in "tough guy" roles such as criminals or law enforcement officers...
as the janitor
John CandyJohn Franklin Candy was a Canadian-American comedian and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto, Ontario branch of The Second City...
has an uncredited cameo in the film as the manager of the Target store in which Jim works.
Reception
Career Opportunities was a modest success at the time of its release making just over $11 million in the US.