Protocol (film)
Encyclopedia
Protocol is a 1984 comedy film
that starred Goldie Hawn
and Chris Sarandon
. The screenplay was by Buck Henry
and it was directed by Herbert Ross
.
Hawn plays a Washington, D.C.
, cocktail waitress
who prevents the assassination of a visiting Arab emir
and winds up a national hero
ine.
couple, has a lousy love life and drives a rust bucket of a car that she cannot afford to repair.
The car breaks down, blocking the route of a diplomatic convoy
that is traveling to the White House. Unsympathetic to Sunny's predicament, the Diplomatic Security Service
treat the incident as a possible security threat and move into full security mode, guns drawn. Sunny is naive to the seriousness of her situation, concerned only that she will now be late for work.
At the Safari Club where Sunny works, her night is getting worse. Her date cancels and she is forced to wear an emu
suit because all of the other costumes are now taken by waitresses who arrived on time. She hates the costume because it invites unwanted sexual propositions. Even though she is "so broke," she refuses an offer from a patron requesting special "favors" in return for cash, as well as a loan from a waitress friend, Ella.
On her way home, Sunny is curious about the media attention surrounding a gala dinner, so she stops to watch the dignitaries leaving the event. A man of Middle Eastern descent rudely pushes past her. Sunny feels something hard in his coat pocket. She asks if he has a gun. To her horror, he does. A shot is fired, but Sunny prevents him taking aim at his target by biting his arm. In the ensuing commotion, both Sunny and the gunman are forced to the ground and another shot is fired. Sunny cries out, realizing she has been shot.
Through news media
reports, we learn that Sunny has been taken to the hospital and is being lauded as a heroine. She has prevented the assassination of a visiting Emir, who had been in Washington to further relations between the US and his "small, but strategic Middle East
ern country." Doctors remove a bullet from Sunny's left buttock. While recovering, she finds herself thrust into public adoration, receiving mail from celebrities and countless marriage proposals.
Michael Ransome, a Middle Eastern desk chief from the State Department, pays a visit to help Sunny get through her first press conference since the shooting. Sunny answers each question about her life with humor and charm, revealing herself to be hugely likeable, intelligent and patriotic. She also reveals that she has never voted, preferring to consider herself as just an American, rather than any political label.
Back at the White House, politicians Crowe and Hilley are watching the conference. They joke that if Sunny is to be believed, she could run for office because of her appeal to so many large groups of voters, including working women, small town folk, senior citizen
s, gays, the "law-and-order bunch," baseball
fans, barfly
s and animal lovers. They contact the President of the United States
(who is napping during this most important speech), and arrange for him to call Sunny at the hospital.
The Emir whose life Sunny saved was being wooed by the US, which wants to establish a military base
in his country because of its ideal geographic location in the Middle East. He decides that he will allow the US to build its base in his country — on the proviso that they allow him to claim Sunny as another wife. Without the President's knowledge, the State Department decides to trade Sunny for the base without her knowledge.
The Vice President of the United States
offers her a job within the Protocol
Department of the Government. She has to look up what "protocol" means in a dictionary, but when she realizes he is offering her a well-paying job, she accepts.
Sunny approaches her new job with nervous excitement, She attends formal dinners and meets dignitaries from foreign countries. At one dinner, she is introduced to Nawaf Al Kabeer, who thanks Sunny on behalf of the Emir, and presents a car to her, as a thank-you gift from the Emir. She returns it, having researched that as a government employee, she is unable to accept gifts. But this act infuriates both the Emir and the State Department.
Sunny is unaware that in the Emir's country, the local population is aware that Sunny is to be a new Queen, and anger is growing. Sunny is told that the Emir wants to meet her personally, and that she is to "show him a good time." She looks upon this invitation as a way to help her old boss Lou (Kenneth Mars) by arranging a party at his failing Safari Club, where she used to work. Lou has not closed the bar to his regular patrons and Sunny has invited friends of her own. The party gets out of control, the Police make arrests and all of this is filmed by the media.
Ambassador St. John sees this as a perfect opportunity to finally make the trade. She tells Sunny to go with the Emir to "represent her country" and make amends. Sunny arrives in the Emir's country to find a painted mural of herself in wedding attire. She realizes it's a set-up, that she was traded so the US could build its base.
The Emir confirms this. Unable to produce sons, he needs a new wife. Before an angry Sunny can respond, a violent coup d'état
takes place in the Emir's country of Otah, and the two are forced to flee.
Back in the US, the government denies knowledge of the trade and the public is now questioning whether Sunny knew all along of the plan. She must also face a Congressional
inquiry to find out the truth. Ransome quits his job in disgust at what was done to Sunny.
At the inquiry, Sunny cuts the proceedings short by accepting blame, having taken an important job without fully understanding the political affairs of her country. But she reminds everyone that leaders have a responsibility toward the people. She warns the political powers in the room that, from now on, she will watch all of them "like a hawk."
Two years later, Sunny has married Ransome and they have a baby. She is also running for Congress in her hometown of Diamond Junction in Oregon
, and gets a call telling her that she has won.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
that starred Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
. The screenplay was by Buck Henry
Buck Henry
Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
and it was directed by Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross was an American film director, producer, choreographer and actor.-Early life and career:Born Herbert David Ross in Brooklyn, New York, he made his stage debut as Third Witch with a touring company of Macbeth in 1942...
.
Hawn plays a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, cocktail waitress
Cocktail waitress
A cocktail waitress is a type of server who specializes in bringing drinks to patrons of bars, casinos, comedy clubs, live music venues and other drinking establishments and often wears revealing clothing in order to get more tips...
who prevents the assassination of a visiting Arab emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
and winds up a national hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
ine.
Plot
Sunny Ann Davis is a seemingly ditzy blonde who works as a cocktail waitress in Washington, D.C. She rents a small room in the home of a gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
couple, has a lousy love life and drives a rust bucket of a car that she cannot afford to repair.
The car breaks down, blocking the route of a diplomatic convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
that is traveling to the White House. Unsympathetic to Sunny's predicament, the Diplomatic Security Service
Diplomatic Security Service
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement agents at the same time, making them unique...
treat the incident as a possible security threat and move into full security mode, guns drawn. Sunny is naive to the seriousness of her situation, concerned only that she will now be late for work.
At the Safari Club where Sunny works, her night is getting worse. Her date cancels and she is forced to wear an emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
suit because all of the other costumes are now taken by waitresses who arrived on time. She hates the costume because it invites unwanted sexual propositions. Even though she is "so broke," she refuses an offer from a patron requesting special "favors" in return for cash, as well as a loan from a waitress friend, Ella.
On her way home, Sunny is curious about the media attention surrounding a gala dinner, so she stops to watch the dignitaries leaving the event. A man of Middle Eastern descent rudely pushes past her. Sunny feels something hard in his coat pocket. She asks if he has a gun. To her horror, he does. A shot is fired, but Sunny prevents him taking aim at his target by biting his arm. In the ensuing commotion, both Sunny and the gunman are forced to the ground and another shot is fired. Sunny cries out, realizing she has been shot.
Through news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
reports, we learn that Sunny has been taken to the hospital and is being lauded as a heroine. She has prevented the assassination of a visiting Emir, who had been in Washington to further relations between the US and his "small, but strategic Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern country." Doctors remove a bullet from Sunny's left buttock. While recovering, she finds herself thrust into public adoration, receiving mail from celebrities and countless marriage proposals.
Michael Ransome, a Middle Eastern desk chief from the State Department, pays a visit to help Sunny get through her first press conference since the shooting. Sunny answers each question about her life with humor and charm, revealing herself to be hugely likeable, intelligent and patriotic. She also reveals that she has never voted, preferring to consider herself as just an American, rather than any political label.
Back at the White House, politicians Crowe and Hilley are watching the conference. They joke that if Sunny is to be believed, she could run for office because of her appeal to so many large groups of voters, including working women, small town folk, senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s, gays, the "law-and-order bunch," baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
fans, barfly
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s and animal lovers. They contact the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
(who is napping during this most important speech), and arrange for him to call Sunny at the hospital.
The Emir whose life Sunny saved was being wooed by the US, which wants to establish a military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
in his country because of its ideal geographic location in the Middle East. He decides that he will allow the US to build its base in his country — on the proviso that they allow him to claim Sunny as another wife. Without the President's knowledge, the State Department decides to trade Sunny for the base without her knowledge.
The Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
offers her a job within the Protocol
Protocol (diplomacy)
In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state.A protocol is a rule which guides how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In diplomatic services and governmental fields of endeavor protocols are often unwritten guidelines...
Department of the Government. She has to look up what "protocol" means in a dictionary, but when she realizes he is offering her a well-paying job, she accepts.
Sunny approaches her new job with nervous excitement, She attends formal dinners and meets dignitaries from foreign countries. At one dinner, she is introduced to Nawaf Al Kabeer, who thanks Sunny on behalf of the Emir, and presents a car to her, as a thank-you gift from the Emir. She returns it, having researched that as a government employee, she is unable to accept gifts. But this act infuriates both the Emir and the State Department.
Sunny is unaware that in the Emir's country, the local population is aware that Sunny is to be a new Queen, and anger is growing. Sunny is told that the Emir wants to meet her personally, and that she is to "show him a good time." She looks upon this invitation as a way to help her old boss Lou (Kenneth Mars) by arranging a party at his failing Safari Club, where she used to work. Lou has not closed the bar to his regular patrons and Sunny has invited friends of her own. The party gets out of control, the Police make arrests and all of this is filmed by the media.
Ambassador St. John sees this as a perfect opportunity to finally make the trade. She tells Sunny to go with the Emir to "represent her country" and make amends. Sunny arrives in the Emir's country to find a painted mural of herself in wedding attire. She realizes it's a set-up, that she was traded so the US could build its base.
The Emir confirms this. Unable to produce sons, he needs a new wife. Before an angry Sunny can respond, a violent coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
takes place in the Emir's country of Otah, and the two are forced to flee.
Back in the US, the government denies knowledge of the trade and the public is now questioning whether Sunny knew all along of the plan. She must also face a Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
inquiry to find out the truth. Ransome quits his job in disgust at what was done to Sunny.
At the inquiry, Sunny cuts the proceedings short by accepting blame, having taken an important job without fully understanding the political affairs of her country. But she reminds everyone that leaders have a responsibility toward the people. She warns the political powers in the room that, from now on, she will watch all of them "like a hawk."
Two years later, Sunny has married Ransome and they have a baby. She is also running for Congress in her hometown of Diamond Junction in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and gets a call telling her that she has won.
Reception
The film took in $3,427,840 during its opening weekend on December 21, 1984, and was released in 893 theaters. It eventually grossed $26,186,631.Cast
- Goldie HawnGoldie HawnGoldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
- Sunny Davis - Chris SarandonChris SarandonChris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
- Michael Ransome - Richard RomanusRichard RomanusRichard Romanus is an American actor of Lebanese descent. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films Wizards and Hey Good Lookin'. He played Lorraine Bracco's ex-husband, later husband again, in three episodes of The...
- Emir - Andre GregoryAndre GregoryAndre William Gregory is an American theatre director, writer and actor.Gregory studied at Harvard University.During the 1960s and 1970s, Gregory directed a number of avant-garde productions developed through ensemble collaboration, the most famous of which was Alice In Wonderland , based on Lewis...
- Nawaf Al Kabeer - Gail StricklandGail StricklandGail Strickland is an American character actress.Strickland was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Theodosia and Lynn Strickland, who owned a tire shop...
- Ambassador St John - Cliff DeYoungCliff DeYoungClifford Tobin DeYoung is an American actor and musician.DeYoung was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended California State University....
- Hilley - Keith SzarabajkaKeith SzarabajkaKeith Szarabajka is an American actor and voice artist.-Early life:Szarabajka was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Anne, a school teacher, and Edward Szarabajka, a savings and loan officer....
- Crowe - Ed Begley, Jr.Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
- Hassler - James Staley - Vice President Merck
- Kenneth Mars - Lou
- Jean SmartJean SmartJean E. Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24...
- Ella - Maria O'Brien - Donna
- Joel Brooks - Ben
- Grainger Hines - Jerry
- Kenneth McMillanKenneth McMillan (actor)Kenneth McMillan was an American actor. McMillan was usually cast as gruff, hostile and unfriendly characters due to his rough image...
- Senator Morris
Quotes
- "What the hell is this place?"
"Must be one of those gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
-ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
-bikerMotorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
-sushiSushiis a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
bars." - "And I'd like to tell everybody in AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that this is absolutely the best place to come if you're ever shot in the [beep]!" - "Actually, I haven't been anywhere. Oh, I was in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
once, but that's like, attached!" - "Am I one of those, oh she's really nice and a lot of fun, but she's not very bright, kind of people?"
- "Well, I have a job at the Safari Club, and Lou, well he's my boss and he's a really great guy, but business hasn't been so hot lately, and I was kind of hoping for an advancement, y'know? But the trouble is that Lou's aunt works the cash register and his sister's the hostess, so I mean, I'm just gonna have to wait around till one of them quits or drops dead. (To the US Vice President). I guess you know what that's like?"
- Emir: "They've not been able to give me sons. I must have sons!"
Sunny:"Oh, this is the twentieth century for God's sake. Don't you know anything about chromosones?" - (About to board a helicopter) Sunny: "Do you really know how to fly one of these things?"
Emir:"I am the Chief of the Air Force."
Sunny: "That's not what I asked!" - "I imagine it was the first time, Mrs St John ever got busted... Of course, I could be wrong."