Taglines: Maximum comedy at minimum wage!
Career Opportunities movie storyline. Josie, the daughter of the town’s wealthiest businessman, faces problems at home and wishes to leave home, but is disorientated. Her decision is finalized after she falls asleep in a Target dressing room, and awakes to find that she is locked in the store overnight with the janitor, Jim, the town “no hoper” and liar. A decision to go to L.A. is established, but first they must get through the night. A relationship develops, only to be interrupted by a break in by two petty criminals.
Career Opportunities is a 1991 American romantic comedy film starring Frank Whaley in his first lead role and co-starring Jennifer Connelly. Other starring are Dermot Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney, John M. Jackson, Jenny O’Hara, Noble Willingham, Nada Despotovich, Denise Galik. It was written and co-produced by John Hughes and directed by Bryan Gordon.
About the Story
Jim Dodge is a self-proclaimed “people person” and dreamer who is perceived as lazy and good for nothing. After being fired from numerous low-paying jobs, Jim is given the choice by his father, Bud Dodge, to either land a job at the local Target or be put on a bus to St. Louis.
Jim is hired as night cleanup boy at Target. On his first shift at his new job, Jim is locked alone in the store by his boss, the head custodian, who leaves him there until his shift ends at 7 am. He encounters Josie McClellan, a stereotypical “spoiled rich girl” whom he has known all his life.
Josie had spent the past several hours asleep in a dressing room after backing out of shoplifting some merchandise in a half-hearted attempt to run away from her abusive father, Roger Roy McClellan. Josie and Jim begin to connect with each other, realizing they are not so different. They begin to form a romantic relationship, and proceed to enjoy the freedom of having such a large store to themselves. Josie, having $52,000 in her purse, convinces Jim to run away with her to California as soon as they get out of the store in the morning. Meanwhile, Roger teams up with the town sheriff to search for his runaway daughter all night.
Things become complicated when two incompetent crooks, Nestor Pyle and Gil Kinney, break in and hold the two hostage. Eventually, Josie seduces one of the crooks and convinces him to take her with them after robbing the store. While the criminals are loading stolen merchandise into their car, Josie jumps into the front seat and drives away, leaving the two men stranded in the parking lot. Meanwhile, in the building, Jim loads up a shotgun found in the head custodian’s locker and tricks Nestor and Gil by luring them to the back of the store and holding them at gunpoint.
Career Opportunities (1991)
Directed by: Bryan Gordon
Starring: Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, Dermot Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney, John M. Jackson, Jenny O’Hara, Noble Willingham, Nada Despotovich, Denise Galik
Screenplay by: John Hughes
Production Design by: Paul Sylbert
Cinematography by: Donald McAlpine
Film Editing by: Glenn Farr, Peck Prior
Costume Design by: Betsy Cox
Set Decoration by: Kathe Klopp
Art Direction by: Guy Barnes
Music by: Thomas Newman
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: March 29, 1991
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