CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

US, 1991, 85 minutes, Colour.
Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connolly, Dermot Mulroney, John Candy.
Directed by Bryan Gordon.

A slight teenage comedy written by John Hughes, whose credits range from the youth films as The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles through such comedies as She's Having a Baby and Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Uncle Buck and The Home Alone films. The film is a star vehicle for Frank Whalley (Rob Krieger in The Doors, and the assassin of Hoffa in Hoffa). The heroine is Jennifer Connolly (Labyrinth, The Hot Spot). John Candy appears briefly as the Boss of the Supermarket - mistaking Whalley for the new executive instead of seeing him as the toilet-cleaner and guard.

The film is fairly simple - the young man minding the Supermarket, indulging himself in fantasy about owning the supermarket, finding the girl of his dreams, trying to escape from her father, and taking refuge in the supermarket.

1.Entertaining American comedy? Teenage audience? Family themes? Rich and poor?

2.The American town, homes, differences in class and affluence, the supermarket? Musical score?

3.The title, his relationship to Jim and his hopes?

4.Jim, at school, at home, the reaction of his parents to him and his dreams? His sister and the antagonism? His behaviour at home, the possibility of moving out? Getting a job? The interview with the manager - and the comic side of the misunderstanding? The reality? In the supermarket - enjoying everything, trying everything out, the long night? The meeting with Josie, protecting her from her father and the police? The slapstick comedy with the robbers, in the supermarket, chases, pursuits, outwitting them? The happy ending in the morning - and his having spent the time with Josie, his attraction towards her, her understanding him, his self-esteem?

5.Josie, her wealth, her clashes with her father? At school? At home? Wanting to leave home? Packing up and going? The car, in the supermarket? With Jim, sharing the adventures, the robbers and teaming with Jim to outwit them? The morning-after and her going with her father?

6.The robbers, the comic characters? Their attempts at robberies, going into the supermarket, the pursuits, the slapstick routines? Outwitted?

7.The father, Josie's father, his anger, searching for his daughter? The police chief and his awareness of what the father was like? Driving round, checking in the supermarket, conversations with Jim?

8.John Candy's cameo role and his enjoyable scene where he misinterpreted Jim's application, promised him the world, found out the truth and had to back down?

9.Easy-going comedy?