JANE DOE: HOW TO FIRE YOUR BOSS
US, 2007, 90 minutes, Colour.
Lea Thompson, Joe Penny, William R. Moses, Erin Gray.
Directed by James A. Contner.
How to Fire Your Boss is one of a series of telemovies starring Lea Thompson and Joe Penny as FBI agents. Lea Thompson is Jane Doe, an anonymous agent who is called upon by the bureau for solving cases. In her other life, she is happily married to William R. Moses and has two children. The children feature in this film. In a previous film there was a crisis where she had to explain to her husband what she did.
The film is routine in some ways – although it has a strong conspiracy theory plot. This time the film goes back to the 1990s where agents were sent to Afghanistan for secret missions, brainwashed, given code words to carry out specific acts. These were not expunged – and the agent had no memories of being in Afghanistan. Memories are coming back to Joe Penny of his time in that country. Various agents are being killed by young agents – and it appears that someone is using the codes to get rid of anybody who remembers the operations and is a threat to the promotion of the San Diego head of the bureau. It all turns out that it is being manipulated by his wife, played by Erin Gray.
An enjoyable time-passer – with some raising of suspicions about covert American operations and their methods.
1.The Jane Doe series? The agency? The role of Jane? The role of Frank? The continued series? Jane’s family life with Joe, the children?
2.The ordinary home settings, the bureau? An ordinary atmosphere for an extraordinary story?
3.Frank, his dreams, Afghanistan? Waking up? Going about his work? The promotion in Washington? The murder of the agents? His working with Jane? Social, at the office, suspicions? Interrogations of the suspects? His being threatened? Escaping? Professor Bennett, the truth, Doctor Fox? The showdown and the revelation of the truth?
4.Jane, her life as Cathy, at home, cooking, the children, Nick and the money, the gambling? His straight talk – like his mother? The daughter? Love for Joe, Joe and his company, the developer? Inviting him to the meal, his criticisms, her defence of her husband? The happy family life? Able to talk to Joe about her work? Her work at the bureau, being on call, the deaths, the interrogations, her suspicions, going to Doctor Fox, going through the brainwashing process, her blocking it, her discovery that Doctor Fox used the method to gather people for karaoke? Her rivalry with Laura, Laura’s visit, the gifts, the muffins? Her going to see Doctor Bennett, getting on well with him, the truth, getting the evidence? The finale and her explanations, the documents, Laura’s reaction?
5.Mitch, ambitions, under suspicion, the rivalry with Phil?
6.Phil and Laura, at the socials, the promotion? Phil under suspicion? Laura and her visits, her rivalry? The revelation of the truth, Phil’s dismay, standing by her?
7.Doctor Fox, the experiments, the use of the methods for anti-terrorist activity?
8.Doctor Bennett, recluse, going back on what he had done in the 80s and 90s? His friendship with Jane? Coming at the end, the evidence?
9.The conspiracy theories – and the critical attitudes towards American covert activities?
