Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Career Opportunities Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 25, 2021

Bryan Gordon's "Career Opportunities" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include audio commentary by Erik Childress and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Dinner for two

Jim Dodge (Frank Whaley) and his father, Bud (John M. Jackson), have very different philosophies of life. Jim is convinced that it is in his best interest to continue living in the family house because he gets free food and cable there, plus his mother, Dotty (Jenny O’Hara), regularly cleans his room, but his father wants him out. Jim has also been told to get a decent job and learn how to keep it, but work ethics isn’t a priority for him because he does not have any serious expenses. He might have if he had a car, but he does not need one. Why would he? He gets free rides from his father all the time.

Unwilling to ditch his philosophy of life but determined to calm the nerves of his overworked father, Jim eventually applies for the next ‘new’ job in town -- a night janitor at the one and only Target store. After the polite manager (John Candy) mixes up his identity with that of another incoming manager and offers him a generous contract which he then promptly retracts, Jim reluctantly agrees to join the Target team. On the following day, he arrives for work in a limo, walks into the store, and after the cranky custodian (William Forsythe) informs him what is expected of him gets locked inside with a nice big broom.

Also locked inside the store is Josie McClellan (Jennifer Connelly), who has had enough of her very wealthy and very old-fashioned father and left her house for good. Josie has fifty thousand dollars in her purse and plenty of ideas how to spend the money while regaining her freedom. Hiding in the thick dark shadows of the loading zone and planning to break into the store are robbers Nestor Pyle (Dermot Mulroney) and Gil Kinney (Kieran Mulroney).

Career Opportunities was directed by Bryan Gordon, who worked with a screenplay written by John Hughes. Obviously, the latter’s involvement immediately suggests quality material that should have produced a very familiar type of quality entertainment. (Remember, at the time when Gordon stepped up behind the camera, Hughes had already shot all of his big hits). Sadly, while not a flop, the film simply does not live up to its potential.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The first has to do with its story. It has a decent buildup where Whaley’s character is effectively profiled but lacks engaging conflicts of the type that Hughes’ best work is known for. Indeed, once it is made clear that he is just a regular loser drifting through life and is content with his existence, which happens very quickly, it becomes awfully difficult to like being in his company. The second has to do with the nature of the lines he is given to recite. Excluding a few hilarious one-liners, they usually confirm very obvious developments in front of Gordon’s camera. The third and arguably most significant one is his inability to properly connect with Connelly’s rebel. Simply put, the chemistry between the two isn’t happening, which is a huge blow considering how much of the film relies on it after the action moves to the closed store. What is needed is authentic intimacy to infuse the film with lightness and romance, and what materializes is essentially a string of occasionally cute but always entirely predictable situations where the loser appears uncomfortable and sporadically even intimidated by the rebel. It is all very unfortunate because Connelly looks lovely and seems to be trying her best to behave in a way that Hughes’ greatest characters do. But as the old saying goes, it takes two to tango, and for some very strange reason Whaley does not just have trouble figuring out the proper steps, he can't even hear the music.

The short sequences with Candy and Forsythe are actually two of the highlights in the film. However, in the grand scheme of things, both are entirely meaningless.

Career Opportunities Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Career Opportunities arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I would not be surprised if it is confirmed that the same person that prepared the existing master for Lost Highway was placed in charge with the preparation of the master that was used to produce this release of Career Opportunities. These masters are older, but both have very strong and practically identical organic qualities that I like a lot.

I am going to point out the two areas where some minor but meaningful improvements can be made. First, there is some extremely light crushing that flattens select nuances. However, even in very dark areas, there is still plenty of very good detail to see and appreciate. If a new master is created on a modern equipment, the flattened nuances will be better exposed and easier to recognized, especially on a larger screen where these types of details become more prominent. Second, the grain can have slightly tighter and more even appearance. However, this is a very small complaint because the density levels on the current master are very, very good, and if you decide to upscale it to 4K, the issue is instantly resolved. Also, the fluidity of the visuals is already very good, so the uptick in quality will not be dramatic. The rest looks either very good or great. For example, depth is consistently pleasing. Clarity and sharpness are proper as well. Color saturation and balance are wonderful. Yes, a couple of minor adjustments can be made to strengthen a few ranges of supporting nuances, but the primaries look great. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks clean as well. All in all, this is a very solid master that makes Career Opportunities look about as good as it can. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Career Opportunities Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

On my system the audio sounded fantastic. In fact, I think that it is on par with what you will get from the redone lossless tracks on the various restorations of John Hughes' big hits that have been made available on Blu-ray. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and balance are terrific, so if possible, when you view Career Opportunities turn up the volume as much as you can. There is some great music in this film.

Career Opportunities Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - two original trailers for Career Opportunities. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by Chicago Critics Film Festival producer Erik Childress.

Career Opportunities Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is so easy to tell that Career Opportunities does not live up to its potential. Once Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly's characters meet in the empty Target store, it begins to look like they are acting in two completely different films, which is why the crucial chemistry that needs to materialize between them never does. I don't think Whaley was the right guy to play the nighttime janitor. Connelly repeatedly dispatches romantic signals in his direction and they never pop up on his radar, which is the reason why so many of their scenes look so awkward. So, more than likely you will still have a good time with Career Opportunities, but it will be because of just a few charming moments, not because John Hughes introduced you to yet another motley crew of terrific cinematic characters. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but very strong master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. RECOMMENDED.