During the 1980s, few Comedy screenwriters and directors were as successful as John Hughes. Responsible for some of the decades’ most memorable Comedies, he wrote 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation, wrote/directed 1984’s Sixteen Candles, wrote/directed/produced 1985’s The Breakfast Club, wrote/directed 1985’s Weird Science, but wait, there is much more. Hughes also wrote/directed/produced 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, as well as perhaps his best, 1987’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Just a short list of his resume, as the ‘90s rolled around, he reached a new plateau of fame as the writer/producer of the mega box office hit, 1990’s Home Alone. At this stage, everyone recognized John Hughes, like Stephen King in Horror, or Steven Spielberg for his career-spanning influence. So, it would make sense that a big studio like Universal Pictures would salivate at the chance to put his name at the top of the theatrical poster to sell a movie. This was the case with 1991’s Career Opportunities… a film many, including Hughes, had panned opinions about.
Hitting theaters on March 29, 1991 (just four short months after the mega success of Home Alone), Hughes penned the screenplay for Career Opportunities, acted as co-producer, and selected Bryan Gordon to act as the director. The story goes that Hughes was drawn to Gordon, who had won an Academy Award for Best Live Short in 1987 for Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, and Gordon was eager to learn, so he took the job. Simply enough, the film also put together a pretty solid cast led by Frank Whaley (who had left an impression with his roles in 1989’s Born on the Fourth of July and as Robby Krieger in 1991’s The Doors) and Jennifer Connelly (who had significant success in 1986 with Labyrinth).
An interesting match, Whaley portrays Jim Dodge (an underachieving guy still living at home who cannot seem to hold a job). In contrast, Connelly portrays Josie McClellan (a beautiful girl from a wealthy family looking for a way out of a bad situation). Essentially ignoring Dodge throughout high school, the two accidentally come together years later. How? She secretly hunkers inside a Target department store overnight, where Dodge works alone as a night cleanup boy. Unexpectedly, the two realize they have more in common than they realize.
The basic plot of the film, in a similar fashion to Hughes’s Weird Science, the plot of Career Opportunities is a young guy’s dream come true. After all, what guy would not want a chance to cross paths with the girl they adored from a distance in their school days, with the possibility of actually finding romance? The answer is no one! Anyway, the premise behind Career Opportunities was solid, exemplified by how neat it would be to be alone in a massive store full of goodies overnight.
Unfortunately, these aspects did not make Career Opportunities the box office hit everyone had hoped for. Reaching number four in its first week, critics were also not very kind to the film. In truth, it is somewhat unfair because the film has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Hughes himself was allegedly not completely satisfied with the final product. Stating that the studio often brushed aside his suggestions, you could argue that Career Opportunities had a very different film from his other films because of it.
Nonetheless, it still has a ton of charm, including hilarious scenes when Whaley’s Dodge is dancing/roller skating to Rebel MC’s “Better World” in his shorts with a bridal veil on his head throughout Target without realizing he is being watched. There is also the unforgettable scene when he first goes for the interview at Target. Meeting with the store manager (portrayed by John Candy), there is a significant misunderstanding about what Dodge is in for, because he offered benefits and a salary, only to have it retracted when it is learned he was applying for night-time cleanup.
Anyway, you cut it, while Career Opportunities may not live up to the acclaim of other Hughes films, it is still a fan-favorite over three decades later. That is why dedicated film fans will be excited to know it is now available in 4K Ultra HD for the first time. Released on April 22, 2025, through Kino Lorber, this 4K Ultra HD edition jumps to the top of any physical format options ever released for Career Opportunities.
First and foremost, the 4K scan is significantly better in terms of rich color and contrast. This even trumps the 2023 Blu-ray. The unique features are superior because you have interviews with Dermot and Kieran Mulroney (who portray the store thieves from the film), plus the insightful Interior. Night. – a new featurette giving insight about the filming of Career Opportunities from the Director of Photography, Donald McApline.
Couple this with the fact that you get a 4K UHD and Blu-ray disc, as well as a slipcover featuring the original artwork, and it is hands down a must-have for fans. That is why Cryptic Rock believes Career Opportunities deserves more love, giving this new release from Kino Lorber 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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