Before "Office Space", there was "Head Office"
Judge Reinhold is a weak leading man in this wicked attack on corporations. That leaves an ensemble of crooked corporate cronies to fill in the gaps. Many familiar stars from the 80s will pop on the screen, like Rick Moranis and Danny Devito. With SNL alums Brian Doyle-Murray, Michael O'Donoghue, and Don Novello. Filling out the cast is Eddie Albert, an angry CEO that could have been Leslie Nielson. Then there is Jane Seymour, who is always seen in her lingerie as she meticulously sleeps her way to the top. Perhaps Seymour saw a chance to show her comedic side, but her character is a one joke cliche that has no other dimension to it. Too bad, her presence on the screen is a welcome sight. The female lead is an unknown Lori-Nan Englar who had no career to speak of other than this.
Reinhold is complacent son of a rich senator that waltzes his way into a large corporation, with all players well aware of the political favouritism going on. Englar heads a group protesting the corporation closing down a factory that will put thousands out of work. This movie, which came out in 1985, was adroitly following the news of the times as car and steel factories, amongst other manufacturing jobs, were going overseas for cheaper labour (and higher profits). Eddie Albert as a CEO is a hoot ("Can you believe I came into this town with only 43 million dollars?") that lambasts a company like General Electric, that makes both nuclear weapons and your microwave oven. The CEO is petty enough to individually review each delinquent phone account. "Disconnect!" he declares when hearing that the payment is 3 months overdue.
The reason I enjoyed this film when it first came out, was a scene where another easygoing co-employee (TV favourite Richard Masur) shares a spleef with Reinhold right before he is supposed to make a statement to the public about the factory shutdown. Stoned, Reinhold blurts out the truth about making profits and shocks everyone. But the film really succeeds by adding funny tidbits that happen with the other corporate shills that keep you grinning.
A few unsurprising twists happen to keep the ending lively, but you really walk away with the image of Don King (and his hair) sitting in a boardroom surrounded by mild-mannered looking businessmen. Watching it again decades later, the film reeks of 80s music (featuring General Public) and fashion. But the humour carries well, as it timelessly portrays the inevitable corruption of large corporations.
Judge Reinhold is a weak leading man in this wicked attack on corporations. That leaves an ensemble of crooked corporate cronies to fill in the gaps. Many familiar stars from the 80s will pop on the screen, like Rick Moranis and Danny Devito. With SNL alums Brian Doyle-Murray, Michael O'Donoghue, and Don Novello. Filling out the cast is Eddie Albert, an angry CEO that could have been Leslie Nielson. Then there is Jane Seymour, who is always seen in her lingerie as she meticulously sleeps her way to the top. Perhaps Seymour saw a chance to show her comedic side, but her character is a one joke cliche that has no other dimension to it. Too bad, her presence on the screen is a welcome sight. The female lead is an unknown Lori-Nan Englar who had no career to speak of other than this.
Reinhold is complacent son of a rich senator that waltzes his way into a large corporation, with all players well aware of the political favouritism going on. Englar heads a group protesting the corporation closing down a factory that will put thousands out of work. This movie, which came out in 1985, was adroitly following the news of the times as car and steel factories, amongst other manufacturing jobs, were going overseas for cheaper labour (and higher profits). Eddie Albert as a CEO is a hoot ("Can you believe I came into this town with only 43 million dollars?") that lambasts a company like General Electric, that makes both nuclear weapons and your microwave oven. The CEO is petty enough to individually review each delinquent phone account. "Disconnect!" he declares when hearing that the payment is 3 months overdue.
The reason I enjoyed this film when it first came out, was a scene where another easygoing co-employee (TV favourite Richard Masur) shares a spleef with Reinhold right before he is supposed to make a statement to the public about the factory shutdown. Stoned, Reinhold blurts out the truth about making profits and shocks everyone. But the film really succeeds by adding funny tidbits that happen with the other corporate shills that keep you grinning.
A few unsurprising twists happen to keep the ending lively, but you really walk away with the image of Don King (and his hair) sitting in a boardroom surrounded by mild-mannered looking businessmen. Watching it again decades later, the film reeks of 80s music (featuring General Public) and fashion. But the humour carries well, as it timelessly portrays the inevitable corruption of large corporations.