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IMDb > Taking Care of Business (1990)
Taking Care of Business
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Taking Care of Business (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   2,621 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Arthur Hiller
Writers (WGA):
Jill Mazursky (written by) &
J.J. Abrams (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Taking Care of Business on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 August 1990 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Sport more
Tagline:
Jimmy Dworski Finally Got A Life... Somebody Else's! more
Plot:
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
J.J. Abrams
 (From The AV Club. 2 September 2008, 9:01 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Silly and implausible, but incredibly fast-paced and often very funny! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Belushi ... Jimmy Dworski
Charles Grodin ... Spencer Barnes

Anne De Salvo ... Debbie Lipton
Loryn Locklin ... Jewel Bentley
Stephen Elliott ... Walter Bentley

Hector Elizondo ... Warden Toolman
Veronica Hamel ... Elizabeth Barnes

Mako ... Mr. Sakamoto

Gates McFadden ... Diane Connors
John de Lancie ... Ted Bradford Jr.
Thom Sharp ... Mike Steward
Ken Foree ... J.B., Prisoner making demands
John Marshall Jones ... LeBradford Brown (as J.J.)
Andre Rosey Brown ... Heavy G
Terrence E. McNally ... Hamilton
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Filofax (South Africa: English title)
Taking Care of Business (South Africa: English title) (TV title)
more
Runtime:
Germany:104 min | Spain:105 min | USA:107 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Australia:M | Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #30597) | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
First Baseman Mark Grace and Pitcher Bert Blyleven, who make cameos in the film actually played in the Major Leagues for the Chicago Cubs and California, now Anaheim Angels. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Disappearing shaving cream on Spencer's face after Elizabeth comes into the bathroom and embraces him in their first scene. more
Quotes:
Jewel Bentley: That was the best safe sex I've ever had!
Jimmy Dworski: That was the best sex I've had in 2 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 5 days!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Heart and Souls (1993) more
Soundtrack:
Take Me Out To The Ballgame more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
Silly and implausible, but incredibly fast-paced and often very funny!, 12 September 2001
7/10
Author: mattymatt4ever from Jersey City, NJ

When I first watched this movie, I laughed and laughed and laughed! I was dying! Yes, it's a silly comedy that mostly depends on slapstick, but it works. The plot becomes more implausible by the minute, but with a film as fast-paced and funny as this, you tend to overlook all those flaws. Unless...it's your second viewing.

Some comedies are incredibly funny on the first viewing, and are almost as--if not just as--funny on all the following viewings. You even start to laugh at jokes you didn't get the first time around. And there are comedies that are incredibly funny on the first viewing, but the laughs decrease on all the following viewings. Unfortunately, "Taking Care of Business" is an example of the latter. And as the laughs decrease, I felt more obligated to observe the plot. Though it succeeds in delivering big-time laughs, "TCOB" is a shallow farce that doesn't know when to quit.

James Belushi is the main saving grace. Comic talent and energy obviously runs in the family (his brother, the late John Belushi) and he's doing a terrific job at carrying on the Belushi name. His starring roles in little-known films haven't given him the opportunity to show off his knack for comedy, but every once in a while he steals the show, one of which was his supporting role in the underrated romantic comedy "Return to Me." Jim's an underrated talent, who has an amazing comic energy--without being obnoxious--and I hope to see him in more and more comedies. Charles Grodin is amusingly deadpan. Then again, portraying his stuck-up character wasn't much of a stretch. But towards the film's conclusion, he shows off his more outrageous side and he's quite good. That blonde chick who plays Belushi's love interest is an absolute knockout! I didn't get her name, but I hope to see her more often.

Despite its flaws, I can't completely downgrade a film that made me laugh hysterically the first time. Sure, you won't like it as much the second time, but who said you have to watch it a second time? Just watch it once and indulge! Plus, it has that great title song!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Taking Care of Business (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This was called filofax In the uk wobber999
Scratched DVD - Can someone fill in the blanks in a couple of scenes? semiretard
Charles Grodin!? Son_of_Die_Harde
'WOW, That's a beauty!. . . JustBeenSeen
This was on Sky Movies.. bAzTNM
Why do they become buddies? bAzTNM
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