| Taking Care of Business | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byDrew Struzan | |
| Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
| Written by | Jill Mazursky J. J. Abrams |
| Produced by | Geoffrey Taylor |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Edited by | William H. Reynolds |
| Music by | Stewart Copeland |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[1] |
| Box office | $20 million |
Taking Care of Business (released theatrically in the United Kingdom asFilofax) is a 1990 Americancomedy film directed byArthur Hiller and starringJames Belushi andCharles Grodin. It is named after the songof the same name byRandy Bachman, recorded by the Canadian rock groupBachman–Turner Overdrive. The film is also known for being the first screenplay work written byJ. J. Abrams, who later went on to make several blockbuster films, includingSuper 8 andStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
The film follows a work-obsessed businessman who loses hisFilofax, which is found by a recent prison escapee, who assumes his identity, moves into his home and proceeds to mess up his business dealings.
Convictedcar thief and passionateChicago Cubs fan, Jimmy Dworski (Belushi) wins tickets to theWorld Series. Unfortunately, he still has a couple of days left to serve inprison, and the warden, Frank Toolman (Héctor Elizondo), will not let him leave and come back. With help from the other inmates, Jimmy stages aprison riot so he can sneak out of prison to see the game. On the way, he finds theFilofax of stuffy and arrogant advertising executive Spencer Barnes (Grodin), which promises a reward if it is found.
Over the next day, Jimmy takes on Barnes'identity—staying in theMalibubeach house of Spencer's boss, flirting with the boss's daughter and attending a meeting with a powerfulJapanese food companymagnate named Sakamoto (Mako Iwamatsu). The fake "Spencer"'s uncouth behavior, such as beating the magnate at tennis and telling him about the poor quality of his food products, gets the attention of Sakamoto. However his unconventional negotiations with the food company insult some of the executives, seemingly ruining Spencer's reputation.
Meanwhile, lacking his precious Filofax, the real Spencer Barnes is struggling to cope. Losing all his clothes, his car and money, he has to rely on an old high school flame, theneurotic and talkative Debbie Lipton (Anne De Salvo) who keeps trying to rekindle a relationship with him.
Finally Jimmy and Spencer come together at a meeting with the advertising executives, where Spencer's boss finally pushes him over the edge for Jimmy's work, and Spencer quits. As a consolation Jimmy takes Spencer to the World Series, where Jimmy makes a spectacular catch on a home-run ball hit byMark Grace (who makes a cameo here).
When security goes after Jimmy, who was spotted on theJumbotron, they escape by using Spencer's Filofax to slide down a support wire and out of the stadium. Spencer patches up his marriage with his wife, who had become intolerant with hisworkaholic lifestyle. Jimmy sneaks back into prison with Spencer's help, serves his last couple of hours and is released, only to find Spencer waiting to pick him up. With the promise of a beautiful girlfriend and a well-paying job in an advertising business with Spencer, Jimmy's future looks bright, as the Cubs win the World Series.
Baseball scenes forTaking Care of Business were filmed atAngel Stadium of Anaheim inCalifornia.
The film is notable for featuring John de Lancie and Gates McFadden together in scenes who were also in theStar Trek: The Next Generation television show at the time.
The film grossed $20 million in the United States.
Review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported that 33% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 3.1/10.[2] OnMetacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[4] Caryn James ofThe New York Times labeled it as a film that "plays it safe and boring."[5]Jonathan Rosenbaum of theChicago Reader wrote, "This is a pretty stupid comedy in spots, with holes wide enough to drive trucks through, and director Arthur Hiller is as clunky as ever, but the cast is so funny and likable that they almost bring it off in spite of itself."[6] Michael Wilmington of theLos Angeles Times wrote, "As a comedy, ‘Taking Care of Business’ has everything going for it but laughs. It's like a stand-up comic who invested his sense of humor in the Sunbelt Jokes Savings and Loan: Ithasn't got a million of them," and, "There's something eerie about this movie: a kind of mix-and-matchTrading Places, a cross-townMidnight Run with anOdd Couple who never meet."[7]