Either the writers, Dori Pierson and Marc Rubel, or the director just grew tired and decided after 97 minutes that it’s time to wrap this thing up and… “They all lived happily ever after!” Too much time is given to the comedic choreography and not to the relationships and the story. And the idea is great, Midler is brilliant and Tomlin is hilarious but the foundation of the film fell apart at the end.
Mainly, Big Business is Jim Abrahams ( Airplane! Police Squad! Hot Shots! Why does everything have to have an exclamation point? Is Abrahams a millennial? Or me!) trying to give these comedic queens a shot at a fun romp in line with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. (One of the problems with the film, keep reading below.) What makes you… you, who will end up with who and will the little town of Jupiter Hollow be saved? These are the main plot points in Big Business. And there are romances involved too, an ex-husband, an Italian Businessman, a mini-golf champion and a fiancé! But the men are side characters and their stories are of little consequence. And Rose from Jupiter Hollow is tough and street smart while New York Rose is clumsy and kind-natured. One Sadie is ruthless and savvy while the other is bubbly but fairly thick. Nurture” is alluded to in Big Business and there’s a balance between genes and environment! Each set has a dominant sister and a sibling willing to submit.
#BETTE MIDLER MOVIES BIG BUSINESS MOVIE#
The sale and stripping of the company will destroy the town so the Ratliff sisters are on their way to NYC to save the day! The majority of the movie takes place in New York, specifically at the Plaza Hotel with many mix ups between the staff and the sets of twins. Forty years later the Shelton sisters are running their father’s business and they decide to sell the small Hollowmade Factory in Jupiter Hollow that their father bought the night they were born. The small hospital is so overwhelmed by all these baby girls that the elderly nurse mixes up the twins and both sets end up with a Rose (Lily Tomlin and Lily Tomlin) and a Sadie (Bette Midler and Bette Midler). it’s 1948 and two sets of identical twin girls are born in the small town of Jupiter Hollow on the same night! One set to the wealthy Shelton’s of New York City and the other set to the impoverished Ratliff family that lives just up the road. Nurtureįor those not familiar with Big Business, here’s the basic idea. And so, I’m torn! The nostalgic side of me wants to cheer on Big Business as a comedic dance while the current middle-aged film buff wants to roll her eyes. Neither of those opinions have changed a bit, I might go get an 80’s perm this weekend! As a budding preteen I didn’t care about endings and themes and the constant cheesiness made me giggle.
I was obsessed with Midler’s giant hair and polka-dot suits and I had been a big fan of Tomlin’s hilarity since 9 to 5 and The Incredible Shrinking Woman. In fact they thought it might be the vehicle for a Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler trilogy of comedic mishaps! (I WISH!) Instead the borrowed, bumbling routines and the unfinished ending feel like a total let down especially with the talents of Tomlin and Midler involved!īut here’s the thing, I LOVE THIS DISASTER OF A FILM! I remember watching Big Business as a 11 year old in 6th grade. Jim Abrahams’ 1988 Big Business was meant to be a fast paced, slap-stick comedy in the styles of Abbott and Costello and the Marx Brothers. A Child Of The 80’s Visits “Old Friends” Midler & Tomlin! Directed by Jim Abrahams/ 1988 Street Date May 1, 2018/ Kino-Lorber Studio Classics
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