I live in Michigan, and we actually have some nearby Family Videos. However, they are closing soon, so they are selling their used DVDs for cheap. My Grandma/guardian bought a bunch from 2 stores, as did I. The Associate was one that she bought, and she asked if I would watch it with her. I said sure, but I wasn't too amused with the overall product.
The Associate stars Whoopi Goldberg as Laurel, a woman who doesn't get a promotion at work on the basis that she is not a man. As an act of retaliation, she makes up a partner for a work project. Her boss wants to meet him, but since he is fictitious, we hear the constant excuse that he's either out of town or on vacation. Soon, the co-partner must appear at an award party, and a friend who does makeup for strippers comes to the rescue.
To start with the things I liked about The Associate, it is a well shot movie(on that note, it's from the director of Miss. Congenialty), and Whoopi's acting is a pleasure to watch, although her character is not. I'll get back to that in a minute.
The movie is also entertaining often, and apart from Whoopi, Dianne West as her best friend was a great performance, my favorite one, in fact.
Finally, on a rare occasion, The Associate did make me laugh. For a comedy though, I wanted a bit more laughter than what I got.
However, I had a lot more problems than I do praise. To start, while Whoopi shows her acting talent in this movie, I failed to see why I should care for her character. A majority of what she says are lies- who her partner is, where he is, that he exists, etc. I understand that was the only way for her ideas to get across, but as she tells more and more lies, I felt less and less sympathy for her.
What lies does she tell? Well, for starters, When Laurel is asked what her partner's name is when in a bar, she's like ummm...and looks at the alcohol bottles behind the man who asked.
One is called Cutty, so she says "Mr. Cutty." Someone later asks the same question and when they hear "Mr. Cutty", they say, "Oh, like the whisky?" I had 2 thoughts: "No kidding" was first, and the other was: "Shouldn't that be a clue that she's making this up?" Good thing she wasn't looking at a bottle of champagne!
Countless times in the movie, Laurel's boss asks her to see Mr. Cutty. She repeats 2 excuses- He's out of town on business, or he's on vacation. They never question either response, aside from complaining about how he never shows up. That really annoyed me. He's never shown his face, he's barely contributed to the company, and he can't attend any meeting the boss asks of Laurel.
When Laurel first takes the job, it is required for Mr. Cutty to show up, but since he is "out on business", they make an exception and give her a check for $100,000. Are you kidding me?
"Your partner needs to be here before you can be paid."
"He's not here, he's in another country."
"Oh, okay...here's $100,000."
Also, if you never show up for your job, don't you, um...get fired? No one wants to fire Mr. Cutty for not showing up, even when the excuse is that he is on VACATION from the job he hasn't even started, a point no employee at the business brings up or questions extensively.
To move on, every character in this movie is an IDIOT. Apart from Dianne West, who figures out that Laurel is Mr. Cutty on her own, no one can figure out that Mr. Cutty is fake. When only your 2 main characters have any sort of intelligence, I'm sorry, but you have not made a great movie.
The movie is also unoriginal, since the plot clearly borrows from the likes of Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie. All 3 of these movies are about someone disgusing themselves as the opposite sex to get what they want. However, Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie are FAR superior movies.
Speaking of which. Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams are convincing as women in their respective movies, but Whoopi does not make for a convincing white man. Even for a movie, I couldn't beleive anyone saw "Mr. Cutty" and bought that "he" was a man. Eddie Murphy does a better job being a white man in both Coming To America and The Nutty Professor. And yes, he's a guy, but still!
The film's message seems to be a pro-feminism one, since Laurel is discriminated against for being a woman and she fights against it. I have no problem with that message at all- I do believe that such a discrimination is wrong and that it should be fought against.
That said, I don't see how lying to get a better position is a fair basis for equality. Lying so extensively doesn't really make for a strong, independent woman. If I had written this script, I would have had her quit the job and start a business that is just as successful, if not more.
In fact, as I was watching this, I thought of the Disney movie Mulan, where she pretends to be a man so her elderly father doesn't have to fight in war. She also lies about being a man, but a)she does a much better job covering it up, and b)there was a more worthy cause. Laurel could have quit her job. Mulan had to keep going to do what is right. Yes, I have compared a live action movie to an animated one, and that should speak volumes.
If you want better movies that are both good and feminist, then see: Erin Brockovich, Fried Green Tomatoes, Iron Jawed Angels, or Thelma and Louise. And, as a bonus, Whoopi Goldberg does a better job displaying this message in The Color Purple.
As I said, Whoopi and Dianne West both gave great performances. If that is all you care about, you may like this movie. But as a whole, I don't recommend The Associate. It has a great message, but not a great story. And you need both to make a good movie.
Reverse Reccomendations: Apart from The Color Purple, better Whoopi Goldberg movies include: The Lion King, Blizzard, and Rat Race.(Be in a silly mood for that one.)
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