A businessman comes to Washington with his ex Vegas showgirl girlfriend, and after some embarrassments, he hires a reporter as tutor to smarten her up. She turns out to be smart, sucks up kn... Read allA businessman comes to Washington with his ex Vegas showgirl girlfriend, and after some embarrassments, he hires a reporter as tutor to smarten her up. She turns out to be smart, sucks up knowledge and questions things. Trouble?A businessman comes to Washington with his ex Vegas showgirl girlfriend, and after some embarrassments, he hires a reporter as tutor to smarten her up. She turns out to be smart, sucks up knowledge and questions things. Trouble?
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Alex Duffee, Sect. of the Navy
- (as Benjamin C. Bradlee)
- Sen. Hedges
- (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Secretary of the Navy and his wife are played by retired Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his real-life wife, former Post reporter Sally Quinn.
- GoofsAfter playing Gin Rummy, she says that'll be $225.10. When he counts the money out of his pocket, he only counts out 3 bills. No combination of 3 bills could possibly equal $225. He does take the 10 cents out after that.
- Quotes
Billie: But I've been thinking a lot lately about something my dad used to say: "Without knowledge, you're less than everybody." And I don't want to be less. I mean, I don't want to be better than anybody neither and I don't want to go above myself. I just want- I want to not be less.
Paul: Well, I'm afraid it's too late for that... cause you're already more than most people.
- SoundtracksBABY WORK OUT
Written by Jackie Wilson and Alonzo Tucker
Performed by Jackie Wilson
Courtesy of Score Productions of Atlanta, Georgia
By Arrangement with Butterfly Entertainment
The story is essentially a wake-up call to the slumbering giant that is the American public masquerading as a romantic comedy. A book called Democracy in America – which was actually written in the 19th Century by a Frenchman named Tocqueville – plays a big part. By studying its concepts, Brock's moll Billy (Melanie Griffith) awakens to the fact that she is being duped by Harry, who represents the forces of rampant capitalism, and rises up against her oppressor. Whether the message is particularly relevant to its target audience is open to question, but perhaps its assumption that it won't really be taken too seriously allows the film to make its symbolism so literal that few will miss the parallels. For example when Ed Devery (Edward Hermann), Brock's right-hand man who clearly feels he has sold his soul ('I died twelve years ago,' he tells Brock after his employer shows concern for striking him in a rage) picks up a copy of the book it signals a reawakening of his conscience which is quickly quashed when Brock snatches it from his hand and throws it to the ground. Others, like the radio presenter, pay lip service to the concept without really understanding it. The way the message is couched in this straightforward simplicity raises the film higher than others of its type.
In a bland, thankless role that goes nowhere, Don Johnson wears horn-rimmed glasses and combs his hair forward to dispel memories of designer-clad cops. Even if he was anything more than a workmanlike actor he would struggle to do anything with the role. Griffith is likable enough, but her rapid transformation from bubble-headed blonde to hair-in-a-bun brain-box is so fast it fairly takes your breath away. One minute she's impatiently searching for something to watch during the dead time between the soaps and Entertainment Tonight and the next she's teaching a group of Senators the American constitution.
The film itself is entertaining enough; it certainly isn't as bad as you'd expect, and it's rating on this site is surprisingly low. But then, I suppose a lot of people watch this because they've seen (and liked) the original, which is a major hurdle for any film to overcome.
- JoeytheBrit
- Aug 12, 2010
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,952,857
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,911,343
- Mar 28, 1993
- Gross worldwide
- $17,952,857
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1