The Associate (1996)

28% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
53% of users liked it
(7,949 ratings)

In this comedy, a woman discovers that it's impossible to get ahead in business without a man to guide her -- so she invents one. Laurel (Whoopi Goldberg) is an expert financial analyst with a top Wall Street brokerage; however, she keeps getting passed over for raises and promotions, and she's… More In this comedy, a woman discovers that it's impossible to get ahead in business without a man to guide her -- so she invents one. Laurel (Whoopi Goldberg) is an expert financial analyst with a top Wall Street brokerage; however, she keeps getting passed over for raises and promotions, and she's convinced that no one at her firm takes her seriously because she's a black woman. Frustrated, Laurel and her loyal assistant Sally (Dianne Wiest) open a new firm, but Laurel discovers that her fears were based firmly in reality: male clients don't want to take financial advice from women, especially women of color. So Laurel invents a white man, Robert S. Cutty, to be the firm's top adviser. Speaking on Cutty's behalf, Laurel passes along the fictional man's advice, which her new clients find to be quite sound, and when they stop by to see him, he always manages to be out of the office (and why wouldn't a man so successful be busy?). The ruse seems to work, and soon Laurel's business is going great guns, but an increasingly large number of her clients want to see Cutty face to face, which won't be easy to pull off. However, with the help of a drag queen, Laurel tries to remake herself into Cutty for a night in order to keep her firm afloat. The Associate was based on a novel by author Jenaro Prieto. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Donald Petrie
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 25, 1996 Wide
On DVD: May 15, 2001

Critic Reviews

Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Goldberg's unconvincing makeup looks like a cheap latex Halloween mask of a cross between Marlon Brando and the guy on the Quaker Oats box.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
The farce promised by "The Associate" disappoints, but Goldberg and Wiest's sister act is surprisingly affirming.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

Whoopie is fantabulous... She totally bamboozles here.
danny d

i only roughly remember this one, i think it was decent but i dont care for whoopi much
Sunil J

Dianne Wiest and Whoopi make this movie funny. I have been watching this movie for over a decade.

Cast

            Whoopi Goldberg as Laurel

            Dianne Wiest as Sally

            Eli Wallach as Fallon

            Tim Daly as Frank

            Bebe Neuwirth as Camille

            George Morfogen as Plaza Manager

            Joel Blake as Poker Palyer

            Leon Addison Brown as reporter

            Colleen Camp as Detective Jones

            Miles Chapin as Harry

            Jean De Baer as loan officer

            Darryl Edwards as executive At Strip Club

            Helen Hanft as Mrs. Cupchick

            Jerry Hardin as Harley Mason

            Baxter Harris as Disgruntled Investor

            Zeljko Ivanek as SEC Agent Thompkins

            Billy Jaye as Plaza Reporter

            Lainie Kazan as Cindy Mason

            Ken Kerr as Charlie

            Vincent Laresca as Plaza Men's Room Attendant

            George Martin as Manchester

            Bernie McInerney as Cilent At Cutty/Ayres

            Peter McRobbie as Executive At Strip Club

            Liana Pai as Plaza Concierge Charlotte

            Austin Pendleton as Aesop

            Sally Jessy Raphael as Herself

            Rex Robbins as Investor At 21 Club

            Frederick Rolf as Carl Bode

            John Rothman as Jogging Track Executive

            Socorro Santiago as Syntonex Worker

            John Short as Harley's Associate

            Brian Tarantina as Eddie

            Donald Trump as Himself

            Louis Turenne as Peabody Club Concierge

            Thomas Wagner as Harley's Associate

            Katherine Wallach as reporter

            Ira Wheeler as Investor At 21 Club

            Lee Wilkof as Bissel

            Ginny Yang as Funeral Reporter

            Robert Levin as Door Slam Executive

            Boris McGiver as Plaza Reporter

            Ted Brunetti as Fallon's Messenger

            Allison Janney as Sandy

            Johnny Miller as Himself

            Craig Braun as Disgruntled Investor

            Kathleen McClellan as Frank's Girlfriend

            Larry Gilliard Jr. as Plaza Bellhop Thomas

            Alberto Alejandrino as Maître D' At Peabody Club

            Judith Calder as Audience Member

            Jonathan Freeman as Hockey Game Executive

            Roy Gerson Orchestra as Fallon Ball Band

            Corrine Manning as Fallon Ball Band

            William Hill as Detective Templeton

            Kenny Kerr
            
            Laine Kazan
            
            Robert Levine
            
See full cast