The Associate (1996)
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28% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
53% of users liked it
(8,059 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… 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
- Directed By
- Donald Petrie
- Genres
- Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Oct 25, 1996 Wide
Critic Reviews
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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.
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Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
The farce promised by "The Associate" disappoints, but Goldberg and Wiest's sister act is surprisingly affirming.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Whoopi Goldberg
as Laurel
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Dianne Wiest
as Sally
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Eli Wallach
as Fallon
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Tim Daly
as Frank
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Bebe Neuwirth
as Camille
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George Morfogen
as Plaza Manager
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Joel Blake
as Poker Palyer
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Leon Addison Brown
as reporter
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Colleen Camp
as Detective Jones
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Miles Chapin
as Harry
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Jean De Baer
as loan officer
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Darryl Edwards
as executive At Strip Club
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Helen Hanft
as Mrs. Cupchick
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Jerry Hardin
as Harley Mason
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Baxter Harris
as Disgruntled Investor
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Zeljko Ivanek
as SEC Agent Thompkins
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Billy Jaye
as Plaza Reporter
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Lainie Kazan
as Cindy Mason
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Ken Kerr
as Charlie
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Vincent Laresca
as Plaza Men's Room Attendant
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George Martin
as Manchester
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Bernie McInerney
as Cilent At Cutty/Ayres
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Peter McRobbie
as Executive At Strip Club
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Liana Pai
as Plaza Concierge Charlotte
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Austin Pendleton
as Aesop
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Sally Jessy Raphael
as Herself
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Rex Robbins
as Investor At 21 Club
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Frederick Rolf
as Carl Bode
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John Rothman
as Jogging Track Executive
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Socorro Santiago
as Syntonex Worker
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John Short
as Harley's Associate
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Brian Tarantina
as Eddie
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Donald Trump
as Himself
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Louis Turenne
as Peabody Club Concierge
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Thomas Wagner
as Harley's Associate
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Katherine Wallach
as reporter
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Ira Wheeler
as Investor At 21 Club
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Lee Wilkof
as Bissel
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Ginny Yang
as Funeral Reporter
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Robert Levin
as Door Slam Executive
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Boris McGiver
as Plaza Reporter
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Ted Brunetti
as Fallon's Messenger
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Allison Janney
as Sandy
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Johnny Miller
as Himself
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Craig Braun
as Disgruntled Investor
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Kathleen McClellan
as Frank's Girlfriend
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Larry Gilliard Jr.
as Plaza Bellhop Thomas
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Alberto Alejandrino
as Maître D' At Peabody Club, Maître D' At...
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Judith Calder
as Audience Member
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Jonathan Freeman
as Hockey Game Executive
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Roy Gerson Orchestra
as Fallon Ball Band
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Corrine Manning
as Fallon Ball Band
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William Hill
as Detective Templeton
- Kenny Kerr
- Laine Kazan
- Robert Levine
