Strictly Business
Encyclopedia
Strictly Business, released in 1991
, is a comedy film
directed by Kevin Hooks
, and starring Tommy Davidson
, Joseph C. Phillips
, and Halle Berry
. The supporting cast includes Anne-Marie Johnson
, David Marshall Grant
, Jon Cypher
, and Samuel L. Jackson
.
The film follows the ways of a mail clerk as he tries to hook his executive friend up with his clubbing girl pal. It plays on comedy, business, romance, and ethics. The film features a young Sam Rockwell
, and the R&B group Jodeci
right before their musical success.
Strictly Business was shot at various locations in New York City
. The prime location used in shooting the film was Manhattan
. The film was released on November 8, 1991 and was made for a selected audience and was not as widely released as most films of that year.
, but he has a trump card, his best friend Waymon, an African-American who is almost a partner in the firm. They make a deal: Waymon will try to move Bobby to the trainee broker program if he will help him meet Natalie, the girl of his dreams. There's only one problem, everyone will have to change.
): Bobby is a mail clerk at a major real estate
firm in New York City who is care free. He is a party type who is always going out even when he has to work the next day. Despite his meek background and his club status he has some big time connections. He is the one who hook Waymon and Natalie up...if Waymon makes Bobby his trainee.
Waymon Tinsdale III (Joseph C. Phillips
): Waymon is a big business man who is about to be made a partner at the firm if he can close out a big deal. He is stuck in an unhappy relationship and by chance bumps into the woman of his dreams while out to lunch one day. His friend Bobby holds the key to hooking both of them up because he knows both of them and how to connect them.
Diedre (Anne-Marie Johnson
): She is the girlfriend of Waymon. She doesn't really love him but is with him because they make a good team. She is very controlling and is very materialistic.
David (David Marshall Grant
): He is a big business man and works at the firm with Waymon and Bobby. He pretends to be Waymon's friend but is actually racist and is plotting against him to fail in his latest deal.
Drake (Jon Cypher
): He is the owner of the firm that Bobby and Waymon work at. He is the one who will promote Waymon if the deal goes through.
Monroe (Samuel L. Jackson
): He is the supervisor of the mailroom
. He is a person who tries to assert his authority at all given times and also tries to suck up when the high ups are around. He is always looking for a reason to get rid of Bobby.
Natalie (Halle Berry
): She is Waymon's dream girl. She is a club girl who sets up clubs and gets patrons to come and fill them. She also has dreams of owning her own club some day.
Gary (Sam Rockwell
) : A St. John's graduate (who is also Bobby's Friend/former co-worker) who got a promotion (to work upstairs) by David.
. It peaked at 64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
, is a comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Kevin Hooks
Kevin Hooks
Kevin Hooks is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable from his roles in Aaron Loves Angela and Sounder, but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's The White Shadow....
, and starring Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson is an American comedian, film and television actor.Born in Washington, D.C., Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High...
, Joseph C. Phillips
Joseph C. Phillips
Joseph Connor Phillips is an American actor and conservative Christian commentator and writer. He is best known for his role as Martin Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.-Personal life:...
, and Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
. The supporting cast includes Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
, David Marshall Grant
David Marshall Grant
David Marshall Grant is an American actor and playwright.-Life and career:Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents...
, Jon Cypher
Jon Cypher
-Biography:Born in New York City, Cypher graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in 1949 and Brooklyn College in 1953. He made his television debut as the Prince in the original 1957 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Julie Andrews in the title role...
, and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
.
The film follows the ways of a mail clerk as he tries to hook his executive friend up with his clubbing girl pal. It plays on comedy, business, romance, and ethics. The film features a young Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
, and the R&B group Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
right before their musical success.
Strictly Business was shot at various locations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The prime location used in shooting the film was Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The film was released on November 8, 1991 and was made for a selected audience and was not as widely released as most films of that year.
Synopsis
Fun-loving Bobby is a mail clerk in a big firmCorporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, but he has a trump card, his best friend Waymon, an African-American who is almost a partner in the firm. They make a deal: Waymon will try to move Bobby to the trainee broker program if he will help him meet Natalie, the girl of his dreams. There's only one problem, everyone will have to change.
Characters
Bobby Johnson (Tommy DavidsonTommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson is an American comedian, film and television actor.Born in Washington, D.C., Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High...
): Bobby is a mail clerk at a major real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
firm in New York City who is care free. He is a party type who is always going out even when he has to work the next day. Despite his meek background and his club status he has some big time connections. He is the one who hook Waymon and Natalie up...if Waymon makes Bobby his trainee.
Waymon Tinsdale III (Joseph C. Phillips
Joseph C. Phillips
Joseph Connor Phillips is an American actor and conservative Christian commentator and writer. He is best known for his role as Martin Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.-Personal life:...
): Waymon is a big business man who is about to be made a partner at the firm if he can close out a big deal. He is stuck in an unhappy relationship and by chance bumps into the woman of his dreams while out to lunch one day. His friend Bobby holds the key to hooking both of them up because he knows both of them and how to connect them.
Diedre (Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
): She is the girlfriend of Waymon. She doesn't really love him but is with him because they make a good team. She is very controlling and is very materialistic.
David (David Marshall Grant
David Marshall Grant
David Marshall Grant is an American actor and playwright.-Life and career:Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents...
): He is a big business man and works at the firm with Waymon and Bobby. He pretends to be Waymon's friend but is actually racist and is plotting against him to fail in his latest deal.
Drake (Jon Cypher
Jon Cypher
-Biography:Born in New York City, Cypher graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in 1949 and Brooklyn College in 1953. He made his television debut as the Prince in the original 1957 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Julie Andrews in the title role...
): He is the owner of the firm that Bobby and Waymon work at. He is the one who will promote Waymon if the deal goes through.
Monroe (Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
): He is the supervisor of the mailroom
Mailroom
A mailroom is a room in which incoming and outgoing mail is processed and sorted. Mailrooms are commonly found in schools, offices, apartment buildings, and the generic post office....
. He is a person who tries to assert his authority at all given times and also tries to suck up when the high ups are around. He is always looking for a reason to get rid of Bobby.
Natalie (Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
): She is Waymon's dream girl. She is a club girl who sets up clubs and gets patrons to come and fill them. She also has dreams of owning her own club some day.
Gary (Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
) : A St. John's graduate (who is also Bobby's Friend/former co-worker) who got a promotion (to work upstairs) by David.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on October 29, 1991 by Uptown RecordsUptown Records
Uptown Records was an American record label, founded by Andre Harrell in 1986. It went on to become one of the most popular Hip-Hop and R&B labels of the late 1980's and early 1990s. Featured on the roster were such luminaries as Guy, Heavy D & The Boyz, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, and Soul for Real...
. It peaked at 64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.