The Associate 1996
The Associate ★★ 1996 (PG-13)
Whoopi drags a 20-minute premise over almost two hours when she invents an elderly, white, male business partner to give her fledgling financial consulting business some prestige. After having all her moneymaking ideas appropriated by male colleagues, Laurel Ayres (Goldberg) starts her own business, only to find that no one wants to hire her. She creates the genius and the money comes rolling in. Everyone clamors to meet the mystery man, so she goes undercover as the elusive Robert S. Cutty. The sight of Goldberg in old white guy garb and makeup is jarring, and the payoff doesn't merit the overlong build up. Based on the French film “L'Associate” and the Jenaro Prieto novel “El Socio.” 113m/C VHS, DVD . Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Daly, Bebe Neuwirth, Dianne Wiest, Eli Wallach; D: Donald Petrie; W: Nick Thiel; C: Alex Nepomniaschy; M: Christopher Tyng.