The story of Taking Care of Business
Taking Care of Business opens with a simple premise that unfolds into something far more chaotic and entertaining than you'd expect: an easygoing ex-convict named Jimmy Dworski (Jim Belushi) escapes prison and, through pure happenstance, acquires the business portfolio—or Filofax, as it's called—of an uptight Manhattan advertising executive named Spencer Barnes (Charles Grodin). What follows is a collision of two wildly different worlds. Jimmy doesn't hesitate. He assumes Spencer's identity, moves into his swanky apartment, and begins navigating the cutthroat universe of Madison Avenue advertising with the kind of street-smart confidence that makes absolutely no sense in that world—and yet somehow works. The film doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: a lightweight buddy-comedy romp where chaos and heart collide, and nobody really stays upset for very long.
How Taking Care of Business came together
Directed by Arthur Hiller, Taking Care of Business arrived in 1990 as a surprisingly ambitious comedy vehicle for Jim Belushi, who was riding the wave of his earlier dramatic work in films like The Principal. The film's most fascinating distinction isn't visible on screen at first—it's a footnote in Hollywood history: this marks the first screenplay written by J.J. Abrams, the filmmaker who would go on to direct Super 8 and helm Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Abrams' early work here shows flashes of his later sensibility: an affection for ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, a willingness to let character moments breathe alongside plot mechanics. The film was originally titled Filofax (a reference to the ubiquitous personal organizer that defined 1980s business culture), which tells you something about the period detail baked into its DNA. The supporting cast included Charles Grodin as the straight-man counterpart, alongside Anne DeSalvo, Loryn Locklin, Stephen Elliott, Héctor Elizondo, and Veronica Hamel. At 103 minutes, the film never outstays its welcome, and while it didn't set the box office on fire, it found an audience on home video and cable—the kind of movie that worked better in living rooms than multiplexes, honestly.
What makes Taking Care of Business stand out
The real engine of Taking Care of Business is the dynamic between Belushi and Grodin. Belushi brings a kind of lovable, slightly dim charm to Jimmy—he's not trying to be clever, he's just trying to survive and maybe grab a little piece of the good life. Grodin, meanwhile, is playing the uptight foil, the guy who's wound so tight he can barely function in his own life. What's striking is how the film doesn't actually mock Grodin's character; instead, it suggests that Spencer's buttoned-up existence is its own kind of prison. By the film's midpoint, they're not really opponents—they're both trapped by their circumstances, just in different ways. The comedy works because it's not mean-spirited. Nobody's trying to destroy anybody else; everyone's just trying to figure out how to get through the day. That's a surprisingly generous approach for a 1990 comedy, especially when you consider how many films from that era relied on humiliation and cringe for laughs. Viewers who've returned to the film over the years—and there's a dedicated contingent who have—often note that it holds up as a feel-good piece, even if the humor doesn't always land with contemporary sensibilities. The nostalgia factor is real, too. The Filofax itself becomes a character, a symbol of a specific moment in American business culture when people still carried physical planners and face-to-face meetings were the only way to seal a deal.
Where to stream Taking Care of Business online
If you're ready to revisit this slice of 1990s comedy, you can find Taking Care of Business on Prime Video, where it's currently available for streaming. Movie OTT keeps tabs on where titles like this one are streaming across multiple platforms, so if you're hunting for it or wondering about availability in your region, the where-to-watch widget at the top of this page will show you the most current options. It's one of those films that occasionally rotates between services, so checking the widget before you hit play is worth a quick second.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What was Taking Care of Business originally called?
The film was released under the title Filofax, a reference to the personal organizer that serves as a plot device. It was later retitled Taking Care of Business, named after the Randy Bachman song recorded by Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
Q: Who directed Taking Care of Business?
Arthur Hiller directed the film. Hiller was known for his work on comedies and dramas throughout the 1980s and 1990s, bringing a light touch to the material here.
Q: Is Taking Care of Business based on a true story?
No, it's an original screenplay written by J.J. Abrams, making it his first credited writing work. The premise is entirely fictional, though it taps into recognizable workplace and crime-comedy tropes.
Q: How long is Taking Care of Business?
The film runs 103 minutes, making it a brisk comedy that doesn't linger unnecessarily on any single plot point.
Q: Why is this Jim Belushi's best work?
That's subjective, but many fans consider it one of his most likable performances—a role that plays to his strengths as a comedic actor without requiring him to carry the entire emotional weight of the film, unlike some of his more dramatic roles.
Final thoughts on Taking Care of Business
Taking Care of Business won't blow your mind, and it's not trying to. What it does is deliver a solid 90-minute escape featuring two actors who understand their chemistry and a script that trusts its audience to appreciate character over constant joke-punching. It's a relic of a specific moment in American cinema—when comedies could be gentle, when streaming didn't exist, when a Filofax was actually a status symbol. Whether you're catching it for the first time or revisiting it after years away, there's something oddly comforting about its sincerity. That's the real trick here. It's not about the laughs—it's about watching two fundamentally decent people find common ground across a gulf that initially seemed unbridgeable.
