History Film / TheAssociate

%% * IntrepidReporter: Cindy Mason.
* InventedIndividual: Cutty starts as Laurel's invisible business partner. He graduates to TwoAliasesSameCharacter when Laurel is forced also to play Cutty when is forced to appear in person.

* InventedIndividual: Cutty starts as Laurel's invisible business partner. He graduates to TwoAliasSameCharacter when Laurel is forced also to play Cutty when is forced to appear in person.

* BuxomIsBetter: Sandy, a businesswoman at Manchester, tells Laurel that she’s considering getting breast implants because it helps in business. She suggests that Laurel flash a little more cleavage in the office if she wants businessmen to listen to her.

%% * TheReveal: Laurel rips off her Cutty mask while accepting the Businessman of the Year Award at the Peabody Club.

* AllMenArePerverts: The fact that an important lunch meeting is held at a strip club makes it pretty obvious.
* AmbitionIsEvil: {{Averted}}. If it weren’t for Laurel’s ambition to implement her own ideas, Syntonex would have gone bankrupt.
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Camille’s reaction to Cutty’s disinterest in her.
* TheBabyTrap: Camille attempts one on Laurel when she's disguised as a man.

* TheCameo: Golf player Johnny Miller and Creator/DonaldTrump.
* CigarChomper: Donald Fallon is one. The employees at Syntonex assume Cutty to be one as well and send him a box of cigars in thanks for saving their company.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive / ThereAreNoGoodExecutives: {{Played straight}}. Even [[spoiler: Fallon]], whom Laurel trusted with most of her business, ended up selling her out in favor of doing business with Cutty only.
** Averted with Aesop Franklin. He might be socially inept but he is a very decent businessman.

* EmbarrassingFirstName: Aesop Franklin.

* IntrepidReporter / {{Paparazzi}}: Cindy Mason.
* {{Jerkass}}: Frank.
* LatexPerfection: The Cutty mask that Charlie makes for Laurel.

** For a film about women’s struggle in the workplace, there are a surprising number of them. Most notably, Camille has a chat with Laurel while trying on lingerie. She wears a black bra and panties while trying to seduce Cutty, and [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Laurel almost gives herself away when she notices]].

* TheNineties: The technology gives it away the most.
* OfficeGolf: Oddly enough, Fallon helps himself to a game of this in Laurel/Cutty's office.
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Sally Dugan.
* ReallyGetsAround: Camille. Laurel-as-Cutty calls her out on this and tells her to use her brain in business rather than…other things.
* TheReveal: Laurel rips off her Cutty mask while accepting the Businessman of the Year Award at the Peabody Club.

* SlapSlapKiss: Laurel and Frank.
* SlowClap: A waiter at the Peabody club starts one after Laurel reveals she was Cutty all along.
* SmokyGentlemensClub: The Peabody Club.

''The Associate'' is a 1996 comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Creator/WhoopiGoldberg. Also in the cast are Creator/DianneWiest, Creator/TimDaly, Creator/BebeNeuwirth, and Creator/EliWallach.

* StockUnderwear: Camille wears a black bra and panties quite well.

* LineOfSightName: Laurel comes up with the name of her “business partner” after seeing a bartender pour a bottle of Cutty Sark brand Scotch.

** For a film about women’s struggle in the workplace, there are a surprising number of them. Most notably, Camille has a chat with Laurel while trying on lingerie. She wears a black bra and panties while trying to seduce Cutty, and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Laurel almost gives herself away when she notices]].

* WhiteLikeMe: [[WhoopiGoldberg Laurel]] disguises herself as Cutty, an elderly white man.

''The Associates'' is a 1996 comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Creator/WhoopiGoldberg. Also in the cast are Dianne Wiest, Creator/TimDaly, Creator/BebeNeuwirth, and Creator/EliWallach.

''The Associates'' is a 1996 comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Creator/WhoopiGoldberg.

Laurel’s plan hits a snag when it becomes necessary for the fictional Mr. Cutty to make a physical appearance. With the help of her secretary Sally Dugan (Dianne Wiest), [[SweetPollyOliver Laurel disguises herself in prosthetics]] [[WhiteLikeMe as the elderly white businessman]]. Despite a series of mishaps, Laurel manages to pull off her masquerade for a night without being discovered. Trouble mounts as Laurel’s former business partner Frank (Creator/TimDaly) becomes fixated on ruining her success. Meanwhile dozens of high-profile people want a piece of Cutty, including a [[IntrepidReporter nosy gossip columnist]] and a stock broker who has a reputation for [[ReallyGetsAround sleeping her way to the top]]. As everything spirals out of control, Laurel must figure out how to get rid of Cutty and stand on her own two feet.

[[WhoopiGoldberg Laurel Ayers]] is a businesswoman trying to pave a way for herself on Wall Street, a society dominated by [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney wealthy]] white men. Tired of receiving no credit for her work, Laurel quits her job and attempts to develop her own company. Unfortunately none of Laurel’s potential clients take her seriously. Desperate to have her ideas heard, Laurel invents an elusive business partner named Robert Cutty. By pretending all of her own ideas are actually that of Mr. Cutty, Laurel creates a successful investment firm and creates a celebrity out of the mysterious businessman.

Laurel’s plan hits a snag when it becomes necessary for the fictional Mr. Cutty to make a physical appearance. With the help of her secretary Sally Dugan, [[SweetPollyOliver Laurel disguises herself in prosthetics]] [[WhiteLikeMe as the elderly white businessman]]. Despite a series of mishaps, Laurel manages to pull off her masquerade for a night without being discovered. Trouble mounts as Laurel’s former business partner Frank becomes fixated on ruining her success. Meanwhile dozens of high-profile people want a piece of Cutty including a [[IntrepidReporter nosy gossip columnist]] and a stock broker who has a reputation for [[ReallyGetsAround sleeping her way to the top]]. As everything spirals out of control, Laurel must figure out how to get rid of Cutty and stand on her own two feet.

* TheCameo: Golf player Johnny Miller and DonaldTrump.

* MeaningfulBirthDate: Laurel invokes this when creating Cutty, writing his birth date as being around the Crash of 1929.

* AmbitionIsEvil: Averted. If it weren’t for Laurel’s ambition to implement her own ideas, Syntonex would have gone bankrupt.
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Camille’s reaction to Cutty’s disinterest in her.
* BlackBraAndPanties: Camille wears it well.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive / ThereAreNoGoodExecutives: Played straight. Even [[spoiler: Fallon]] whom Laurel trusted with most of her business ended up selling her out in favor of doing business with Cutty only.

* HystericalWoman: Inverted. Laurel uses this trope to her advantage. During a board meeting, everyone refuses to go over an important business plan because Cutty couldn't make it. Laurel has a phony breakdown and the men agree to read the proposal immediately.

** For a film about women’s struggle in the workplace, there are a surprising number of them. Most notably, Camille has a chat with Laurel while trying on [[BlackBraAndPanties lingerie]]. She wears the same getup while trying to seduce Cutty and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Laurel almost gives herself away when she notices]].
** Frank’s girlfriend slinks around in holiday themed lingerie in one scene.

* TechnologyMarchesOn:
** Laurel is incredibly impressed when Sally categorizes all her files in the computer. The most glaring example is Sally and Laurel watching the news on Sally’s brand new portable television (complete with a foot long antenna).
** Aseop’s groundbreaking new software looks pretty primitive to modern eyes.

* NewYorkCity: The setting for the film. Most of it has to do with Wall Street and other business districts.

* UnsettlingGenderReveal: When Cutty reveals "his" true identity at the Peabody Club, Camille (who had started rumors about being pregnant with Cutty's child after Cutty refused to sleep with her) passes out cold.

** Aseop’s groundbreaking new software looks pretty primitive to modern eyes.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Some of the more obvious ones: [[HannahAndHerSisters Dianne]] [[EdwardScissorhands Wiest]] plays Sally, BebeNeuwirth plays Camille, and Eli Wallach plays Fallon.
** AllisonJanney makes a small appearance as Sandy, the other businesswoman at the strip club.

* TheNotSecret: [[spoiler: Sally]] figured out about Cutty's nonexistence weeks before Laurel came out with it. [[spoiler: She went along with it for Laurel's sake ''and'' because the benefits were fantastic.]]

Laurel’s plan hits a snag when it becomes necessary for the fictional Mr. Cutty to make a physical appearance. With the help of her secretary Sally Owens, [[SweetPollyOliver Laurel disguises herself in prosthetics]] [[WhiteLikeMe as the elderly white businessman]]. Despite a series of mishaps, Laurel manages to pull off her masquerade for a night without being discovered. Trouble mounts as Laurel’s former business partner Frank becomes fixated on ruining her success. Meanwhile dozens of high-profile people want a piece of Cutty including a [[IntrepidReporter nosy gossip columnist]] and a stock broker who has a reputation for [[ReallyGetsAround sleeping her way to the top]]. As everything spirals out of control, Laurel must figure out how to get rid of Cutty and stand on her own two feet.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive / ThereAreNoGoodExecutives: Played straight for the most part. Even [[spoiler: Fallon]] whom Laurel trusted with most of her business ended up selling her out in favor of doing business with Cutty only.

** Some of the more obvious ones: [[LostBoys Dianne]] [[InTreatment Wiest]] plays Sally, BebeNeuwirth plays Camille, and Eli Wallach plays Fallon.

* LineOfSightName: Laurel comes up with the name of her “business partner” after seeing a bartender pour a bottle of Cutty brand Scotch.

* PluckyOfficeGirl: Sally Owens.

* ReallyGetsAround: Camille. Laurel-as-Cutty calls her out on this and tells her to use her brain in business rather than…[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean other things]].