The Corner Penthouse

Opportunity Knocks arrives on Blu-ray as part of Mill Creek Entertainment's Retro VHS Look Series, part of a growing trend of physical media releases with packaging designed to look like the VHS videocassettes of the 1980s and 1990s. I have reviewed several other titles in the series here on The Corner Penthouse.


Opportunity Knocks (1990) is the story of Eddie Farrell (Dana Carvey), a down-on-his-luck con man who stumbles onto the greatest scam of his career. On the run from angry gangster Sal (James Tolkan), Eddie and his bumbling partner Lou (Todd Graff) break into a luxurious suburban Chicago home. When the owner's parents, Milt (Robert Loggia) and Mona (Doris Belack), mistake him for the house sitter, Eddie quickly scrambles and ends up impersonating an Ivy League financial whiz. Soon he finds himself Vice President at Milt's company and wooing his beautiful daughter Annie (Julia Campbell). But there is one hitch in this con that Eddie didn't bank on: falling in love.


I've always liked Dana Carvey. He was part of the gang on my second favorite period of Saturday Night Live: the late 1980s/early 1990s. (My favorite period is the 1970s with the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players".) I remember Opportunity Knocks when it first came out, but I don't think I've ever seen it until now. It's a charming little romantic comedy that gives Carvey a chance to do all of his impressions, including his most famous: then-President George H.W. Bush. The plot isn't going to win any Oscars, but it serves its purpose and keeps you entertained from start to finish.


Opportunity Knocks is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:41:06. On the audio side, there is only an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Subtitles are available in English only. Surprisingly, for a Mill Creek Entertainment release, there ARE special features. I know, I'm just as thrilled as you are.

• Deleted Scenes (27:26) - Contains the following 19 scenes, presented in 4:3 open matte (lots of boom mics visible) in very dirty film footage: "Fast Money"; "Wasted Talent"; "Indecent Exposure (Alternate Version)"; "The Yearbook"; "Make Us Proud, Eddie"; "The Men's Room Attendant (Alternate Version)"; "The Netherlands"; "The Golf Outing"; "Eddie's Magic"; "Yiddish 101"; "You Really Think I'm Charming?"; "Jewish Humor"; "The Synagogue"; "The Picnic"; "Dim Sum Connection"; "The Marketing Meeting"; "Lou's Playroom"; "Neighbor's Loot"; and "Back on the Con".
• Trailer (1:55) - Dana Carvey meets his alter-ego, the Church Lady.

The other "bonus feature" here is the vintage-looking VHS-inspired slipsleeve, with faux wear and tear, and fake "rental stickers" on it, while giving the appearance of a videocassette being pulled out from the right side (though the original VHS may have been in a bottom-loading box), complete with tape label side on the right spine. This particular release is part of the "I Heart 90s" subset, which has a banner in the top left corner and at the top of the spine labeling it as such. This subset also features colored VHS tapes on the slipsleeve, which was something that was somewhat prevalent in the 1990s, though this title may not have had a colored VHS release. Here's a complete look at this special slipsleeve. Click on it to get a better look.


The front and back artwork use the same photos as the original U.S. VHS box art (seen below), but in a different layout. As you can see, the original had a plain white background and not the festive "party" yellow of the Blu-ray sleeve.


The case artwork underneath is of a modern style, which means that the VHS-style slipsleeve may only be available for a limited time. In the photo below, the slipsleeve cover is on the left and the case artwork underneath is on the right.


If you're not already aware of Mill Creek Entertainment, they are a budget company, which results in their products having a lower cost than the big studios. Right now, Opportunity Knocks is listed on Amazon for less than $10.


The "Retro VHS Look Series" includes the following Blu-ray releases, which are being listed in chronological movie order, and not the order they are being released onto Blu-ray. Some titles below may not have been released yet.



Images used come from the Internet Movie Database gallery of the film. The Blu-ray has been provided by Mill Creek Entertainment for review on this site.