Protocol is a 1984 comedy film that starred Goldie Hawn and Chris Sarandon. Goldie Hawn plays a Washington, D.C., cocktail waitress who prevents the assassination of a visiting Arab Emir, winds up a national heroine and is offered a job with the United States Department of State as a Protocol official as a reward. Unbeknownst to her however, there is more than gratitude to thank for her good fortune, and she becomes an unwilling pawn in political dealings, albeit with hilarious results.
Plot
Sunny Ann Davis is a seemingly ditzy blonde who works as a cocktail waitress in Washington, D.C. She rents a small room in the home of a gay couple, has a lousy love life and drives a rust bucket of a car that she cannot afford to repair. When the movie begins, she has the misfortune of having the car break down on a major road, blocking the route of a diplomatic convoy that is traveling to The White House. Unsympathetic to Sunny's predicament, the Diplomatic Security Service treat the incident as a possible security threat and move into full security mode, with guns withdrawn and aimed, ready to fire. However, Sunny is naive to the seriousness of her situation, concerned only that she will now be late for work.
At the Safari Club where Sunny works, her night is getting worse. Her date cancels on her, and she is forced to wear the emu suit because all of the other costumes are now taken by the other waitresses who arrived at work on time. She hates the costume because it invites unwanted sexual propositions. Even though she is "so broke", she refuses an offer from a patron requesting special "favors" in return for cash, as well as a loan from her fellow waitress friend, Ella.
On her way home from work, Sunny is curious about the media attention surrounding a gala dinner, and stops to watch the dignitaries leaving the event. A man of Middle Eastern descent rudely pushes past her, and she feels something hard in his coat pocket. She angrily, but unseriously asks him whether he has a gun. To her horror, he does! One shot is fired, and Sunny prevents him taking aim at his target by biting his arm. In the ensuing commotion, both Sunny and the gunman are forced to the ground and another shot is fired. Sunny cries out, realizing she has been shot.
Through news media reports, we learn that Sunny has been taken to the hospital and is being lauded as a heroine. She has prevented the assassination of a visiting Emir, who had been in Washington to further relations between the US and his "small, but strategic Middle Eastern country". On the operating table, doctors remove a bullet from Sunny's left buttock. And while recovering, finds herself thrust into public adoration, receiving mail from celebrities and countless marriage proposals.
Michael Ransome, a Middle Eastern Desk Chief from the State Department pays Sunny a visit to help her get through her first press conference since the shooting. At the conference, Sunny answers each question about her life honestly, with humor and charm, revealing herself to be hugely likeable, intelligent, patriotic, and with simple views in life. She also reveals that she has never voted, preferring to consider herself as just an American, rather than any political label. Back at The White House, politicians Crowe and Hilley are watching the conference and they joke that if Sunny is to be believed, she could run for office because of her appeal to so many large groups of voters, including working women, small town folk, senior citizens, gays, the law and order bunch, baseball fans, barflys and animal lovers. They contact the President of the United States (who is napping during this most important speech), and arrange for him to call Sunny at the hospital.
We then learn that the Emir whose life Sunny saved, was being wooed by the US, who want to establish a military base in his country because of its ideal geographic location in the Middle East. He decides that he will allow the US to build their base in his country - on the proviso that they allow him to claim Sunny as another wife. Without the President's knowledge, the State Department decide to trade Sunny for the base without her knowledge, and they devise a plan to do so.
The Vice President of the United States pay Sunny a visit in her hometown, and offers her a job within the Protocol Department of the Government. She has to look up what protocol means in a dictionary, but when she realizes he is offering her a well paying job, she accepts, thinking of it as a way to change her mundane life.
Back in Washington, Sunny approaches her new job with nervous excitement, She attends formal dinners and meets dignitaries from foreign countries. At one dinner, she is introduced to Nawaf Al Kabeer, who thanks Sunny on behalf of the Emir, and presents a car to her, as a thank you gift from the Emir. She returns the gift though, having researched in her short time in the job that as a government employee, she is unable to accept gifts. But this act infuriates both the Emir and the State Department who see it as one more delay in trading Sunny.
Meanwhile, Sunny continues to embrace her new role, unaware that in the Emir's country, the local population is aware of the fact that Sunny is to be a new Queen, and they are growing in anger about it. Sunny is told that the Emir wants to meet her personally, and that she is to "show him a good time". She looks upon this invitation as a way to help her old boss Lou out, by arranging a party at his failing Safari Club, where she used to work. Unfortunately, Lou has not closed the bar to his regular patrons and Sunny has invited friends of her own. Soon, the party gets out of control, the Police make arrests and all of this is filmed by the media.
Sunny feels terrible about the problems she has caused, and Ambassador St John sees this as a perfect opportunity to finally make the trade. She tells Sunny to go with the Emir "represent her country", as well as to make amends. She does so, but once there, she sees a painted mural of herself in the wedding attire of the Emir's country. She then realizes that she has been set-up, and that she was traded in order for the US to build their base in his country.
Sunny confronts the Emir, and he confirms what has happened, telling her that since he has been unable to produce sons, he needed a new wife. Sunny angrily tells him that the US will be angry at what he has done, but he explains to her that the US instigated the trade. This infuriates Sunny, but before she can respond, a violent coup takes place in the Emir's country of Otah, and the two are forced to flee the country.
Back in the US, an angry and hostile Sunny must deal with a government that is denying knowledge of the trade, as well as a public that is now questioning whether she in fact knew all along of the plan. She also has to face a Congressional inquiry to find out the truth. Michael Ransome has quit his job in disgust at what was done to Sunny.
At the inquiry, Sunny cuts the proceedings short by admitting that she was responsible for what happened, by not taking any interest in the political affairs of her country. But she also reminds them that the leaders of the country have a responsibility towards the people of that country, and that their decisions ultimately affect peoples lives. So if she pays no attention, and doesn't vote or care, then she has no right to complain about what happens. In concluding, she warns the political powers in the room, that from now on, she will be watching all of them "like a hawk".
The film then jumps roughly two years into the future, and we learn that Sunny has married Michael Ransome, and they have a baby. She is also running for Congress in her hometown of Diamond Junction in Oregon, and is awaiting the results of the votes at the ballot. She then gets a call telling her that she has won.
Reception
The film took in $3 427,840 during its opening weekend on 21 December 1984, and was released in 893 theatres. To date, the film has grossed $26 186,631.
Releases
- Released on DVD 30 August 2005
Cast
Quotes
- "I think this is one of those gay-Arab-biker-sushi bars"
- "And I just want to tell everybody in America, that this is absolutely the best place to come if you're ever shot in the ass!"
- "Actually, I haven't been anywhere. Oh, I was in Canada once, but that's like, attached!"
- "Am I one of those, oh she's really nice and a lot of fun, but she's not very bright, kind of people?"
- "Well, I have a job at the Safari Club, and Lou, well he's my boss and he's a really great guy, but business hasn't been so hot lately, and I was kind of hoping for an advancement, y'know? But the trouble is that Lou's aunt works the cash register and his sister's the hostess, so I mean, I'm just gonna have to wait around till one of them quits or drops dead. (To the US Vice President). I guess you know what that's like?"
- Emir: "They've not been able to give me sons. I must have sons!"
Sunny:"Oh, this is the twentieth century for God's sake. Don't you know anything about chromosones?"
- (About to board a helicopter) Sunny: "Do you really know how to fly one of these things?"
Emir:"I am the Chief of the Air Force."
Sunny:"That's not what I asked!"
- "I imagine it was the first time, Mrs St John ever got busted... Of course, I could be wrong."
External links
