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Big Business

Name: Big Business
Director: Peter Schildt, Jonas Frick, Janne 'Loffe' Carlsson
Released: 1985
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

2.7/10

Limited

1985

Director

Peter Schildt, Jonas Frick, Janne 'Loffe' Carlsson

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Big Business is a traditional mid-80s Swedish crime comedy that prioritizes genre clichés over diverse representation. The narrative engine is driven by a male-dominated scam, focusing on social friction and economic deception rather than exploring identity-based themes. While the film provides a clever critique of capitalist structures and the ethics of business, it remains socially homogeneous. The lack of diverse casting or intentional subversion of identity norms keeps the scope narrow and localized. Ultimately, the film functions as a situational comedy about fraud, offering moderate social commentary through its lens of moral relativism but failing to engage with broader demographic representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Big Business have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not feature any explicit LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The plot revolves around a transactional conflict between a hairdresser and a car dealer, without addressing non-straight relationships.

How does Big Business portray gender?

Fair

Men play the primary roles in the film, with the protagonist's profession as a hairdresser subtly challenging traditional masculine stereotypes. However, women do not have prominent roles or significant influence in the story.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Big Business?

Minimal

The film depicts a homogeneous social environment typical of 1980s European comedies. There is no indication of a multi-ethnic cast or diverse racial representation.

How does Big Business represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques capitalist integrity through its scam narrative, using moral relativism to question the reliability of established business and financial institutions.

Does Big Business include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information about the inclusion of characters with physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities in this production.

Present on Screen

The narrative offers a thoughtful critique of capitalist integrity and the reliability of formal financial institutions.
The protagonist's profession as a hairdresser subtly challenges traditional masculine stereotypes.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks diverse representation and fails to include non-straight identities.
ability to act is heavily concentrated among male characters, leaving little room for female-driven narratives or influential women.
The social environment appears homogeneous, lacking racial and ethnic diversity within the cast.

Official Synopsis

Gösta Eriksson, a hairdresser, buys a car from used-car dealer Bertil Planåker. But Gösta soon discovers that the car is a wreck. Planåker won't give him his money back, in fact he denies ever having seen Gösta. Gösta's brother Rolle is released from prison and promises to help him. They form an investment company, Parabola, and convinces Planåker to invest a lot of money in it. Planåker has a lot of shady business colleagues who also invest their money. Gösta's and Rolle's scam becomes much bigger than they had bargained for.

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