Assuming by mistake that he is a Moramax employee sent to buy her silence about the sale, she harshly rebuffs him.

Jay Marshall, attempts to propose to her, unaware that he is in fact speaking to Rose Ratliff. Meanwhile, Rose Shelton's ex-boyfriend, Dr. Roone, believing that Rose Shelton is Rose Ratliff, attempts to woo her, with great success. Worried that he will disrupt the sale, the two men attempt to keep Roone distracted while enlisting the help of Rose Shelton. In the meantime, Graham and his assistant/boyfriend Chuck assume that a visitor from Jupiter Hollow, Rose Ratliff's beau Roone Dimmick, is actually 'R. He later approaches her at the Plaza and asks her out, which she accepts. Sadie Ratliff calls out Jason for his behavior, which greatly impresses Michael. While out exploring the city, Sadie Ratliff is approached by Sadie Shelton's ex-husband Michael, and their spoiled and unruly son Jason, both assuming they are speaking to her Shelton counterpart. The Sheltons eventually arrive at the hotel and take the suite next door, leading to a series of near-misses between the four sisters.Īs the day unfolds, Sadie Shelton meets Alberici and becomes enamored with him as they flirtatiously discuss the upcoming sale. The Ratliffs are checked into the Sheltons' suite, which Rose Ratliff assumes is a bribe from Moramax but begrudgingly accepts. A series of mixups at JFK Airport leaves the Shelton sisters stranded while the prospective buyer of Hollowmade, Fabio Alberici, takes their limousine with the Ratliff sisters back to the Plaza Hotel, where the stockholder's meeting is set to take place the next day. Ratliff' to prevent them from appearing at the meeting. Ratliff' plans to come to New York with his sister to stop the sale. While Sadie Shelton makes plans for the shareholders' meeting, she learns from her employee Graham Sherbourne that an 'R. Wanting to see the city, Sadie agrees to join her sister. Rose discovers Moramax's plans to sell Hollowmade and sensing trouble, makes plans to travel to New York City to stop the sale. Meanwhile, Sadie Ratliff has always felt misplaced in rural life, and wishes for a more sophisticated life in a big city.

In Jupiter Hollow, Rose Ratliff has risen to the position of forewoman at the Hollowmade Factory and is also very career-driven. Knowing that the board (which includes Rose) is sensitive to potential bad publicity harming the company's already diminished public image, Sadie assures them that the residents of Jupiter Hollow are completely on board with the sale and that operations at the factory will continue as normal. As part of her business plan, Sadie plans to sell Hollowmade but must get the Moramax stockholders' approval to proceed. Sadie Shelton is ruthless and focused on her career to the detriment of her family, while Rose Shelton is less business-savvy and out of touch with the needs of the company, wishing instead for a simpler life in the country. Ratliff overhears the Sheltons deciding to name their daughters Rose and Sadie, and suggests the same names to his wife.įorty years later, the Shelton sisters are now co-chairwomen of Moramax in New York City, a conglomerate that is the successor to their father's business interests. Both women give birth to twin girls, and the elderly nurse attending the doctor confuses and mixes up the sets of twins. The Ratliffs, an impoverished couple, arrive moments later with Mrs.

Shelton purchases the company on the spot, and Mrs. At the local hospital, they are turned away, because it is exclusively for employees of Hollowmade, the local furniture maker. Shelton goes into labor near the town of Jupiter Hollow. In 1948, wealthy businessman Hunt Shelton and his pregnant wife are lost in rural West Virginia when Mrs. Both Midler and Tomlin were nominated for the American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture for their performances with Midler winning. Directed by Jim Abrahams, critical reaction to the film as a whole was generally lukewarm. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, the film co-stars Fred Ward, Edward Herrmann, Joe Grifasi, and Seth Green, as well as siblings Michael Gross and Mary Gross.

The nature versus nurture farce adapts The Comedy of Errors, but with female siblings in contemporary society: one of each twin being reared in a wealthy urban setting, while the others grew up in a poor rural environment. Big Business is a 1988 American comedy film starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, each playing two roles, as sets of identical twins mismatched at birth.

Lily tomlin big business