Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss

6.2/10 · 432 ratings20071h 24mWeirdness 7/10Bingo card

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The premise

Jane Doe sets out to track down a killer who is targeting fellow CSA agents.

How unusual is it?

More than most. Psychic/visions, supernatural twists and amnesia push it well past the usual Hallmark template — the strangest 12% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

You’ve seen this pairing before: Lea Thompson and William R. Moses have made 8 Hallmark movies together.

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • A 13-year-old boy who is a high-stakes poker shark and hides thousands of dollars under his bed
  • A C.S.A. doctor who brainwashes agents just to make them watch him perform opera karaoke
  • The 'Manchurian Candidate' plot involving Pashto trigger words in a Hallmark movie
  • A 'loon in the desert' scientist who lives among stacks of classified documents

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 27 to find more movies that do the same thing.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
The film opens with a chaotic flashback to a 1980s desert war zone before transitioning to a high-stakes C.S.A. gala. Cathy Davis, attending with her husband Jack, reconnects with former colleagues Phil and Laura Sands, as well as her boss Frank Darnell. The festive atmosphere is shattered when junior agent Roy Baxter shoots senior official Alana Devlin in cold blood, claiming he has no memory of the event. Cathy begins investigating the 'Data Mining Protocol,' a subconscious training program run by the eccentric Dr. Fox. While Cathy suspects Fox of using post-hypnotic suggestions to create assassins, she discovers he is merely a lonely man using the protocol to force agents to attend his terrible opera karaoke parties. Meanwhile, subplots involve Jack trying to win a contract from the arrogant developer Rob Ryan, and Cathy's 13-year-old son, Nick, being caught with $1,200 in cash, which he eventually reveals came from high-stakes poker games. The mystery deepens when another senior agent, Doug Coleman, is murdered by his partner Brian Ennis under identical circumstances—a triggered memory loss following a cell phone message. Cathy tracks down the protocol's original creator, the 'loon in the desert' Dr. Bennett, who reveals the protocol was designed for 'deniability' during illegal black ops in Afghanistan. Frank Darnell begins experiencing traumatic flashbacks to that mission, realizing he, Alana, Doug, and Mitch Evans were all part of a team led by Phil Sands. Cathy deduces that the victims were killed because they were starting to remember the illegal nature of the mission, which would jeopardize Phil's promotion to the Washington bureau. In a final confrontation at Frank's home, Cathy reveals that the true antagonist is not Phil, but his wife Laura Sands. Having worked in C.S.A. communications, Laura knew the specific Pashto trigger words ('wazzum') and used them to protect her husband's career at any cost. Laura attempts to kill the witnesses but is apprehended. The film concludes with Nick using his poker winnings to save a local homeless shelter and the Davis family sharing a lasagna dinner.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    A C.S.A. gala is interrupted by the inexplicable murder of Alana Devlin by a junior agent with no memory of the crime.

  2. Midpoint

    A second senior agent is murdered via the same 'memory loss' method, leading Cathy to discover a Middle Eastern trigger word sent via cell phone.

  3. Investigation

    Cathy visits Dr. Bennett in the desert, who reveals the protocol's origins in 1980s Afghan black ops.

  4. Turning Point

    Frank Darnell begins suffering from the same 'recovered memories' that got the other senior agents killed.

  5. Climax

    Cathy confronts the Sands and Evans, revealing Laura Sands used her communications background to trigger the assassinations.

  6. Resolution

    Laura is arrested, and Nick Davis uses his secret poker winnings to save a homeless shelter, earning a press conference.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

  • It's 1 of only 8 Hallmark movies to combine supernatural elements and amnesia.

27 tropes in one movie

We counted 27 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.2 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.2567

Higher-rated than 28% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Jane DoePart of the 9-film Jane Doe series.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “I use protocols to get people to spend time with me.”
    — Dr. FoxExplaining why he brainwashed agents to attend his karaoke sessions.
  • “It was a puzzle emergency.”
    — Cathy DavisExplaining her work absence to a developer.
  • “The triggers that we place in the subject's mind can alter his or her world... black becomes white, white becomes black.”
    — Dr. Franklin BennettExplaining the power of the mind control protocol.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Cathy Davis (Jane Doe)

    Lead

    Housewife / C.S.A. Consultant

    ObservantProtectivePuzzle-solver
  • Jack Davis

    Love interest

    Contractor

    Husband

    SupportiveHard-working
  • Laura Sands

    Antagonist

    Former C.S.A. Communications

    Former colleague and rival

    AmbitiousRuthlessCompetitive
  • Frank Darnell

    Supporting

    C.S.A. Director

    Boss and close friend

    LoyalTraumatized
  • Nick Davis

    Supporting

    Student / Poker Prodigy

    Son

    SecretiveAltruisticCalculated

Questions people ask about Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss

Where can I watch Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss?

Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss is available in the UK via Amazon Video. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss?

Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2007.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDB