Customer Reviews

Working Girl

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When I first saw this movie, I was about 25 years old, and when I heard that the two women characters were both 30, I thought to myself, "How old!" Ahem. Now being a few years past 30 myself, I'm thinking, "wow, Sigourney Weaver had gotten so far so young!" Shows you what 15 years'll do for ya.

Just saw it for only the second time the other night at the New-York Historical Society, tie in to their "Women in Business" exhibit with a gaggle of girlfriends. I was a little antsy, because I was afraid maybe it wasn't going to be as good as I recalled. But thanks be, it was! And the girlfriends all loved it, too, except that Lorraine wondered why it was her coworker's favorite movie. I can't answer that, but it's a great ride notwithstanding.

Melanie Griffith turns in her best performance as our Working Girl, an extremely competent would-be businesswoman. Trouble is, with her big hair, jingle jangle bangles, and questionable wardrobe, she's having a hard time being taken seriously. Finally, she gets assigned as secretary to a female boss, Sigourney Weaver, who epitomizes class and breezy elegance. Melanie thinks she's found her mentor at long last, only to discover, while running errands for the hospitalized Weaver, that the lady boss has stolen her Big Idea. Then she finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman. All this pushes her over into making a wild reach for the brass ring by stealing the clothes and business contacts of the absent Weaver and hacking off that head of hair to steal back her own idea and make it work. Along the way, she attracts the attentions of banker Harrison Ford and together they scramble to pull off the deal, Ford not in on her true identity as a mere secretary.

The only thing that's a bit much in the movie is too much gratuitous Merry Widow lingerie, but small complaint for a really fun, really good movie. Although there's the usual "oh no!" kind of climax, rest assured that the righteous come out on top after all.

"Working Girl" still works, after all these years. Check it out!

It's been 15 years since I first saw this movie. All these years I still remember the opening scene where Tess (Melanie Griffth), in her secretary outfit but wearing sports shoes, was on the ferry heading for the concrete jungle in Manhattan, accompanied by the unforgettable chorus of the theme song. It was early in the morning and Tess was just one of the many working at the low echelon for the big corporations.

Having seen the movie again on DVD recently, I find the plot itself original and not a bit out of date. The clothes and hairstyles of the actresses are conspicuously different (afterall, it's the 80's). Apart from that, the movie itself enticed the audience with its dramatic breadth and emotional depth.

As the story unfolded, Tess, a secretary who went to night schools and read magazines to upgrade herself, thought she striked gold when she explained her idea to her "understanding" boss Katharine (Sigourney Weaver), only to find later that Katharine stole her idea and pretended it was her own. Out of sheer determination and intelligence, Tess reversed her fortune by imposturing as a senior executive, teamed up with Jack (Harrison Ford) and was so close to completing an ingenious business deal - until Katharine came back from her leg injury and took control of the boardroom...

Despite the apparent Cinderella happy ending, the fluid story-telling lured the audience to find out what Tess exactly did to triumph in the end. By asking a critical question in the right place at the right moment, Tess turned her fortune again. The last 10 minutes of the movie was intriguing. Success, when it did come eventually, was far beyond Tess's expectations. And it was not only Tess, but secretaries just like her, who cheered for her.

The success of the movie owed much to the superb cast - the refreshed and good looking Melannie Griffth, cunning and calculating boss Signourney Weaver, the charming Harrsion Ford and the ever supportive best friend Joan Cusack; the well-written script which radiated warmth and conveyed an upbeat message - merits and efforts count and will prevail over evil; not to forget the easy to hum tune. Without any of these, the movie would have been a one too many formulaic Cinderella story.

The most entertaining movie of its genre - Working Girl the movie is worth watching again.

(Incidentally, the movie's success spawned a short-lived TV series Working Girl in 1990, starring Sandra Bullock.)

I missed this film in theatrical release, but manage to watch it whenever I can on television. I recently purchased the DVD only to discover that there were several generally amusing scenes in the trailer that never made it into the movie - a bit of a mystery.

The screenplay for this movie starts with a somewhat shaky premise that the means justify the end - that if you can't get an honest break but happen to work for an unethical boss who steals your ideas and gives you no credit, you can be as manipulative as you wish to get a chance to show how smart you are. This is hardly a palatable business lesson, ladies and gentlemen, and I have to fight down my qualms about this with every viewing.

That said, and with that reservation, as a movie, it has a lot going for it: seamless direction by Mike Nichols; flawless ensemble acting from Melanie Griffiths, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford (sigh!), Joan Cusack (with the most outrageous eye makeup in history)and people like Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacy and David Duchovny in tiny parts; great love scenes - humorous, tender and not too graphic; an optimistic ending; and one of the best songs ever written by Carly Simon.

But, oh my, the beginning of this movie caught me totally off guard! In a literally breath-taking helicopter pan around Lady Liberty and New York Harbor, the shot of lower Manhattan of course comes to rest on the World Trade Center towers, soaring and golden in the morning sunlight before the camera pans down to pick up the characters commuting to New York on the Staten Island Ferry. Beautiful, timeless, tragic.

Melanie Griffith in the role of her life. Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin and the remainder of the cast are at the absolute TOP of their game - and Ms. Griffith more than holds her own in a difficult role. Difficult to realistically portray a Staten-Island Secretary who has ambition but all the cards stacked against her as a sympathetic character, but Griffith succeeds. You WANT her to succeed, and Melanie's "Tess" does.

A Classic
'Working Girl' is a classic. The villian, Ms. Weaver, is both deliciously evil as well as scarily realistic. Harrison Ford is excellent as the white knight, with a good mix of Wasp entitlement and sweaty armpits. This is before his acting slid to just staring lost at the screen for various lengths of time to convey different emotions. The movie brings me to the verge of tears at least three times and the ending is beautiful. The soundtrack, featuring Carly Simon and the St. Thomas boys choir, is sublime. When 'Let the River Run' hits as the camera pulls away from Melanie within her new office in the World Trade Center you can only wish that life is that fair.

Working Girl is one of those insidiously effective pop movies that seriously gets better with each viewing. It is addictive. Melanie Griffith, while entertaining enough, is supported by an outrageously good ensemble that includes a wonderfully bitchy and self-possessed Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford in a terrific hunky/dorky role, and most of all the irresistably effervescent and original Joan Cusack, who steals each of her too-short scenes. The story exudes a predictable catharsis, and it is intensely satisfying to watch a peasant climb so creatively to where she belongs. The Carly Simon-infused score works quite well; the grand yet folky opening number imbues the movie with an underlying universality that remains intact throughout. Fun fun fun.

Working Girl is a very pleasant and entertaining movie. It is well directed and features a funny script and excellent performances by Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver. Melanie Griffith is quite good as well, although she sometimes appears a little more childish than would be expected given her ambition to rise to the top.

Essentially, Working Girl is about Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), an ambitious secretary eager to move up in the working world. After having several problems with her male bosses, Tess is relieved when she is transfered to work under the confident and seemingly friendly Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver). After Parker breaks her leg and Tess realizes she was planning to steal one of her ideas, however, Tess takes matters into her own hands and, posing as Parker, joins with successful executive Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) to promote the deal herself.

Anyhow, the results of Tess McGill's attempts to advance in her job are very entertaining and often very funny. The scenes with Tess and Jack are especially humorous - for instance, as they walk towards the elevator in one scene, Jack repeatedly asks Tess for a date, but she refuses. When he insists, she responds, "You know, maybe I just don't like you." Jack looks up in surprise and, as the elevator doors close, says, "Me? Nah!"

So, overall, this is a very delightful and fun movie that shows the obstacles people sometimes face in the workplace. In it, Harrison Ford shows his ability for light comedy, Weaver is perfect as the calculating and evil boss, and Griffith is pretty good as Tess. On another more serious note, this movie has some of the most beautiful images of the World Trade Towers and the New York City skyline I have ever seen. These images are sadly moving in a way that could never have been imagined when the movie was first made.

There are a lot of scenes in this movie which really tell the truth about how secretaries are treated in the American workplace. One scene that sticks in my mind is when Griffith's character tracks down an executive who has received an important call. The executive gets mad with her for disturbing him and asks why didn't she give the customer the information. "He don't want to hear it from a secretary," she says. Anybody who's ever wanted to get ahead but have been victims of class snobbery and arrogance in the workplace will relate to this movie. Weaver is perfect as the ice queen executive who makes things hard for Griffith. Ford is amicable in his role. Watch for Kevin Spacey in a small role.

Melanie was just PERFECT in this! And Joan Cusack! So good, so funny, so perfectly cast! "5000 dolluhs?? And it's not even leather!" I just love this movie so much. And Harrison! What a super-hottie! But more than anything what makes this story work is the mix of plot AND character. It is just so real, so easy to picture actually playing out in life; all the painful trials and tribulations -- then the hard fought for success! Still a lot of fun!!

No special effects and no cheesy gimicks. What you do get with Working Girl is a wonderful blend of acting talent (Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith [believe it or not] and Sigourney Weaver)and outstanding chemistry by both principal and supporting casts.

How good is this movie? Even a gifted director couldn't hurt it. Mike Nochols does a fantastic job of making these varied talents meld into magnificense.
The best example is when Jack (Harrison Ford) meets Tess ( Melanie Griffith) but does not reveal his identity. The result was one of the most memorable moments of the film:

Tess proclaims: "I have a head for business, and a bod for sin...is there anything wrong with that?"

Astonished, Jack quips "No...I didn't know they let bad girls into these things."

The film is filled with moments such as these. The supporting cast is awesome. Joan Cusack deserves special kudos for her performance.

"Coffee, Tea...ME?"

This film is a must for any respectable collector. I highly recommend that you buy this film, not just rent it.