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An excellent excellent movie!

Hey everyone. I'm here to tell you this: I saw this movie about a year ago (it's September of 2004 now) for the first time. When I first saw it, I had to see it for a class I was taking. And usually I'm quite disappointed with the movies assigned in classes these days. For the first 20 or 30 minutes, I thought Working Girl was going to be another boring movie.


However, as time went on, it not only grew on me, but I found myself watching parts of it over and over again (especially the music parts - excellent songs!) before I'd even finished the movie entirely. The heroine is an excellent actress for this part - she's sweet and has big dreams, and that makes it extra special because she's just a low-level worker with a lot of knowledge.


Villains! Sigourney Weaver does a fantastic job being someone the viewer will detest by the middle of the movie, and soon disdain will turn into anger. Harrison Ford does his part very well too. 'Mr.Trask' is very well played by the actor doing his role. Acting is very good in this movie.

What strikes the viewer most is how emotional he will get while watching this film. I found myself crying on more than one occasion and it's just a very good movie! I really feel this film should have won a few oscars - it's that good.

If you haven't seen this movie - SEE THIS MOVIE TOMORROW! I'm quite serious good chaps. Working Girl is in the same class as 'Ben-Hur', 'Doctor Zhivago', 'Who Shot Liberty Valence', 'The Guns of Naverrone', 'Dances With Wolves', 'Ladyhawke', 'The Great Race', 'Excalibur', and 'The Pink Panther' series. As you can see, I like a gamut of movie types and most of them are from the older styles (pre-1992). Being 24 years old myself, I was born in that period where western films were 'not so good, not so bad'. However, I can assure you of this: Movie quality has definitely gone down since the early '90s. An example of this: Batman (1989) was an excellent action movie, though not a classic by any measure. Nevertheless, as an action film it excelled, while nowdays, it's hard to get anything of Batman's calibre!

WORKING GIRL is an excellent family movie, to watch with friends, or to just view alone. I guarantee you will like it if your taste is anything like mine. So far, everyone I have shown it to agrees it's VERY GOOD. I hope the audience will do me and itself a favour by seeing it :)

Cinderella

Beautiful aerial photography and music. It's another Cinderella story. No wonder that story has been so popular all these centuries. Tess McGill strives upward and onward in Corporate America because she has a "fire in her belly". Everyone in the cast is perfectly suited to their roles and Mike Nichols' direction is seamless.

A gem and a delight,.

This is a modern Cinderella story -- and I love movies in which we root for the little guy (in this case, the little gal) and s/he comes out on top. It leaves you feeling good. Wonderful cast and performances.

The best movie of all time

What a great movie this was- a funny yet serious movie. Melanie Griffith was just amazing in this movie- how she didn't win best actress is beyond me. Joan Cusak was superb as Tess's best friend who tries talking Tess out of pretending to be Katherine, Tess's boss. Harrison ford was super as Jack Trainor helping Tess to complete the deal, all along not knowing Tess is Katherines secretary and Tess not knowing Jack is Katherines boyfriend!! Alec Baldwin did great in his limited role as Tess's boyfriend. There's even a little bit of Kevin Spacey in this movie! My favorite scene was when Tess and Jack crashed the wedding.No movie can touch this one, period. If you haven't seen this, do yourself a huge favor and watch it.

For New York lovers

I didn't know what New York was and really meant since I saw this incredibly Mike Nichols masterpiece. The city becomes a character on its own, and together with the amazingly song "Let the river run" (thanks Carly Simon) sets you into a stage never seen before or since. The wonderful Sigourney Weaver (who should have got the Oscar for her performance) shows the best of her in one of the most sparkling performance I've seen for a supporting actress. Melanie Griffith did the best role of her career and Harrison Ford showed he also could be a really funny actor. In conclusion, Working Girl is maybe the comedy of the 80s, that still brights in our heart on this ending of the milennium. Working Girl is the movie everyone of us would like to be in. So, who could ask for more?

Insipid crud . . . I expect more out of Mike Nichols

I just saw this movie again today after seeing it the theater years ago and became so angry that I had to write. Insipid doesn't begin to describe the plot or the acting. Uninspired, flat, affectless, bland, these are all adjectives that lack the punch necessary to give this movie its just due.Melanie Griffith stars as a secretary cum executive who mixes work and pleasure on her "women-empowerment" rise to the top. Melanie looks puffy and out of her element here in the grrlll-power role. Maybe that's because she got most of her roles on her looks and by riding on the back of her mother's career. I guess the moral of this story is: hang out on enough movie sets with a famous mom and receive an acting career of your own. If I had only known...Harrison Ford puts in a workmanlike performance as the business executive charmed by Melanie's character and her go-getter, feminist attitude. Alec Baldwin has a small role as Melanie's scumbag boyfriend/fiancée. David Duchovny and Ricki Lake also have bit roles.All in all, I would expect better out of Mike Nichols, who gave us The Graduate and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and even such original films as Catch-22. This movie can't decide if it wants to be feminist propaganda or a romantic comedy, and the result is a mess. I guess this is what we get when someone with Nichols' talent is paired up with the writer who gave us such gems as Maid in Manhattan, Junior, and Meet Joe Black. Don't avoid this movie so much as give it a wide berth.

Fun movie every time I watch it!

No matter how many times I see this movie, I love it! Watched it recently on a broadcast channel and even though it was edited for broadcast, I still stopped what I was doing and finished watching it! If you haven't seen this yet, you need to. There are some really good quotes from this movie (see the quotes link in IMDb). Enjoy!!!

go Melanie!

This was a fun movie where the audience is rooting for the 'underdog' played by Melanie Griffith. This film has a great cast and is a must-see for anyone who has ever worked in a office environment. Watch for Joan Cusack who almost steals the film.

an upbeat movie with an unforgettable theme song

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.)

Success

Melanie Griffith is Tess McGill, a very ambitious secretary, when fortune gives her a once-in-a-liftime break - her boss(Sigourney Weaver), classy but a real pain, breaks a leg while skiing and Tess steps in and takes over her office, her apartment, even her wardrobe. In this guise, she proposes a daring plan to an investment banker(Harrison Ford); this daring proposal will either shoot her right to the top or finish her off for good. You will become enamored with Tess and wish her all the success that she deserves which makes this film always fun.

Good View Of Florescent Hell

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.

Wall Street in heels

Working Girl is a real treat. As long as you can get past the dated hairstyles and garish fashions you will find a really entertaining film about big business. The type of film Wall Street wanted to be but wasn't. Where that film had Michael Douglas playing an absurd caricature for a villain, Working Girl not only has a more realistic villain, but a sympathetic figure at the centre that you really want to see get ahead.Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a put-upon secretary with business sense, but she's surrounded by (male) colleagues that don't take her seriously. Working for men gets Tess nowhere, so she tries her luck with a woman instead. Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) is the department head of a Wall Street mergers & acquisitions firm. And she assures Tess its a "two-way street" on her team. Katharine can help Tess climb the ladder of success.Tess may be 30 years old, but with her airy voice, clanking bracelets and scary looking hair, she often gives the impression of being a little girl trying to play in an adult's world. Also it doesn't occur to her that Katharine may not be looking out for Tess's best interests.When Tess brings a lucrative idea to Katharine, she's crushed when she discovers that Katharine has no intention of letting a lowly secretary profit from it. She steals the idea, but before she can act upon it she breaks her leg in a skiing accident. Tess takes her absence as an opportunity to get ahead by claiming she is the head of her department, and tries to get her idea up and ready to fly.Working Girl works because its not just aimed squarely at the level of a comedy. There are plenty of laughs to be had. But there is a serious, dramatic thrust that helps the film get its points across. Because its quite a dangerous charade Tess is playing. And you know, that at any moment she could get caught. The fact you don't want that to happen is proof the film is working.Tess McGill is arguably the best character Melanie Griffith has ever played. She's never been this good in any other film. Her acting is perfectly paced and beautifully delivered. She goes from a naive, pathetic trusting fool (her words) to a committed, astute and assured businesswoman with total conviction. Her change in hairstyles is striking too. But convincing!There's a fine ensemble cast too. Sigourney Weaver gives one of her finest performances to date. Her role as the bitchy, power-hungry Katharine is really quite wonderful, even though she spends half the film laid up with broken bones (her words). She can act all angelic and turn cold-hearted and cruel at the drop of a hat. She gets the lions share of all the best lines too:"We're in the same city now. I've indicated that I'm receptive to an offer. I've cleared the month of June...and I am, after all, me."Sigourney Weaver is always interesting when she plays the part of a bitch, because she never has to try hard to convince us. Her monotone voice is dripping with arch, disguised intentions, and you just know she's got something perfectly despicable bubbling away in her head. I wish Weaver would play the part of the villain(ess) more often.Harrison Ford plays Jack Trainer, the man Tess approaches to put her business deal together. It becomes something more when they fall in love, and something more personal when it turns out Jack is involved with Katharine. He just hasn't broken it off yet. Ford is OK in the role. He brings his usual, likable presence to the proceedings. And the scene where he tells Tess the (true) story of how he got a scar is sweet. But Working Girl belongs to the women.Another standout is the absolutely superb Joan Cusack as Tess's best friend Cyn. No matter what film she's in, she always turns in stellar support. And she can often steal scenes right out from under the main players. I'm especially partial to the scene when she's watching a descending chandelier in Katharine's home: "Why is it doing that?"Director Mike Nichols' direction is breezy, keeping the comedy, romance and drama all perfectly balanced. He never puts a foot wrong, and gives Kevin Wade's witty screenplay plenty of room to breathe.As things come to a head, we know inevitably that things will turn out well for Tess. But not before some solid suspense and an initially disheartening finale. But things turn around. Katharine's comeuppance is wonderful. Tess gets her job. And her man. As well as a happy ending. And she truly deserves it too.The closing shot, accompanied to Carly Simon's wonderfully uplifting "Let The River Run" is the perfect cap on events, and leaves you beaming all the way through to the end credits. Great little speech from Tess at the end too. A quite poetic account of a girl's place in a man's world. Working Girl looks like a cross between Nine to Five and Wall Street, but its better than both of them put together.

AFI's Great Love Stories: #91 Working Girl

Now, first off, let me make it clear that I like this movie. Whenever it is on the tube, like it was tonight, I will make a point of watching the end of the film just to see the part where Melanie Griffith's Tess McGill realizes that she has just made her dream comes true and turns her head slowly to look at her office (see: Tear Jerker Scenes, below). Plus Carly Simon's "Let the Rivers Run" is one of her best songs and a great song to open and close this film. But one of the things I remember about this 1988 film is that Griffith received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress instead of Susan Sarandon for "Bull Durham." Griffith is good, but Sarandon was better. For that matter, "Working Girl" is good, but "Bull Durham" is better, which means it should have been on AFI's list. Granted most people would probably take Harrison Ford over Kevin Costner (although it was a closer call back in 1988), but Sigourney Weaver versus Tim Robbins is a real hard call for the third part of the love triangle.

This rags to riches story focuses on secretary McGill, who has her eyes set on moving on up in the world of big business. When she is hired by Katherine Parker (Weaver), Associate Partner for Mergers & Acquisitions at Petty Marsh (good name) she thinks the glass ceiling has opened up. But it turns out her friendly female boss has been stealing her ideas. When Katharine is away, Tess gives herself a make over and starts playing with the big boys, in particular Jack Trainer (Ford), a Partner with Dewey Stone. Of course they end up mixing love and business, but it turns out to be a small world because it seems Jack and Katharine have been dating. The fantastic Joan Cusak plays Cyn, Tess's best bud, while Alec Baldwin is Mick Dugan, who is definitely not the man of Tess's dreams. Keep your eyes open for Kevin Spacey as the lecherous Bob Speck, Olympia Dukakis as the Personnel Director, and David Duchovny as Cyn's Engagement Party Guest.

Tear Jerker Scenes: (1) "No, Miss McGill. That's your office. in there."

Most Romantic Line: Actually the most romantic part is when Jack packs Tess's lunch for her first day of work, but the big lines are: (1) "I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?" and (2) "You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you're trying to get there. And if you're someone like me, you can't get there without bending the rules." Well, the title is "WORKING Girl," people.

If you like "Working," then check out these other films on AFI's list: #74 "Woman of the Year" and #12 "My Fair Lady." Why? Because "Woman of the Year" is also about the travails of love in the work place and "My Fair Lady" is about transformation. Tess McGill gets bonus points for doing the Galatea bit without the help of Pygmalion.

Coffee, Tea, ME?

I LOVE this movie. It has an all-star cast, screams 80s style, and has the best make-over ever! It is perfect for a "girls night" movie and would recommend it highly! "Let the River Run" by Carly Simon still gives me chills when I hear it when I think of Tess McGill (Griffith) climbing the corporate ladder. It isn't just that, she improves her whole life, including getting rid of her cheating boyfriend (Alec Baldwin!). Joan Cusack is hilarious as always with a few lines that make me laugh every time..."coffee, tea....ME?". Sigourney Weaver is good as the "bad guy", and Harrison Ford fits the role of manly eye candy rather than good acting. (The part where he changes his shirt in the office, ladies??) The movie is the epitome of 80s corporate America/feminist thinking, but more importantly is a feel good movie with, not to mention it again...the best make-over ever!

Working girl works for me

She is going sit in a office of the big cheeses, and when she laid up she takes over.
Very good movie.

This is a cute movie, but...

It's not that Working Girl is a Bad movie, It's just that a movie with Sigorny Weaver, Harrison Ford, Kevin Spacey, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin and Oliver Platt could have been a much better one. You couldn't get those people in the same room today for less than 100 million. It's a shame that the talent seems so wasted. >

"If you wanna be taken seriously, you need serious hair."

Bubbly New York fantasy set in the advertising business world gives Melanie Griffith her finest couple of hours as an actress. Put-upon secretary, involved in a disheartening relationship with a jerk, finds the opportunity to improve both her work situation and her love life when she masquerades as her own boss and teams with a handsome business exec to land a major account. Mike Nichols-directed fluff has some wincing, mean-spirited jokes and a female "boss from hell", played by Sigourney Weaver, whom we never quite understand (she's sneaky and she's shallow, but is she vicious? and does she deserve the harsh treatment the screenwriter levels on her?). Griffith seemingly had her role as Tess tailored to her innate, golly-gee perkiness, and she has some very fine scenes with leading man Harrison Ford and gal-pal Joan Cusack, but the gist of the plot (attempting to sell a conglomerate on radio advertising) seems a bit thin, and the wrap-up is pure sitcom. ** from ****

Working Girl Review

A fun movie. You always see it on TV, but it's cut. Here's an opportunity to watch the original version. Very entertaining.

Yeah, Right!

How could someone that directed The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge, Catch-22, Biloxi Blues, heck even Silkwood, put out such mindless fluff as this. The idea that all those people at the bottom of the organization chart can do as good a job or better than those at the top if they just get the chance should be left to Frank Capra. At least Capra could put a sentimental spin on the story to make it appealing.Ford, Weaver and Griffith aren't Stewart, Hepburn and Grant but their talents could be put to better use than this story.The best part is seeing the hairstyles from the 80's. You just don't see big hair like that anymore. Anyway, this is a long way from The Graduate or Virginia Woolf.

Breaking through class-barrier, charming romantic comedy!

Melanie Griffith shines as the struggling office worker trying desperately to climb even half a notch on the social ladder. Harrison Ford makes a pass at her at a bar, not knowing that Melanie just started to work for his corporate tycoon-fiancé (played by Segourney Weaver). Melanie thinks that working for a woman (instead of a man) would be different, but soon finds out that a female boss respects her no more than males did, and she even steals Melanie's ideas, then signs her name to them! In the end what is right remains right, Melanie at last has arrived on top of the dog-eat-dog corporate world, and of course gets her man! This movie can be grouped with "Pretty Woman" and "9 to 5". Although not made to be funny, the script is wonderful and ensures entertainment throughout. Enjoy!