Working Girl-1988

Director Mike Nichols

Starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford

Scott’s Review #748

Reviewed April 26, 2018

Grade: B+

Released during a decade known for excess, fun, and light comedy films, especially in its latter half, 1988’s Working Girl was a blockbuster hit at the time and, today, stands as a defining film of the decade.

This can be both good and bad, with both a dated feel and a whimsical, basic good girl versus a bad approach that is appealing.

The film is romantic comedy fluff, but it is entertaining and features lovely views of New York City- one of my very favorite locales.

Mike Nichols directed the film, better known for heavier subject matter (1966’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and 1967’s The Graduate).

His leading the picture, along with all-star casting, surely made this film better than it should have been.

Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) commutes via the Staten Island Ferry each morning into vast Manhattan, where she holds a secretarial job at a Wall Street investment bank.

After a bad experience with one of the brokers, she is reassigned to a female boss, the assertive Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver).

After Katharine steals Tess’s business idea and passes it off as her own to get in good with handsome Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford), Tess is determined to reveal the truth as a triangle develops among the three.

In tow are Tess’s best friend, Cynthia (Joan Cusack), and her cheating boyfriend, Mick (Alec Baldwin), in supporting roles.

Working Girl feels overwhelmingly like a “1980s film,” and while it was relevant at the time and kindly nostalgic, it doesn’t hold up well today, seeming better suited to a time capsule, unlocked from time to time for kicks.

The most garish example is the hideous hairdos Nichols gives Tess and Cynthia, frizzed out and caked with Aqua Net hairspray, over-the-top even for the 1980s.

Then come the inevitable tacky outfits, bright colors and shoulder pads, as the girls hustle to their dull jobs. With these costume tidbits and the filming style, the tone screams the 1980’s.

The casting of the three leads is very good; Griffith, Ford, and Weaver all share nice chemistry, and the clear rooting value is that Tess and Jack live happily ever after, with Katharine as the obvious foil.

The film’s conclusion is unsurprising, but as a romantic comedy, it is standard fare. The point is that the relationships are dynamic and the ride is fun.

Griffith is breathy and seductive, a clear homage to Marilyn Monroe in her 1950s films.

Never known for great acting, Tess gets the role of a lifetime. Weaver sinks her teeth into an against-type villainous role, and Ford is dashing and charismatic as the leading man.

My favorite parts of Working Girl, and the film’s strongest aspects, leave an indelible impression even after all these years: the sweeping New York City camera sequences throughout the film.

Many scenes were shot in neighboring Staten Island, but the best shots are the luminous skylines of Manhattan that appear in the opening sequence and later from corporate offices.

There we see Tess on the Ferry heading across the Hudson River, all with the wonderful soundtrack song by Carly Simon, Let the River Run, playing in the background. The soothing tune and the approaching mammoth city set a nice tone.

The story itself is a sort of rags-to-riches, Cinderella-style experience from the point of view of Tess.

Taking night classes to better herself and, clearly, a blue-collar type battling the giants of the corporate world, and the more sophisticated Katherine (she speaks fluent French!), is an enormous draw for mainstream audiences.

Corporate greed versus the little guy is an apt comparison here. Almost borderline fairy-tale, Tess getting the dashing Jack (in real life, he would undoubtedly be with Katharine) makes the film good escapist fare.

The working-class Staten Island versus the sophisticated Manhattan is another theme worth mentioning.

Thirty years beyond its original release. 1988’s Working Girl now feels dated, dusty, and of its time, like many similar films, but it still retains some of the enjoyment that undoubtedly made it a hit at release.

A film that is fine to take out of the vault, dust off, and enjoy for some good escapist cinema and a predictable story of good overcoming bad.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Mike Nichols, Best Actress-Melanie Griffith, Best Supporting Actress-Joan Cusack, Sigourney Weaver, Best Original Song-“Let the River Run” (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture-Comedy or Musical (won), Best Director-Mike Nichols, Best Actress-Comedy or Musical-Melanie Griffith (won), Best Supporting Actress-Sigourney Weaver (won), Best Screenplay, Best Original Song-“Let the River Run” (won)