Nominated for 6 Academy Awards; director Mike Nichols' witty, romantic look at life in the corporate jungle stars Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss (Sigourneey Weaver) Breaks a leg skiing, Tess simply takes over her office, her apartment, even her wardrobe. She then creates a deal with a handsome investment banker (Harrison Ford) that will either take her straight to the top - or finish her off for good.

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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!

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:

an upbeat movie with an unforgettable theme songNov 25, 2005
By Classic Movie watcher
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.)

33 of 39 found the following review helpful:

Ethically questionable but otherwise superbJan 18, 2002
By careful buyer
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.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

A Smart Romantic ComedyDec 18, 2001
By Mark J. Fowler "Let's Play Two!"
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.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

goes to show ever body wants to make it somewhere.....Feb 14, 2006
By Lady Raven RAVE!
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.

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