Working Girl (1988)

When a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writer:

Kevin Wade

Stars:

Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Jack Trainer
Sigourney Weaver	...	Katharine Parker
Melanie Griffith	...	Tess McGill
Alec Baldwin	...	Mick Dugan
Joan Cusack	...	Cyn
Philip Bosco	...	Oren Trask
Nora Dunn	...	Ginny
Oliver Platt	...	Lutz
James Lally	...	Turkel
Kevin Spacey	...	Bob Speck
Robert Easton	...	Armbrister
Olympia Dukakis	...	Personnel Director
Amy Aquino	...	Alice Baxter
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Tim Rourke
Elizabeth Whitcraft	...	Doreen DiMucci

Storyline

Tess McGill is a frustrated secretary, struggling to forge ahead in the world of big business in New York. She gets her chance when her boss breaks her leg on a skiing holiday. McGill takes advantage of her absence to push ahead with her career. She teams up with investment broker Jack Trainer to work on a big deal. The situation is complicated after the return of her boss.

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Plot Keywords:

boss | woman on top | female protagonist | stockings | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

...Her Time Has Come

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Katharine Parker says she is turning 30 in about a week, making her almost the same age as Tess. Her age is reinforced by her fund-raising letter to her fellow Wellesley alumna, which contains the information that they graduated eight years prior; many students graduate at 22 (sometime having had to drop and repeat classes, making Katharine now 30. In contrast with Tess, Katharine did not have to spend eight years taking college courses, she was from a wealthy family and had connections to help her along.

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Goofs

When Tess is tearing out the article out of the newspaper, she uses a ruler which suddenly changes mid-shot, but this is a children's novelty ruler (showing the letters of the alphabet) with a lenticular lens effect that switches between two colors and pictures, depending on which angle it is viewed.

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Quotes

Katherine Parker: Never burn bridges. Today's junior prick, tomorrow's senior partner!

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Connections

References Raging Bull (1980)

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Soundtracks

Isn't It Romantic
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

User Reviews

Wonderful, fun, feel good comeuppance tale

This is a fabulous movie. Maybe not rocket science, but clever enough! It has an engaging plot, an extremely empathetic heroine, a villainous boss, a cheatin' boyfriend, and a handsome new love interest just stepping into the picture. Get your popcorn ready for the comeuppance story of a lifetime.

The tale revolves around a smart secretary named Tess McGill, who wants to get ahead in the Big Apple but is beaten down by her nasty boss, Katherine, who steals her ideas and passes them off as her own. Fortune smiles on Tess when Katherine breaks her leg during a skiing holiday and Tess is able to 'take charge'...that is, until her boss, who recovers all too quickly, returns. Of course there is also a romance brewing here in the form of a handsome investment banker named Jack Trainer, who just happens to be her boss's boyfriend.

Harrison Ford is his typical dashing, magnetic self in the role of Jack Trainer, but it is the two ladies that make this movie. Signourey Weaver is absolutely villainous as an employee's 'worst nightmare' boss, a lady (no, not a lady) high up the corporate ladder, but lacking any semblance of integrity or kindness toward anyone below her in that ladder. You will be itching to see this nasty snob get her comeuppance.

Above all, Melanie Griffith is brilliant in the role of Tess, every viewer's favorite downtrodden secretary. She's a woman with all the intelligence and skills needed to succeed in the corporate world, but is ill used by those above her who put her down. Many employees out there will identify with Tess, having at some point in their lives been ill treated by a boss, whether male or female, with at least shades of Katherine. Furthermore, Tess will surely gain viewer sympathy regarding her unfortunate experiences with her sleazy live in lover, Mick.

The scene featuring the Staten Island ferry is beautifully done, accompanied as it is by Carly Simon's wonderful Oscar winning song, 'Let the River Run'. What an amazing voice! This is really a fantastic, fun movie. You can't help but love it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Working Girl

Filming Locations:

Vernon Valley Great Gorge Ski Resort, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,718,485, 26 December 1988

Gross USA:

$63,779,477

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$102,953,112

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1