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:

The Charming Boss - The Boss from Hell...And the Secretary

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though he receives top billing, Harrison Ford does not appear until 35 minutes into the film.

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Goofs

It was made clear that Katharine and Jack had a long-term relationship before Tess came on the scene, and yet Jack failed to recognize Katharine's office when he went to visit Tess when she was putting on her act as a broker. Katharine has only just moved to New York from Boston. This is evidenced by what the recruiter says to Tess: 'transferring down from Boston, name of Parker', as well as the fact that Katharine does not yet have a place to live (she tells Tess on the phone from the hospital that she's staying at her parents' house and her voice on the Dictaphone makes reference to her looking for a place of her own), and says to Tess of her and Jack: 'We're living in the same city now' which implies this is a new development. It is therefore perfectly possible that, while Jack knows where Katharine works and knows that it is at the same place as Tess (and assumes that Katharine is Tess's colleague), he has never seen her office.

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Quotes

Tess McGill: Shoot me, shoot me.
Cyn: Will you cut that out, they didn't throw you out did they?
Tess McGill: They don't exactly have bouncers at these things, they're a little more subtle than that.

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Connections

Referenced in The Exes: Working Girl (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Lady in Red
Written and Performed by Chris De Burgh (as Chris DeBurgh)
Courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

The best come-uppance story ever!

You know you've had a boss like this. Someone who stole your ideas, used you to advance their career, and did everything to keep you from getting the credit you deserve. I think of him every time I watch this movie, and although he got his come-uppance, as such people usually do, this one is still more satisfying.

Griffith is a little annoying as the giggly secretary with ambition, but it works. Weaver is the greatest comedic villain since Cruella DeVil. You know she's going to fall, and she does in more ways than one. While she's mending broken bones from a ski trip, her secretary finds a memo capitalizing on her idea the boss had pooh-poohed as a "secretary's notion."

In her boss's absence, Tess (Griffith) uses her boss's name, her office, her home, even her clothes, to break into the rarefied New York mergers and acquisitions world. She even falls for the boss's boyfriend.

Alas, the boss is a fast healer and comes home early. She finds an entry in her secretary's day planner, and it hits the fan.

It's hard to believe this gem was written by the same writer who inflicted Meet Joe Black on us, but we can forgive him. Harrison Ford is at the top of his game as the boyfriend, but Joan Cusack almost walks away with this one, as usual. Joan is the best comedic supporting actress around.

Weaver has one of the the greatest one-liners of all time. When asked if she's sure her boyfriend will propose, she says "We're in the same city now. I've indicated I'm receptive to an offer. I've cleared the month of June. And I am, after all, me."

The go-go 80's may be long gone, along with the power suits, the BIG hair, the Perrier, and the bull market, but this hilarious and heartwarming comedy still works without relying on nostalgia or sentiment!

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:

$102,956,984

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1