Movie of the Week: Working Girl

Alexa:  Working Girl is so very 80s – That hair! That music! That Kevin Spacey cameo because he wasn’t a big A-lister yet! But it’s also utterly charming. I have a soft spot for hard-working characters that overcome obstacles to get the credit they deserve. And while Tess’s methods may be unorthodox, she undoubtedly proves her worth. She’s a prime example of a stereotype-shattering protagonist, someone people underestimate for superficial reasons but who’s more than capable and full of gumption. Melanie Griffith is a delight in this movie, and it left me wondering why she never became a bigger star. Harrison Ford is as charismatic as ever, and Sigourney Weaver is wonderfully cold as Tess’s horrible boss. The story drags at times, and the subplot with her boyfriend feels unnecessary and distracting (despite the fact that it’s Alec Baldwin). But overall, Working Girl is the perfect balance of a young heroine’s journey through corporate America and a delightful romance.

Joel: I had also planned to start my review by mention how 80s this movie felt which should let you know that everything in this movie is deeply enriched in the 1980s, The hair, the technology, the fashion (a wedding scene really helps to drive this one home), the music, it all screams 1980s. Even the basic plot of the movie, the idea that success is best portrayed as being good at “business” is something that is very much in line with the culture of the 1980s. (See other workplace films from the time including, but not limited to, 9 to 5, The Secret of My Success, Wall Street.)
Working Girl is a really fun movie, that really lets its three main stars shine. Melanie Griffith gives the performance she will be forever remember for as the star (even though she’s the third billed actor), and Sigourney Weaver was great getting to play the bad guy in a corporate setting. It’s also a great deal of fun to get to watch Harrison Ford in this movie. The guy will forever be attached to two very specific roles, so it’s nice to see him acting a little goofier as a romantic comedy character. In many ways Working Girl serves as a time capsule to the year 1988, not only in the hairstyles and fashion of the time, but to the culture’s outlook on corporations, and how the game of business should be played. It also serves as a peek into the star status of the actors at the time, with a not yet Kevin Spacey coming in for a single scene, while Harrison Ford gets top billing despite not appearing in the movie for the first half hour or so. It’s a fun movie to look back on even though it’s not so long ago, to see how things have changed.

Chris: Insert my obligatory remark on how 80's this movie was because holy cow, that hair. This was a fun movie that has plenty of faults but not quite enough to ruin the overall experience. My main complaint is the inconsistency of Sigourney Weaver's character because when we're first introduced to her, she's a no-nonsense but reasonable character and once she's introduced as a villain, that all goes away until she's a caricature of a villain and almost goofy towards the end. Also, I had my hopes up when I saw Weaver was in this but I was disappointed with how little she is in this movie, inconsistent character and all. And ultimately, this movie made me wish Harrison Ford did more comedic roles. Sure, he's played characters with comedic moments here and there but this role seemed to go a bit beyond that and I loved each scene he was part of.