On W List of Movie Reviews
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Working Girl (1988)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
1/06, 8/20
1/06:
Working Girl is an aptly directed film by the ever-reliable Mike Nichols with nice acting effort from everyone except
for Joan Cusack (ugh, why is she in this?).
What a lovely job by Melanie Griffith. Harrison Ford is entertaining as well. Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Spacey
have small roles. The top acting honor goes to Sigourney Weaver whose character reminds me of the evil lady in
One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
The story is kind of weird but avoids being turned into workplace sexual harassment. In many ways, it's the feminist
version of Wall Street, yet the fraud perpetuated by Melanie Griffith's character is bothersome.
All in all, Working Girl is a film that many female employees who struggle with workplace politics can relate to.
8/20:
Time hasn't been kind to Working Girl.
Mike Nichols is a terrific director, but let's be real: it's a rare misfire. While watching it, I kept thinking of
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. The latter made sense because
the fraud was operated on a low level, but the former? No...way. It infuriated me to no end.
Katharine Parker is the classic definition of a shark, but she was never in the wrong, like it or not. A stupid bimbo with
no credentials to speak of in the corporate world, Tess should be arrested and sent to jail for taking
advantage of the firm to fulfill her selfish mission; otherwise, how will she get the clout to make such a deal?
Gosh, the hi-top hairdos, the clownish makeup, and the football-sized shoulder pads...the sight of them all have made
me cringe. Working Girl is why I will never take Joan Cusack seriously. Four young actors appear: Oliver Platt,
David Duchovny, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin with the last two having done a superior business picture entitled
Glengarry Glen Ross. Playing a sleazeball, Spacey ironically shows his true colors.
In a star-making role, Melanie Griffith is okay. It's not the finest hour in acting for Harrison Ford, evincing no
chemistry with her. Sigourney Weaver escapes the embarrassment by giving a believable performance, but she's barely featured. Given
her A-type personality, Katharine Parker will have shown up at work within two days after the skiing accident.
All in all, overnominated to death by the Academy Awards, Working Girl is painful to watch.