These days, when a film is labelled a “romantic comedy” it is often met with a roll of the eyes and expectation of a predictable, lightweight affair. Such is the penchant of Hollywood for churning out these formulaic films designed to appeal to a specific portion of the cinema-going public and guarantee a solid return on a small investment. Working Girl, however, is a rarer breed: a funny and charming affair, but one that is matched with great performances, chemistry, and a smart script.
Released back in 1988, Working Girl was directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, The Birdcage, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and stars Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, and Sigourney Weaver. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and took home one for best original song. It’s now available on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment.
Tess McGill (Griffith) is a girl from Staten Island trying to make something of herself in Manhattan. Frustrated as a secretary, she finally meets a mentor in her new boss Katharine Parker (Weaver), who gives her opportunities to share her ideas and serves as a role model to whose level of success Tess can aspire. When Katharine breaks her leg on a skiing holiday in Europe, Tess finds her boss has been using her ideas to further her own career. She uses Katherine’s office, connections, and even wardrobe to push ahead with her idea, teaming up with investment broker Jack Trainer (Ford) to see it through. Her efforts become complicated by her ongoing facade and romantic developments with Jack, as well as the imminent return of Katharine.
Working Girl has remained popular since its original release, presenting the surprising idea (at the time anyway) that a woman could be as smart, cutthroat, and successful as a man could be in corporate America. As a product of the 80s it is certainly dated — never has an era been so prone to the passage of time — but the charm of the story and abilities of the cast overcome that. It’s very much a representation of the excess of the 80s, so you’re presented with an oversimplification of how sex and success are the key things in life. But the film has a feel good factor; it’s funny and frivolous, but tempered by smarts and an incisive look at class and the workplace for women several decades ago.
At its heart it is a Cinderella story, a girl going from rags to riches, complete with the makeover and existence of a Prince Charming; but this simplification does an injustice to the journey of Tess McGill. Pretty Woman is a film that was released a few years later and often is remembered with more fondness, but there is an interesting contrast between the two. Pretty Woman basically has the heroine saved, pulled from the gutter by her Prince, whereas Working Girl shows Tess taking advantage of a situation and getting out herself. Sure Working Girl poses murkier moral questions (prostitution aside), as deception and subterfuge are employed to give Tess a chance in this cutthroat world, but essentially she is less Cinderella and more a self-made woman. Her advancement is based on an elaborate lie, but perhaps there is something to admire in that. The transformation Tess undergoes is entirely believable; she is forced by necessity to act and as a result shows that a woman can be as successful as a man can be in business even if she has to beat them at their own game. Now in 2015 this in not something that is often questioned, but in the 1980s it was a rather radical idea.
For Nichols, it is probably among his less inspired works (you can only do so much with an office space after all), but some of the outdoor scenes, notably on the Staten Island ferry, linger in your memory. Really his achievement here was putting this cast together and nurturing the chemistry they had. This is undoubtedly Melanie Griffith’s movie, a defining performance for her as a somewhat demure but feisty woman who, despite her talents, isn’t taken seriously. It’s a perfect marriage of source material and actor. She plays well against Ford, who with his turn as the boyish rogue Jack Trainer reminds us what a presence he can be if engaged with a project. Subtle performances by the pair go up against the far more assertive and at times villainous Weaver, portraying a product of the 80s in a successful woman who has to be somewhat more cutthroat to survive in a male dominated workplace. The supporting cast represent a diverse array of classes and a host of talent including Joan Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Olympia Dukakis, who flesh their characters out well above normal stereotypes.
THE PACKAGE
The new transfer is clear and detailed for the most part; some scenes look a little soft and a graininess is evident, but overall it’s solid. Contrast and colors are handled well. Sure the film can look dated at times, its from the 80s after all, but this is the best presentation of the film I’ve seen.
Sadly the film itself is not backed up by any real extras save two theatrical trailers and TV spots. Granted, those involved in the film have achieved star status and sadly Nichols passed recently, but some more insight to the film considering its awards nomination haul would have been welcome.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With this release, fans of the film will jump at the chance to have a copy of Working Girl that looks so great, but may be a little disappointed at the extras. As the film stands, it holds up well thanks to a snappy script and a talented cast with charming chemistry. It has great pace and flows superbly, and while the story is deceptively simple, the only thing more impressively crafted than the film itself are the hairstyles on display.
Working Girl is available now on Blu-ray.
