Working Girl

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Melanie Griffith had a fling with stardom in this Mike Nichols comedy about an executive secretary (Griffith) who can't get her deserved shot at upward mobility in the brokerage industry. Hardly taken seriously by male bosses, things aren't really any better for her once she starts working for a female exec (Sigourney Weaver, never more delightful), a narcissist with a boy-toy banker (Harrison Ford) and a tendency to steal the best ideas from her underlings. When Weaver's character is laid up with a broken leg, Griffith poses as a replacement wheeler-dealer, flirting with Ford and working on a new client who doesn't suspect the deception. Nichols brings a lot of snap and sass to Kevin Wade's smart script about chafing against class restrictions and perceptions. Sundry scenes are played quite charmingly, especially those of Griffith and Ford's mutual pickup in a bar and Joan Cusack's championing of Griffith's crusade. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Griffith), and two Supporting Actress awards (Weaver, Cusack); Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run" won the Oscar. --Tom Keogh

Description

Nominated for 6 Academy Awards; director Mike Nichols' witty, romantic look at life in the corporate jungle stars Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss (Sigourneey Weaver) Breaks a leg skiing, Tess simply takes over her office, her apartment, even her wardrobe. She then creates a deal with a handsome investment banker (Harrison Ford) that will either take her straight to the top - or finish her off for good.

Customer Reviews:

the good "gal" wins .......2007-05-26

this is a movie for a dank night, when you're feeling down about your job, employer, or simply at things you can't control.

Delight in a farfetched but very well written and acted plot, where the "bad" witch is a successful woman, the heroine is a feisty and spunky smartass who knows what she needs to do to succeed but lacks the credentials to get there, and Harrison Ford being his romantic lead best.

Good wins over evil, the right woman wins the guy of many of our dreams, and perhaps best yet...woman are equal to men in the power plays of business. Its worth watching again and again!

Smashing the Glass Ceiling.......2007-03-21

What I love about Mike Nichols' Working Girl, each time that I view the DVD, is that the film reminds me of the Cinderella fairytale re-envisioned as a corporate fable. While there are no evil stepmoms and stepsisters here, Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) finds herself in just as miserable a situation, with a conniving boss (portrayed by a perfectly lanky Sigourney Weaver) and a duplicitous boyfriend (portrayed with an adequate balance of arrogance and warmth by Alec Baldwin).

Instead of a glass slipper, Tess slips into a little black dress with plenty of persuasion by her fairy godmother, Cynthia (played by John's big sister, Joan Cusack). The dress and the hair are key to hooking the corporate Prince (portrayed by a dapper Harrison Ford). It is the larger-than-life Cusack as "Cyn" -- Tess' nickname for her best friend from their Staten Island 'hood -- who rules in Working Girl.

Best Supporting Actress Cusack steals more than one scene, such as the one in which she reacts to an expensive dress from the wardrobe of Tess' boss with the line: "It's not even leather," the last word emphatically pronounced "LEH-thuh" as if the price tag on the dress were a working-class faux pas. In that scene, Griffith as Tess nearly faints. Brilliant!

However, Tess delivers my most favorite line in the movie, in a scene with Harrison Ford's character, Jack Trainor: "I've got a head for business and a bod for sin." I must admit that it's not only what she says in that scene, but also how she says it. Griffith and Ford's chemistry is as electric in Working Girl as that of Bogie and Bergman or Grant and (Audrey) Hepburn in their own Hollywood classics.

If you buy this DVD, it certainly will not disappoint.

Working Girl, dvd.......2007-01-04

This is the story of an employee who is kept at the bottom of the corporate chain, as a secretary. Her ideas are taken by her boss, and passed off as her own. The secretary steps outside her group and runs an idea. Sigourney Weaver is good as the villainous squelcher. Melanie Griffith is good as the "take this job and shove it" secretary. Harrison Ford is always good as the romantic interest, of both women. Retribution is swift, but honesty conquers in the end.

4 stars for this fun and witty comedy.......2006-12-28

I had recently heard about this movie in the film "Little Black Book." I personally think that this is a fun, and very enjoyable comedy. It is about this secretery named Tess, who gets a job for this very important, big, and rich business woman named Katharine. After throwing an idea to Katharine to help the business, her boss steals her idea and takes credit for it. Left heartbroken and sad, she poses as Katharine after she is injured on vacation. She then works with and falls in love with Harrison Ford's character. The DVD features include two theatrical trailers, three televison spots, and theatrical trailers for other 20th Century Fox movies. Not too great of a DVD, but well worth the price, only $9.99, at most places

Great Story.......2006-10-28

I was on the edge of my seat - WILLING Melanie Griffith's character to MAKE IT in the business world. She was smart, pretty, and hard-working. She deserved a break.
Will she get it? Watch and see.

Average customer rating:

the good "gal" wins
Smashing the Glass Ceiling
Working Girl, dvd
4 stars for this fun and witty comedy
Great Story

Working Girl
Starring: Harrison Ford , Sigourney Weaver , Melanie Griffith , Alec Baldwin , and Joan Cusack
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007IO6NM
Release Date: 2001-04-17

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Description

Customer Reviews:

the good "gal" wins .......2007-05-26

Smashing the Glass Ceiling.......2007-03-21

Working Girl, dvd.......2007-01-04

4 stars for this fun and witty comedy.......2006-12-28

Great Story.......2006-10-28

I was on the edge of my seat - WILLING Melanie Griffith's character to MAKE IT in the business world. She was smart, pretty, and hard-working. She deserved a break.
Will she get it? Watch and see.

Average customer rating:

Working Girls - A fictional documentary?
A Day's Work

Working Girls (Widescreen)
Starring: Richard Davidson , Amanda Goodwin , Martin Haber , Ellen McElduff , and Frederick Neumann
Director: Lizzie Borden
Manufacturer: FIRST RUN FEATURES
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ASIN: B000QJLQEE
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Product Description

insight, and honesty.
WINNER - SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
SEX. MONEY. KINKY CUSTOMERS. LUNCH.
FOR THESE GIRLS, IT S ALL IN
A DAY S WORK.
FEATURES &
BONUS MATERIALS
Widescreen Presentation
(1.66:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Audio Commentary with
Director Lizzie Borden, Director
of Photography Julie Irola and
Star Amanda Goodwin
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Working Girls - A fictional documentary?.......2007-09-01

I remember seeing this film in the theaters when it was first released over 20 years ago (1986) based on the TV review by Siskel & Ebert. But I couldn't remember if it was a documentary or a fiction piece. Now that it's on DVD from First Run Features, it was time to revisit it.

As I realized once the film started, this is a totally scripted film using unknown actors. The writer and Director is feminist Lizzie Borden and the lead female character, Molly (played by the best actress in the film - Louise Smith) is a lesbian turning male tricks. So the women have more interesting lives than the men characterized in the film. The budget was low and there wasn't much that could be done to improve the quality of the image. I guess it fits the mold of the sexploitation films of the 1970s.

There really isn't a plot to speak of. The day starts, some of the hookers come and do their shift. Others call in sick and some work "OT". And then the day - and the film - ends and everyone goes home!

I made it through part of the commentary with Director Borden, the Director of Photography and one of the actresses. But, I can't say it added much.

It's still an interesting film to watch from a sociological angle to see the various reasons the men come to have their fantasies fulfilled. And you will get a glimpse as to how boring it must be to be a hooker as well as learn what the current "prices" were in 1987.

A Day's Work.......2007-08-11

"Working Girls"

A Day's Work

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

New from First Run Features is Lizzie Borden's "Working Girls", an in depth look at women who have sex for money. Let me start off by saying that I know that this is not a gay-themed movie but I have strong reasons for including it in my reviews. Many women who work as prostitutes are lesbians and this movie gives great insight into that aspect of the "business".
The film is about New York hookers and among them are Molly, a lesbian, with a degree from an Ivy League school, Dawn, a law student, Gina who wants to open he own beauty salon and Mary who just decided to give the gig a try. They work in a very exclusive Manhattan whore house and come into contact with everything as they take care of the needs of their clients--all kinds of men. To make this film, director Lizzie Borden ("Born in Flames") gave up six months of her life to interview real prostitutes so that you could bring to the screen a true picture of prostitution and she delivers an amazing look.
Molly, our Ivy Leaguer, is in her thirties and was looking for a change and finds herself highly involved in the sex industry. She is a lesbian that fakes it well and returns to her female lover after her tricks. She is an actress who s exceedingly clever and even chats with her clients after work is done. She seems to be caught in a trap. Even with her degree and opportunities for a real career, she stays on her job as a prostitute. Unlike the other girls who know their place and do not wish to rise above it, Molly cannot decide what she really wants. Because she is a lesbian, sex with a man, to her, is no more than an act. She does not, however, dismiss her male clients and even states that they have helped her get over her fear f men.
Lucy and Dawn have stories that are brutally true. Dawn displays overt hostility and she grates on the audience. These two girls are constantly at odds.
We have al kinds of women working in the profession--college girls, an aging Afro-American, just regular Janes. Directed by Lizzie Borden, a committed feminist, this is just he kind of film that gives us the real inside look at prostitution. Made on a low budget, with acting that may leave a little to be desired, here is a film that makes you think and quite possibly will cause you to change your mind about some aspects of the subject. It covers one day and there is a lot crammed into that short period of time. I felt that the movie was made by a person who had actually been there and seen it all happen.
When I first started watching I had the feeling that that the movie might have some kind of agenda but it does not. It asks questions which it does not answer.
What is interesting about the film is that it tackles its subject directly but it does not provide a reason as to why men prefer this kind of sex to another. Obviously the loneliness and boredom of the inner city is a factor and since there isn't only one type of client, there really isn't just one answer.
This is nowhere near a Hollywood movie--it is odd, it is original and it is refreshing as well as stimulating without being pornographic.

Average customer rating:

Norma Rae //Working Girl

Norma Rae / Working Girl
Starring: Norma Rae , and Working Girl
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KGGIXC
Release Date: 2006-12-05

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Norma Rae: Veteran director Martin Ritt (Sounder) directed this earnest and very popular tale of a naive textile worker, widow, and mother in the U.S. South who becomes empowered by standing up for her rights in the workplace. Sally Field stars in the Oscar-winning title role as a woman who has been content to go along with the status quo until she realizes that she is entitled to more and can succeed if she stands up for herself. Her fight to improve deplorable working conditions at the textile plant causes a rift between her and the people closest to her, but her determination brings a new awareness to her and to all the women with whom she works. Ritt's typical, socially conscious story uses the politics of Norma Rae's struggle and also its emotions to build the film to a rousing climax. --Robert Lane

Working Girl: Melanie Griffith had a fling with stardom in this Mike Nichols comedy about an executive secretary (Griffith) who can't get her deserved shot at upward mobility in the brokerage industry. Hardly taken seriously by male bosses, things aren't really any better for her once she starts working for a female exec (Sigourney Weaver, never more delightful), a narcissist with a boy-toy banker (Harrison Ford) and a tendency to steal the best ideas from her underlings. When Weaver's character is laid up with a broken leg, Griffith poses as a replacement wheeler-dealer, flirting with Ford and working on a new client who doesn't suspect the deception. Nichols brings a lot of snap and sass to Kevin Wade's smart script about chafing against class restrictions and perceptions. Sundry scenes are played quite charmingly, especially those of Griffith and Ford's mutual pickup in a bar and Joan Cusack's championing of Griffith's crusade. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Griffith), and two Supporting Actress awards (Weaver, Cusack); Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run" won the Oscar. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Norma Rae //Working Girl.......2007-06-02

These are two very good movies at a very reasonable rate.

Average customer rating:

Didn't like the soft pornography in this so called remake.
sweet little nothing

Dragstrip Girl
Starring: Mark Dacascos , Natasha Gregson Wagner , María Celedonio , Christopher Crabb , and Raymond Cruz
Director: Mary Lambert
Manufacturer: Dimension
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005U8QO
Release Date: 2002-01-22

Description

DRAGSTRIP GIRL is a fast and furious story of a bad boy who'd like to be good ... and the good girl who just wants to be bad! A working-class hoodlum caught up with a ring of car thieves, Johnny (Mark Dacascos -- NO CODE OF CONDUCT) is floored when he meets Laura (Natasha Gregson Wagner -- TV's PASADENA, HIGH FIDELITY, URBAN LEGEND), a beautiful rich girl riding in a hot set of wheels! But nothing can prepare these teenaged lovebirds for the head-on collision of cultures that results when passion fuels their high-octane relationship! Also featuring Raymond Cruz (TRAINING DAY, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), Traci Lords (BLADE, BLACK MASK 2), and a sizzling soundtrack with music from Grammy Award-winners Los Lobos -- indulge your rebellious side with this movie treat!

Customer Reviews:

Didn't like the soft pornography in this so called remake........2006-01-23

Didn't care for it. Contained soft pornography. The wheelchair bound adolescent kid looking thru a rather obvious hole in a wall, peering at his aunt in the next room having sex with her customers. Didn't have anything to do with anything. I was counting on a more original remake, I guess. I should have known better. I didn't pay attention to the rating. My fault. They put pornography in just about everything nowadays. Cars are cars, and pornography is pornography. I wanted to watch a JD car flick.

sweet little nothing.......2004-10-28

When you're weary and tired after a hard day's work, 'Dragstrip girl' makes a nice watch. This B-movie provides an easy-going story in a well-created fifties-atmosphere. The good-looking actors and actresses come out well, Traci Lords adding her peppery edge by playing a prostitute. All this supported by pretty enjoyable music.

Average customer rating:

A Good Independent Film
Bongo wants to take a show.

Working Girls
Starring: Louise Smith , Deborah Banks , Liz Caldwell , Marusia Zach , and Amanda Goodwin
Director: Lizzie Borden
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000059PP7
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Customer Reviews:

A Good Independent Film.......2001-07-09

First - for those who may be confused a bit - this is NOT the Melanie Griffith / Harrison Ford movie - Working Girl !!!!

This film, by independent filmmaker Lizzie Borden, caused quite the stir in it's day. When first released, on a very limited basis, it was hailed for it's true-life, non-glarmorus dipiction of prostitutes.

The film has aged fairly well. The fashion, however, has not .

The story follows Molly, a working girl, on a day in the life sort of journey.

The filmmaking is sparce, but effective. This is no "Pretty Woman", nor is it intended to be. We're presented with a Big City Brothel and it's employees. There's nothing fancy or particularily beautiful about them - though some of the "girls" are attractive.

The main point, I believe, is that this is a JOB. It's a harsh reality look at what some women do for money. It's not slicked over and it's now over-drawn, the film presents prostitution clearly and, more importantly, without judgement.

The script is on the money and a good script is always a good place to start.

There are no exotic locales - we're mainly invited into the brothel - an upper class condo/apartment. It's a bleak sort of existance.

I'd recommend this film to the Independent Movie lover. It's one of the first and finest examples of what a limited budget, a good script and a good director can do.

Recommended.

Best Regards, turtlex

Bongo wants to take a show........2001-04-27

Working Girls (not to be confused with the singular and singularly awful Mike Nichols movie that features Melanie Griffith vacuuming a carpet, nakedly) is an easily underestimated accomplishment, and despite the rampant nudity and unblinking depictions of adult sexuality, a guaranteed sex-deterrent.

It's hilarious, embarassing, grim, deeply disturbing, cynical, touching, clinical and creepily locker-room-intimate, all at the same time.

There will be those people who can't make it past the low budget vibe that (admittedly) permeates the whole movie, but anyone who criticizes its occasionally stilted acting (and it's an easy target) misses the point: it's PROSTITUTION. Which is to say that paid sex is possibly the root source of all bad acting. Even having said that, the performances are deceptively understated in their squirmy, quasi-nude ease.

The characters of Lucy and Dawn especially, are horrifically too-true. I walked around mimicking Lucy's idiotic "What's new and different?" for weeks. Dawn's gum-snapping hostility, and her impromptu James Brown imitation ("Good God, Mollie- you're a whoooore!") are as grating as they are winning. Singling these two actresses out is unfair though; their characters are especially dynamic, given that they're essentially opposing ends of the same spectrum of self absorption.

Even the least likely supporting roles are realized with unexpected complexity. Witness Lucy, the house's madam, reprimanding Mary, a mousy new 'girl' for her unappealing wardrobe choice on her first night on the job. When Lucy reminds her condescendingly that she is to dress as though she "just came from lunch with her mother, and is on hew way to meet her boyfriend for drinks", Mary replies in a small voice, with a discomfiting mixture of stubborness and shame, "This is what I wore."

Possibly the most remarkable aspect of this movie is the realization that prostitution, at least at this elevated level (the 'girls' work in a clean, modern apartment, and schedule 'appointments' through phone ads listed mostly in upscale skin magazines) is just another daily grind, a job, plain and simple. Ellen McElduff's Lucy is every thoughtless, self-absorbed boss you've ever wanted to throttle; the difference is that she's seen you naked, and can talk about your sex life with no legal repercussions.

Customer Reviews:

I was disappointed.......2004-05-02

When I rented this dvd, I was expecting that the models would start out fully covered and then slowly begin their erotic strp-tease. Most of the models are actualy scantely clad to begin with and there isn't that much for them to take off. The only strip-tease that lived up to my expectations was the two performed by Faith. She, unfortunately, is the only dark haired performer on this dvd.

One thing I noticed was that all the models seem to have a bruice in the same place on their left buttucks. I guess they have to be innoculated to work for Peaches & Cream.

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Customer Reviews:

the good "gal" wins .......2007-05-26

Smashing the Glass Ceiling.......2007-03-21

Working Girl, dvd.......2007-01-04

4 stars for this fun and witty comedy.......2006-12-28

Great Story.......2006-10-28

I was on the edge of my seat - WILLING Melanie Griffith's character to MAKE IT in the business world. She was smart, pretty, and hard-working. She deserved a break.
Will she get it? Watch and see.

Average customer rating:

Working Girls
Starring: Sarah Kennedy , Laurie Rose , Mark Thomas , Lynne Guthrie , and Ken Del Conte
Director: Stephanie Rothman
Manufacturer: Jef Films/Mvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008AOVA
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Average customer rating:

Working Girl
Starring: Harrison Ford , Sigourney Weaver , Melanie Griffith , Alec Baldwin , and Joan Cusack
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000I2KQFE
Release Date: 2007-01-30

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