Working Girl (1988)

the leading man is my tpye

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver's) line to her newly hired secretary Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), who has grown to have a blind faith in her overbearing boss.Tess, whose previous experiences in the workplace have not been at all positive is anxious to accept her position as Katherine's protege, but is about to find out that these poised, sharply dressed, chic, female mentors aren't always what they seem.We meet Tess in what turn out to be the death throws of her previous job working for Lutz & Turkel, two guys whose idea of a joke is setting Tess up for a mock "job interview" with a guy named Bob."This isn't another set up?" Tess asks Lutz on the day before the meeting. "Do I look like a pimp?" Lutz asks. As it turns out Lutz (a terrific Oliver Platt) is a pimp.The meeting with Bob takes place in the back of a limo where Bob (in between snorts of cocaine) lamely keeps up the charade of a job interview for a few seconds before saying:"We'll discuss it at the hotel." "The hotel?"Kevin Spacey was great in this little role. Indeed a great part of the fun of watching this movie is seeing all these talented actors before they became famous.Their work really adds to the story.After spraying Bob with champagne, Tess (in a rage), heads to her office where she fire bombs her position at Lutz & Turkel, and ends up appealing to her employment agent again."Tess...Tess..." the woman says in dismay, "You don't get ahead in this world by calling your boss a pimp. "Well he is."After admonishing her, the employment agent (played by Olympia Dukakis) gives her one last chance.Enter Katherine Parker, a role Sigourney Weaver was spectacular in.The only role I can safely say I liked her better in was as Dr. Helen Hudson in Copycat (and that's probably because I prefer the character).Everyone (including the audience) wants to believe that Tess's stylish new boss is her friend, but it isn't long before the facade wears off, and Katherine's claws start to come out.When Tess comes up with a brainstorm for a business tycoon named Oren Trask (Phillip Bosco) to buy into radio in order to avoid a take over, Katherine promises to give the idea a "go around" to see what happens.The following day, as Tess is helping Katherine into her ski boots, the latter confides her plans to go away for the weekend with boyfriend Jack Trainer whom, she is certain, is about to pop the question."But what if he doesn't?" Tess asks "I really don't think that's a variable. We're in the same city now. I've indicated that I would be receptive to an offer, I've cleared the month of June, and I am, after all...me."She then, mournfully, confesses that Tess's idea was rejected, but encourages her to keep up the good work. The following day, Katherine breaks her leg while doing some over confident skiing (the scene leading up to this is hysterical), and has to ask Tess to watch her house while she convalesces in Aspen.And it's precisely at her boss's house (while listening to her boss's tape recorder) that Tess finds out the truth about her idea:That Katherine was stealing it. That she was about to take it to Trask, using it to boost her own career.That night she goes home to find her boyfriend Mick (Alec Baldwin) in bed with another woman.Her sense of trust shattered, and having no one but her best friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack), Tess decides to take matters into her own hands.She has Cynthia cut her hair, wears Katherine's six thousand dollar evening gown, and goes to a corporate social function to meet Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford, of course), to see if they can team up together to broker a deal with Trask concerning Tess's radio idea.Jack, who never made it to Aspen, and was (we learn later) about to break up with Katherine, is quite taken with Tess whom, he believes, to be a high power executive.Cynthia pretends to be her secretary, and Jack, who was told the previous one was stolen, buys her a new briefcase.The deal goes quite smoothly, and there's even a hysterically funny wedding reception scene which lightens the movie considerably.The trouble comes when Katherine returns unexpectedly, which would be, of course, on the very day they're going to close the deal, and upon finding out her secretary's activities, sets out to destroy Tess, and all her dreams... Including any future with Jack Trainer.Everybody seemed to enjoy making this movie, and everybody was terrific in it.As was the script, the direction by Mike Nichols, and the theme song by Carly Simon.Originally, Review # 12Posted On: June 20, 2009

Upon first glance of executive Sigourney Weaver, you half expect her to be the hard nosed bitch boss to work for, and when Melanie Griffith gets the job as her new secretary, she's flabbergasted by Weaver's instant good nature. But this woman is a phony, and it's fun to watch Weaver be exposed for all her passive/aggressive niceness that is really more fake than most Hollywood starlet's hair colors. This is the big corporate world of New York City where finding how to succeed in business can really bring you instant enemies through the petty jealousies that take over the human soul. Griffith's just been fired for her humiliation for a sexually aggressive male executive at her previous firm, and her employment agent (Olympia Dukakis in an amusing cameo) gives her one last chance with a very strict warning that it will be her last chance.In her new company, she's made privy to every inside secret that Weaver knows, and it appears that this seemingly great lady is mentoring her for something beyond being a secretary. When Griffith takes Weaver's offer of sharing her opinions of how to advertise, Weaver turns it around and makes it her own idea, and that brings upon initial shock then revenge as the seemingly ditzy Melanie turns the tables, both personally and professionally, going after Weaver's man (Harrison Ford) as well. She pretends to be an executive with the same firm to get close to Ford and pretty soon, they are sharing more than just business meetings. But deception is always exposed, and for both Weaver and Griffith, one will fall and one will rise based upon that deception.This is so funny and true, and having worked in corporate America for over 20 years, I have seen many archetypes of all of these characters. Weaver delivers one of the most glamorous and funny performances of all time, so sunny and welcoming, but with a glint of evil behind that offer of mentoring. Griffith is massively surprising, with that wisp of a voice making you not take her seriously, and forced to look at your own prejudices because of your pre-judgement of her. As she shows how smart she is (hidden by the insecurities that those with better education has obviously impacted her with), she becomes more clear to watch, to like, to admire. Joan Cusack is the zany best friend who gets some great Eve Arden like cracks, while Alec Baldwin is Griffith's sleazy boyfriend, as oily as any cheater can be. Ford underplays a great deal, knowing he's in a woman's picture. This may be the dirty word "chick flick", but it is one that men with open minds can enjoy and watch over and over. Thanks to the Carly Simon opening theme, this scores a big A+, and in the final scene when Griffith scores her big triumph, there is a great moment that every lady executive should look to as they climb the ladder of success which until a few decades ago was mostly a man's world.

Despite Melanie Griffith's weak characterization and other quirk's, I still love this movie. Usually have to watch at least some of it when it finds it's way to my TV once again.Here's the quirk that has always bothered me: (Don't think it's a spoiler, so I have not checked it as such) "Cyn" is her friend at the very beginning of the movie. The opening scene has them walking to work. Tess leaves that job and goes to work elsewhere. Funny, she's in the exact same secretarial pool as Cyn? Neither of them mention it, yet Cyn is always there in the same office. That's quite a convenient coincidence! Also, it's fascinating how much business has been demonized in recent years. What used to be a triumph of feminism...that women can be just as effective in business as men, has now become a hatred of business all together. How sad. This limits women's choices, rather than broadens them. There was a time when women longed to use their brain in a setting like this. Sure, it's not for everyone, but isn't it allowed to be for someone?The movie itself, is a great piece of fluff that's just plain fun to watch again and again

If Katherine and Jack are so close to being married why does Jack not know that Tess is in Katherine's office? I would think that if a couple is that close to being married they would be quite familiar with each others offices. Anyway, I do like this movie. I've probably seen it 7 or eight times. I'm a heterosexual male, I love women and consider myself to be a gentleman and I feel so sorry for Tess in the horrible way that nearly everyone treats her! The character of Tess is that of a good woman and it hurts me to see a good woman mistreated. With the exception of Jack and her fellow secretaries almost everyone treats her like dirt! Including her sleazy "boyfriend" played by Alec Baldwin, her low as pond scum male co-workers not to mention the quintessential bitch Katherine! All of this, of course eventually results in a great "feel good" ending which causes me to cheer for Tess's triumph!