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Working Girl

year 1988decade 80sdirector Mike Nicholsgenre Romantic comedy-drama

113 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Melanie Griffith Tess McGill
Harrison Ford Jack Trainer
Sigourney Weaver Katharine Parker
Alec Baldwin Mick Dugan
Joan Cusack Cynthia
Philip Bosco Oren Trask
Timothy Carhart Tim Draper
Nora Dunn Ginny
Oliver Platt David Lutz
James Lally Turkel
Kevin Spacey Bob Speck
Robert Easton Armbrister
Amy Aquino Alice Baxter
Olympia Dukakis personnel director
Ricki Lake Bridesmaid
David Duchovny Tess's birthday party friend

Working Girl | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Amanda Dobbinshost Joanna Robinson
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Most Rewatchable Scene

End elevators; bar meet-cute; opening; wedding.

In the discussion (16)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:14Read transcript
  • The opening credits, ferry, Statue of Liberty, and New York skyline are proposed.
  • The Spacey limo encounter and Tess’s typed insult are proposed.
  • Tess’s early office exchange with Katharine is proposed.
  • The bar meet-cute is a final choice. — Joanna Robinson
  • The fight after the party is proposed.
  • The luau wedding, bathroom scene, cameos, and Trask dance are proposed.
  • Jack changing his shirt in the office is proposed.
  • The postcoital conversation is proposed.
  • Jack visiting Katharine while Tess hides is proposed.
  • The boardroom and elevator showdowns are proposed.
  • Tess meeting her new assistant is proposed.
  • Jack caring for an unconscious Tess is proposed for its physical comedy despite later objections.
  • The boss-secretary impersonation farce is proposed.
  • The elevator ending is a final choice.
  • The wedding is initially selected and then withdrawn for the elevator.
  • The bar is another final choice.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Hair, makeup, and eye shadow.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:01Read transcript
  • Hair, makeup, and eye shadow are the leading answer.
  • Visible shoulder pads under a translucent blouse are proposed.
  • The wedding tuxedo, Twin Towers, and women calling themselves secretaries are proposed.
  • Lark cigarettes, print media, and radio are proposed.
  • Katharine’s exercise bike is proposed as the strongest runner-up.
  • Computer monitors, printouts, and email are proposed.

What’s Aged the Best?

Let the River Run and its score; supportive work husband; clothes; underestimated heroine archetype.

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:48Read transcript
  • Let the River Run, the score, and their repeated use are selected.
  • Jack as a supportive work husband is proposed.
  • The late-film roundtable is proposed.
  • Jack ordering tequila before it became common is proposed.
  • Harrison Ford’s clothes and the character-defining costume design are proposed.
  • The underestimated hot-mess but intelligent heroine archetype is proposed.
  • Guessing which scenes followed a late night is proposed as a rewatching game.
  • The short-lived Sandra Bullock television adaptation is discussed as an enduring curiosity.
  • Never burn bridges because today’s junior employee may become tomorrow’s senior partner is proposed.
  • The Officer and a Gentleman homage at the end is proposed.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Final office pullback; opening; nighttime ferry shot.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:52Read transcript
  • The opening credits are proposed.
  • The final office pullback is proposed for expressing the movie’s larger idea.
  • The nighttime ferry and skyline shot after the breakup is proposed.

The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Everyone except Tess.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:54Read transcript
  • Every character except Tess is proposed as bad at their job. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Jack is criticized for lacking ideas and initially avoiding the meeting. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Katharine is criticized for taking vacation and bringing no visible ideas. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Trask subordinates and Nora are criticized for passivity and poor execution. — Amanda Dobbins
  • The arbitrage group is also judged unsuccessful. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Jack is criticized for failing to ask basic questions about Tess’s background. — Amanda Dobbins

What’s Aged the Worst?

Remote work breaks the plot; workplace treatment; hair; Jack undressing Tess; paper trails.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:23Read transcript
  • Remote work and LinkedIn would prevent the broken-leg absence from enabling the plot.
  • Most hairstyles and workplace treatment of women are proposed.
  • Reading Motor Trend in bed and gloomy ferry shots are proposed.
  • The hot dog crumb on Jack’s mouth is debated and ultimately defended.
  • Jack not washing his hands is criticized.
  • Sleeping together before closing the deal is proposed but disputed.
  • Hard-copy records, dictation, and day planners are proposed as obsolete plot machinery.
  • Jack removing Tess’s dress is criticized as unnecessary.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Working Girl deserved Best Picture; I’m So Excited is a defining pop-culture song.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:35Read transcript
  • Working Girl should have won Best Picture over Rain Man.
  • I’m So Excited is proposed as the most important pop-culture song of its era.

Casting What-Ifs

Demi Moore, plus many alternate Tess candidates.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:21Read transcript

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Philadelphia law-firm employee; Trask actor; Caroline Aaron; Oliver Platt.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:42Read transcript
  • Oliver Platt is ruled eligible under a younger-audience test.
  • The actor who plays Trask is proposed via a Beverly Hills Cop 3 reference.
  • A Philadelphia law-firm character actor is favored.
  • Caroline Aaron is proposed through Sleepless in Seattle and Maisel roles.

Apex Mountain

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:17Read transcript
  • Melanie Griffith is at Apex Mountain.
  • Harrison Ford is not.
  • Sigourney Weaver is at or near her peak between Aliens and this film.
  • Female workplace-struggle movies are rejected as an apex because they are evergreen.
  • Carly Simon is discussed.
  • The Staten Island Ferry is proposed.
  • Massive hairstyles and repeated disparaging terms are proposed.

Picking Nits

White wedding clothes; office secrecy; broken-leg recovery; Katharine’s vacation; Mick’s affair and proposal.

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:31Read transcript
  • Tess wearing white to the wedding is criticized.
  • Nobody questioning Tess’s repeated use of Katharine’s office is criticized.
  • Katharine’s rapid recovery from a severe broken leg is challenged.
  • Whether Katharine would be fired for stealing the idea is debated.
  • Katharine vacationing soon after transfer is challenged.
  • A previously planned vacation and perhaps ten days or a couple of weeks on the job are offered as explanations.
  • Katharine expecting a proposal but traveling without Jack is challenged.
  • She knew many people at the resort, knew the hotel operator, and had enough money to take the trip anyway.
  • Alec Baldwin having sex with Doreen in Tess’s bed is challenged as implausibly brazen.
  • His Motor Trend reading and birthday lingerie gift are cited as signs he might cheat; adultery is also framed as more culturally tolerated in the period.
  • Mick proposing publicly only days later is challenged.
  • Tess answering “maybe” is defended as fair and as a good movie scene.
  • The friends encouraging Tess to accept despite knowing about the affair is challenged.
  • Period gender norms and a boys-will-be-boys attitude are offered as explanations for the friends’ response.
  • Mick’s boat-loan business is questioned.
  • High-school coach is proposed as an alternate job, then rejected because he should not be near students.
  • Used-car salesman is proposed as a better-fitting job.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Wilford Brimley in The Firm.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:51:28Read transcript
  • Wilford Brimley’s character from The Firm is selected for a photograph-reveal scene.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Meaning of Let the River Run; Jack and Katharine’s relationship; office-party dumplings; Ford sex scenes; whether Tess is the villain.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:53:01Read transcript
  • The lyrics and river in Let the River Run are questioned.
  • The panel asks how Jack and Katharine progressed beyond a casual or strategic relationship. — Joanna Robinson
  • Dim sum dumplings as passed office-party food are questioned and mostly rejected.
  • The panel asks whether Harrison Ford has explicit sex scenes beyond Presumed Innocent.
  • The panel asks whether Tess can be viewed as the villain for taking her boss’s boyfriend and opportunity.

Best Double Feature

Baby Boom is the final preference; many alternatives.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 02:04:44Read transcript
  • Baby Boom and Broadcast News are proposed as a triple-feature extension.
  • Morning Glory is proposed.
  • Pretty Woman is proposed for its Cinderella parallels.
  • Witness is proposed for another Harrison Ford performance.
  • The Devil Wears Prada is proposed for workplace-story parallels.
  • Baby Boom becomes the final preference.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:06:18Read transcript
Podcast choices
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More from the conversation

The film is treated as both a romantic comedy and a workplace Cinderella story whose final emphasis remains Tess’s professional achievement.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:45Read transcript