Working Girl (1988)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Wade (written by)

Release Date:

21 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

For anyone who's ever won. For anyone who's ever lost. And for everyone who's still in there trying.

Plot:

When a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss's job.

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Screwball | Leap Of Faith | Accident | New York City Harbor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Jack Trainer
Sigourney Weaver	...	Katharine Parker
Melanie Griffith	...	Tess McGill
Alec Baldwin	...	Mick Dugan
Joan Cusack	...	Cyn
Philip Bosco	...	Oren Trask
Nora Dunn	...	Ginny
Oliver Platt	...	Lutz
James Lally	...	Turkel
Kevin Spacey	...	Bob Speck
Robert Easton	...	Armbrister
Olympia Dukakis	...	Personnel Director
Amy Aquino	...	Alice Baxter
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Tim Rourke
Elizabeth Whitcraft	...	Doreen DiMucci
Maggie Wagner	...	Tess's Birthday Party Friend
Lou DiMaggio	...	Tess's Birthday Party Friend
David Duchovny	...	Tess's Birthday Party Friend
Georgienne Millen	...	Tess's Birthday Party Friend
Caroline Aaron	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Nancy Giles	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Judy Milstein	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Nicole Chevance	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Kathleen Gray	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Jane B. Harris	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Sondra Hollander	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Samantha Shane	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Julia Silverman	...	Petty Marsh Secretary
Jim Babchak	...	Jr. Executive
Zach Grenier	...	Jim
Ralph Byers	...	Dewey Stone Reception Guest
Leslie Ayvazian	...	Dewey Stone Reception Guest
Steve Cody	...	Cab Driver
Paige Matthews	...	Dewey Stone Receptionist
Lee Dalton	...	John Romano
Barbara Garrick	...	Phyllis Trask
Madolin B. Archer	...	Barbara Trask
Etain O'Malley	...	Hostess at Wedding
Ricki Lake	...	Bridesmaid
Marceline Hugot	...	Bitsy (as Marceline A. Hugot)
Tom Rooney	...	Bridegroom
Peter Duchin	...	Trask Wedding Orchestra
Maeve McGuire	...	Trask Secretary
Timothy Carhart	...	Tim Draper (as Tim Carhart)
Lloyd Lindsay Young	...	TV Weatherman
F.X. Vitolo	...	Tony
Lily Froehlich	...	Clerk at Dry Cleaner's
Michael Haley	...	Heliport Attendant (as R.M. Haley)
Mario T. DeFelice Jr.	...	Helicopter Pilot
Anthony Mancini Jr.	...	Helicopter Pilot
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Trask Receptionist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matthew Bennett	...	Rhumba Guy (uncredited)
George G. Colucci	...	Staten Island Ferry Commutor (uncredited)
Priscilla Cory	...	Pretty brunette officegirl (uncredited)
Kevin Fennessy	...	Trask Executive (uncredited)
Anita Finlay	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Tom Sean Foley	...	Office Worker (uncredited)
Cathy Ladman	...	Tess' Secretary (uncredited)
Dean Regan	...	Hospital Orderly (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Nichols

Writing credits (WGA)
Kevin Wade		(written by)

Produced by
Robert Greenhut	....	executive producer
Laurence Mark	....	executive producer
Douglas Wick	....	producer

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen

Casting by
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Patrizia von Brandenstein		(as Patrizia Von Brandenstein)

Art Direction by
Doug Kraner

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Jr.		(as George DeTitta)

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Joseph A. Campayno	....	makeup artist (as Joe Campayno)
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair stylist
J. Roy Helland	....	hair stylist
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup artist
Francesca Paris	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Todd Arnow	....	production supervisor
Timothy M. Bourne	....	assistant unit production manager
Robert Greenhut	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Haley	....	first assistant director (as Mike Haley)
Daniel M. Stillman	....	additional second assistant director (as Dan Stillman)
Nathalie Vadim	....	second assistant director
Carla Zackson	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Tim Galvin	....	assistant art director
Daniel K. Grosso	....	second set dresser (as Danny Gross)
Ken Kammerer	....	assistant property master
James Mazzola	....	property master
Tom McDermott	....	assistant property master
Arne Olsen	....	chief construction grip
Ron Petagna	....	construction coordinator (as Ronald J. Petagna)
Samara Schaffer	....	art department coordinator
Cosmo Sorice	....	stand-by scenic artist
James Sorice	....	master scenic artist
Dave Weinman	....	set dresser (as David Weinman)
Gerald DeTitta	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Christopher Nelson	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Michael Bedard	....	cable person (as Mike Bedard)
Stan Bochner	....	supervising sound editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Adam Fredericks	....	apprentice sound editor
Marshall Grupp	....	sound editor
Joseph Gutowski	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Jacobi	....	adr editor
Richard King	....	assistant sound editor (as Richard Q. King)
Les Lazarowitz	....	production sound mixer
Linda Murphy	....	boom operator
Susan M. Wagner	....	assistant sound editor (as Susan Wagner)
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
John Alagna	....	opticals
Dick Rauh	....	opticals

Stunts
Natasha Buser	....	stunts
Jim Dunn	....	stunt coordinator
Frank Ferrara	....	stunt coordinator
Phil Neilson	....	stunts (as Philip G. Neilson)
Michael Russo	....	stunts (as Michael C. Russo)
Bronwen Thomas	....	stunts
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt double: Mr. Ford (uncredited)
Shawn O'Neil	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Florian Ballhaus	....	first assistant camera
Gary Childs	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Jerry DeBlau	....	best boy electric
John W. DeBlau	....	gaffer (as John DeBlau)
David M. Dunlap	....	camera operator (as David Dunlap)
Neil Fallon	....	video playback operator
Brian Fitzsimons	....	best boy grip
Dennis Gamiello	....	key grip
Bobby Mancuso	....	second assistant camera (as Robert Mancuso)
Andrew D. Schwartz	....	still photographer (as Andy Schwartz)
Steve Wright	....	camera trainee
David Satin	....	computer/video engineer (uncredited)
Robert Shepherd	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Judie Fixler	....	additional casting
Ellen Lewis	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Dumais	....	wardrobe: men
Gary Jones	....	assistant costume designer
Melissa Stanton	....	wardrobe: women
Mila Vyborny	....	wardrobe shopper
Andrea Wallace	....	wardrobe shopper

Editorial Department
Kris Cole	....	assistant editor
Bob Hagans	....	color timer
Richard Nord	....	assistant editor

Music Department
James Flatto	....	assistant music editor
Rob Mounsey	....	music scorer
Patrick Mullins	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Tom O'Donnell Jr.	....	transportation captain (as Thomas J. O'Donnell Jr.)
Louis Volpe	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Cyd Adams	....	production assistant
John Alagna	....	titles
Mary Bailey	....	script supervisor
Jan Sebastian Ballhaus	....	production assistant (as Sebastian Ballhaus)
Richard Baratta	....	location manager
Nicholas Bernstein	....	location assistant
Jerry Caron	....	production assistant (as Gerry Caron)
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Ken Gerber	....	location assistant
Hannah Green	....	production assistant
Amy Herman	....	location assistant
Thomas A. Imperato	....	production auditor (as Thomas Imperato)
Ingrid Johanson	....	production coordinator
Michael Kelem	....	gyrosphere aerial operator
Maureen Kleinman	....	assistant production coordinator
Susan MacNair	....	assistant: Mike Nichols
Brian Mannain	....	studio manager
Eric Myers	....	unit publicist
Jan Nizen	....	assistant production auditor
Sabrina Padwa	....	assistant: Mike Nichols
Dick Rauh	....	title designer
Helen Robin	....	assistant: Robert Greenhut
John Saffir	....	production assistant
Scott Schaffer	....	craft service
Caroline Thompson	....	assistant: Douglas Wick
Pamela Thur	....	location assistant
Libby Titus	....	production assistant
Gilbert S. Williams	....	production assistant (as Gil Williams)
Joyce P. Fields	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Linda Marshall-Smith	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Ari Taub	....	assistant locations (uncredited)
Tom Tumminello	....	parking coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1989) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fox Film (1989) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox Network (1991) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Lucernafilm - Beta (1991) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1994) (2002) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1989) (Finland) (video)

Other Companies

• Arista Records  soundtrack
• David Sharp's Totally Looped Group  vocal effects
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• Optical House, The  titles and opticals
• PMK Public Relations  publicity
• Sound One Corporation  post-production facilities
• Todd Thaler Casting  additional casting

Also Known As:

Secretaria ejecutiva (Argentina) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Waffen der Frauen, Die (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Armas de mujer (Spain) [es]
Dolgozo lány (Hungary) [hu]
Donna in carriera, Una (Italy) [it]
Femeie face cariera, O (Romania) [ro]
Podnikavá dívka (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Pracujaca dziewczyna (Poland) [pl]
Quand les femmes s'en mêlent (Canada: French title) [fr]
Uma Mulher de Sucesso (Portugal) [pt]
Uma Secretária de Futuro (Brazil) [pt]
Working girl - Quand les femmes s'en mêlent (France) [fr]
Working girl - med huvudet på skaft! (Sweden) [sv]
Working girl - tieni huipulle (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

7 World Trade Center, World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Something else that did not make the theatrical cut: in the restroom scene between Tess and Jack during the wedding reception, one can see a woman in white shoes in the stall next to the one Jack uses. That woman overhears the conversation between Tess and Jack about having crashed the wedding. That woman must be the one telling the bride afterwards which is why she tries to confront Tess and Jack while their are dancing.

Goofs:

Continuity: Color of Tess' pantyhose as she steps off the bus.

Quotes:

Mick: Tess, will you marry me?
Tess McGill: Maybe.
Mick: Ya call that an answer?
Tess McGill: You want another answer, ask another girl.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Little Black Book (2004)

Soundtrack:

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

Who's afraid of Sigourney Weaver?

Working girl Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith, sporting some serious hair) is continuously being mistaken for a "coffee, tea or me?" kind of person when in fact she works hard, reads widely and studies nights to get ahead in the business world. But the sexist, class-conscious business world just won't take her seriously. Finally she hooks up with Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver), a successful but vulturous deal-maker with an elevated opinion of herself who knows how to use people. They set up a mentor relationship with Tess getting the coffee and Katherine spouting the words of wisdom. When Tess comes up with a good business idea, Katherine steals it.

Enter soon after Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) and we have our triangle. Katherine has broken her leg skiing and Tess has to fill in for her. When Tess discovers that Katherine has ripped off her idea, she decides to assume Katherine's accouterments, including her lavish apartment, her wardrobe, her hairstyle, and as it turns out, her boyfriend. Will she succeed, and will she find true love and happiness with the leading man? Inquiring minds want to know.

Director Mike Nichols, auteur of a number of film land successes of more than average sophistication, including Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Graduate (1967), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), etc. with help from screen writer Kevin Wade and Melanie herself, manages to create enough sympathy for Tess that we want her to win. Sigourney Weaver does such a fine job of being a kind of sociopathic villainess that we want her to lose. Guess what happens?

While this is not on the same level as the three Mike Nichols flicks mentioned above, either in terms of cinematic significance or craftsmanship, it is clever and witty at times, and the story is one that most American women will find easy to identify with. And of course the winner gets Harrison Ford, displaying his usual bodice-busting charm. Only problem (aside from some smarmy pandering to a chick flick audience) is that the chemistry between Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford is lacking.

See this for Mike Nichols whose direction here can be described as just a working guy trying to make a buck and not doing a bad job of it.