Working Girl Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Working Girl Blu-ray Movie Review

Nice work if you can get it.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 9, 2015

There was an interesting concatenation of rather sophisticated, highbrow comedians who started making waves in American standup in the late fifties and early sixties. Politically astute and culturally observant, folks like Shelley Berman, Mort Sahl, and Bob Newhart seemed to reflect a new kind of upper middle class, decidedly white collar, mentality that somehow went hand in hand with the vibrancy many Americans felt with the dawning of the Kennedy Era. Also in that group was the delicious duo of Nichols and May, Mike and Elaine, a pair who had actually briefly been in a trio with Berman. Nichols and May’s comedy was intellectual and precise, usually fairly talky and sometimes quite contrived, but almost always wryly humorous and built out of character rather than schtick. The recent passing of Nichols was met with laudatory obituaries that tended to focus on his later stage and film directing work, while giving passing lip service to his early comedy routines with May, but the “thinking man’s comedy” ethos which Nichols championed (whether intentionally or not) tends to echo rather strongly through his 1988 film Working Girl. Working Girl was the first produced feature screenplay by Kevin Wade, and certainly much of the credit for the film’s winning examination of class and culture in the high tension world of Wall Street can be ascribed to his contributions, but Nichols crafts a rather slyly anarchic gaze at the vagaries of American business in the film, offering a Cinderella story of sorts which may remind some of two films which actually followed in Working Girl’s wake, 1990’s Pretty Woman and 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada. Much as with the Julia Roberts film, a somewhat downtrodden lass is able to realize her dreams through pluck and determination, along with a little help from an impossibly handsome beau. And much as with the Anne Hathaway film from a few years ago, an underling working for a no nonsense boss manages to wend her way through some significant obstacles to “find herself.” It’s notable that in The Devil Wears Prada the Hathaway character jettisons her high profile career, not wanting to end up like the harridan boss for whom she’s been working, while in Working Girl, erstwhile secretary Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) manages to carve a niche for herself in a wild and wooly business world against considerable odds.

A tinge of melancholy may intrude on Working Girl’s opening credits sequence, for as Nichols’ camera follows the Staten Island Ferry into Manhattan there’s a lovely aerial shot of the lower part of the island, anchored of course by the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Inside the ferry, big haired Tess McGill is being fêted by her even bigger haired best friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack). It’s Tess’ birthday, but the obviously ambitious young woman can’t really be bothered by the trivialities of a traditional celebration, even though Cynthia has arranged for a “surprise” party later that evening. No, Tess is a determined workaholic, one who has put herself through night school in order to earn her Bachelors Degree and who hopes to purvey that degree into a more lucrative position than her current secretarial gig at a Wall Street brokerage. Tess’ hopes are almost immediately dashed by two lecherous and bullying male coworkers (one played by Oliver Platt), and when they basically attempt to set her up with a sex crazed coworker (a young Kevin Spacey), Tess snaps, wreaking a bit of low tech revenge against them. That of course lands her in hot water at work, where a guidance counselor of sorts (played by Olympia Dukakis) manages to salvage whatever career Tess still has by transferring her into a different department where a new manager is due.

That new boss turns out to be a woman named Katharine Parker, a no nonsense but seemingly affable type who it turns out is just a few days younger than Tess. It initially seems likely that Katharine will provide just the sort of mentorship that Tess needs to climb the corporate ladder, with the “boss lady” encouraging Tess to share ideas, since Katharine considers the two a “team.” That all changes, of course, once Tess does share some ideas about a company’s desires to get into the broadcasting business via television. Tess feels there are several good reasons the company should actually get its feet wet in radio first, and she pitches those ideas to Katharine. Later, Tess discovers that Katharine is planning to pass the idea off as her own. But fate intervenes when the sporty Katharine suffers a devastating leg break while skiing. Suddenly Tess is on her own, and she decides on a desperate gambit in order to prove her worth.

In lesser hands what happens next—basically, Tess assumes Katharine’s identity, or at least her job—could have devolved into little more than farce. There is a farcical element to Working Girl, but it tends to come more from elements like Cusack’s Cynthia character, whom Tess brings on as her supposed secretary. Instead, Wade’s smart screenplay and Nichols’ assured direction makes this more a story of an underappreciated woman slowly coming to realize her own power, despite a series of obstacles thrown in her way. This is not to say that there aren’t hackneyed elements to the plot, for there certainly are, probably nowhere more apparent than in the convenient romance between Tess and an executive named Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) who works at the company interested in breaking into broadcasting. There’s also a rather pat subplot involving Tess’ erstwhile boyfriend Mick (a surprisingly greasy—and hirsute—Alec Baldwin).

There is a somewhat dubious morality at play in Working Girl which can be contrasted with those two other “fairy tale” films mentioned above. In Pretty Woman, success is more or less bestowed upon the titular character by a virtual Prince Charming. In The Devil Wears Prada, the heroine succeeds through pluck and determination, along with some inherent talent, only to discover that the glamorous life she sought is not really what she desired. Working Girl depends on a certain amount of subterfuge, perhaps suggesting that some doors will remain closed unless various tricks are employed (Tess herself says as much early in the film). That doesn’t ultimately detract from the main point the film makes about, well, pluck and determination (which in this case includes a bit of deception) always overcoming obstacles. Griffith’s innate “little girl” qualities help to make the transformation Tess undergoes largely believable, even if the film, like its aforementioned siblings, is also a bit of a fairy tale.

Working Girl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Working Girl is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is by and large a substantial upgrade from the pretty squishy looking DVD, with a noticeable uptick in detail in things like the herringbone pattern on one of Tess' dress for success suits. This is nevertheless a very grainy presentation, something that's noticeable from the Fox masthead onward (I've taken the unusual step of providing a screenshot of the Fox masthead in position 21 just so those interested can see levels of grain). While grain on mastheads is often more prevalent than in the main feature due to archival elements, in this case there's relatively little diminution in grain once the film actually starts. That thickness gives the film a very naturally organic look, but it also tends to slightly mask fine detail in midrange shots, giving at least the perception of softness. Color timing seems just a tad off to me, with flesh tones slightly on the pale and yellow side. There are obviously no signs of artificial filtering and likewise no signs of artificial sharpening. The image is nicely stable throughout the presentation and with a healthy bitrate (seldom dipping below 30 Mbps) and a dual layer BD, there are no compression issues to mention. I may be erring on the side of generosity with the score above, and those more sensitive to heavy grain and slightly yellow color may want to subtract a half point or so from the score.

Working Girl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Working Girl's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track isn't remarkably immersive aside from elements like Carly Simon's Oscar winning "Let the River Run" and certain scenes (like the crowded floor of the brokerage) where activity resides in the side and rear channels. Otherwise, dialogue tends to be focused mostly front and center, but is always cleanly and clearly presented, with no problems of any kind to discuss. Dynamic range is somewhat limited, but fidelity is just fine.

Working Girl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailers (480i; 3:24)


• TV Spots (480i; 1:36)

Working Girl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Working Girl doesn't really have many surprises up its well tailored sleeve, but it delivers on an emotional level like nobody's business. The principal cast is pitch perfect (Griffith, Cusack and Weaver all received well deserved Academy Award nominations), managing to wend through a few hoary clichés that the film doesn't seem to mind wallowing in for a while. This may not be Nichols' greatest masterpiece, but it's certainly one of his most effortlessly enjoyable films. Technical merits are excellent, and even without much in the way of supplements Working Girl comes Highly recommended.