--- title: "Working Girl" year: 1988 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/working-girl" fi1m_id: "working-girl" imdb_id: "tt0096463" tmdb_id: 3525 wikidata_id: "Q126183" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 10 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:06.864548+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Working Girl (1988) Directed by Mike Nichols · 1h 54m · MPA R · Comedy, Romance, Drama ## Identity Working Girl - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/working-girl - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** working-girl - **IMDb ID:** tt0096463 - **TMDB ID:** 3525 - **Wikidata ID:** Q126183 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096463/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/3525, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126183 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 77 from 10 reviews *In a sentence:* Melanie Griffith makes us care about somebody else’s promotion, which is more than most employers manage > Mike Nichols makes a warm, sharp corporate comedy, with Melanie Griffith giving its upwardly mobile secretary good reason to be heard. The romance is less interesting than the office manoeuvring, but the performances make the familiar climb worth taking. ## Synopsis Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a secretary with ambitions beyond the work she is given. Her boss, Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver), stands between her and the executive world she wants to enter. Tess sets out to outwit Katharine and have her own abilities recognised, navigating a workplace where class and status shape who gets heard. Harrison Ford plays Jack Trainer, with Joan Cusack as Cyn and Alec Baldwin as Mick Dugan. Mike Nichols directs a comedy and romance about getting ahead, being underestimated and trying to change the position other people have assigned you. ## Review Mike Nichols’s *Working Girl* is a warm, funny corporate comedy whose heroine’s promotion matters more than her love life. That imbalance is our chief reservation about a film we otherwise recommend readily. Kevin Wade’s screenplay follows Tess McGill, a secretary determined to outsmart her boss and move into the executive ranks. Nichols takes her wish seriously enough to make the office manoeuvring feel personal. Melanie Griffith gives Tess enough uncertainty to make that wish matter. Her performance allows eagerness and shrewdness to coexist, without making every moment of vulnerability a request for sympathy. We found ourselves fiercely on her side: Griffith makes the effort of staying hopeful while being underestimated look tiring. Nichols gives her space to be funny without treating her ambition as a joke, and Griffith makes good use of that freedom. Sigourney Weaver’s Katharine Parker gives her a boss worth worrying about. Weaver makes authority look comfortable, so Griffith’s effort to compete has something precise to push against. Their exchanges are funny because both performers understand how much can be claimed merely by seeming sure of oneself. Joan Cusack, as Cyn, has a comic timing that stops the supporting part from becoming an afterthought. Nichols lets the women be funny without smoothing away the friction between them. Michael Ballhaus’s cinematography makes the executive workplace look desirable, which helps us understand Tess’s determination to get inside. Patrizia von Brandenstein’s production design makes the offices do useful comic work: we can read differences in status before anybody needs to explain them. Ann Roth’s costumes likewise make the effort of fitting in visible, giving appearance a place in the competition for recognition. Nichols pays enough attention to these details that the workplace remains interesting even when the dialogue is doing most of the work. Sam O’Steen’s editing is a large part of why Wade’s plotting feels brisk. The comic exchanges have room to register, but the film does not keep waiting for applause before moving on to the next complication. Carly Simon’s music lends Tess’s striving an emotional directness that could have been sugary in less assured hands. Here it helps Nichols keep the hope credible without making Griffith supply every scrap of warmth herself. The less persuasive material is the romance. Harrison Ford brings an agreeable ease to Jack Trainer, but his presence cannot make the love story as compelling as Tess’s struggle to be heard at work. Wade gives her professional hopes such clear stakes that the romantic material can feel like a requirement being met. Ford is pleasant company, and that is enough to keep these stretches amiable. The dialogue and performances remain enjoyable even when the story has turned towards its less interesting business. As an office fairy tale, it works because Nichols takes the wish seriously and keeps the people funny. We would not mistake it for a searching account of corporate power: it wants Tess to get her chance, and that is where its curiosity is concentrated. Watch it with someone who has had a boss take them for granted. *Fi1m score 80, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Every review of Working Girl is positive, and the praise gathers around Melanie Griffith. Critics describe her Tess McGill as radiant, scrappy and tenacious, and most agree her performance carries the film. Mike Nichols’s assured direction and a witty screenplay attentive to class come next, then the supporting cast, with Joan Cusack singled out repeatedly and Sigourney Weaver admired as the boss. Several reviews call it a Cinderella story or urban fairy tale and mean it kindly. The spread is narrow, from good to very good, and the reservations are about politics rather than craft. Little White Lies sets the film against 9 to 5 and finds it has traded sisterhood for individual advancement, uneasy that Tess rises by tearing down another woman. Eye for Film calls it darker than its reputation, a bleak political statement dressed up as romance. Roger Ebert, more approving, notes how much of the plotting runs as a thriller. Nobody disputes that it is fun. ## Straight answers **Is Working Girl worth watching?** *Working Girl* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a sharp office comedy carried by its performances, and we scored it 80. Melanie Griffith makes Tess McGill's climb from secretary to the executive floor matter, and Sigourney Weaver gives her a boss worth fearing. Our reservation is the romance with Harrison Ford, which is pleasant but less interesting than the manoeuvring at work. **How long is Working Girl, and what is it rated?** *Working Girl* runs 1h 54m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and romance film. **Where can I watch Working Girl in the US?** *Working Girl* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Working Girl, and is it suitable for children?** *Working Girl* is not violent or frightening; its UK 15 certificate reflects adult language and sexual content rather than anything alarming. It is a comedy about office politics, ambition and a love affair, so the squeamish have nothing to worry about. Younger children would find little in it, and the certificate suggests it suits older teenagers and adults. **How does Working Girl compare to The Apartment?** *Working Girl* is the warmer and brisker of the two, while [*The Apartment*](https://film.one/film/the-apartment) is the sadder and more searching. Billy Wilder's film treats promotion as a personal compromise and lets its unhappiness sit; Mike Nichols's wants Tess to get her chance and keeps the people funny. Choose *Working Girl* for a hopeful evening and *The Apartment* if you would rather be quietly moved. **What should I watch after Working Girl?** After *Working Girl*, try [*The Apartment*](https://film.one/film/the-apartment) (1960, Fi1m 91): Another office comedy that understands how readily promotion becomes a personal compromise. Then [*His Girl Friday*](https://film.one/film/his-girl-friday) (1940, Fi1m 90): Fast workplace dialogue and a heroine whose professional appetite complicates the romance; and [*The Lunchbox*](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox) (2013, Fi1m 75): Office routine opens onto a tentative romance, with warmth and room for disappointment. ### Reviews we read (10) - **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (90/100, inferred): Griffith's radiant, tenacious performance as Tess makes the film sparkle as a compassionate working-girl Cinderella story. Nichols' direction and Wade's screenplay deliver witty dialogue and warmth without condescension. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-21-ca-393-story.html) - **Radio Times**, Tom Hutchinson (4/5): The critic praises this appealing executive-suite comedy where Melanie Griffith climbs the corporate ladder by outsmarting her boss Sigourney Weaver. They single out the easy-going treat in Mike Nichols's assured hands and the soundtrack featuring Carly Simon's song. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q0dnbf/working-girl/) - **The AV Club**, Caroline Siede (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a timeless example of subversive female-led romantic comedy centered on workplace ambition and solidarity among women. They single out the smart script's handling of class, gender, and harassment dynamics along with strong performances from Griffith, Weaver, and Cusack, plus the masterfully constructed ending. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/working-girl-s-message-is-timeless-even-if-the-hair-an-1841193320) - **Time Out**, BC (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a treat, highlighting the witty screenplay on class differences and the funny interactions between the female leads, especially Joan Cusack. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/working-girl) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo (75/100, inferred): The critic finds it an upbeat urban fairy tale of an oppressed secretary rising to the boardroom, praising Melanie Griffith's delightful performance as the aspirational heroine. They highlight the adroit plotting, Mike Nichols' attention to amusing details, and entertaining quality overall. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/working-girl-review/) - **Little White Lies**, Simran Hans (70/100, inferred): The piece contrasts Working Girl with 9 to 5, noting its shift from socialist sisterhood to neoliberal individualism and class focus. It praises Tess's self-made moxie and commitment to cheating the system for her own ends, while critiquing the politics of advancing by tearing down another woman. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/1980s-female-comedies-9-to-5-working-girl) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The film is a clever, suspenseful entertainment with clockwork plotting and strong performances, especially from Melanie Griffith. Nichols returns to top form with a screenplay that balances laughs and thriller elements. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/working-girl-1988) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film enjoyable mainly due to Melanie Griffith's scrappy, sexy and unpredictable performance as she rises from secretary to Wall Street whiz. It highlights her tenacity against obstacles and the consistent lighthearted tone, driven especially by her innocent, breathy voice. [Read](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/working-girl-1117796468/) - **Den of Geek**, Aliya Whiteley (80/100, inferred): The critic calls Working Girl so much fun, praising its clear good guys/bad guys setup and rooting interest in heroine Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), a Staten Island woman fighting for her ideas in Manhattan. It highlights the strong supporting turns, especially Joan Cusack, the Cinderella-like transformation and romance, and the film's exploration of class, resourcefulness, and accepting one's place. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/romantic-comedies-movies-new-york-1980s/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (75/100, inferred): The film is a smarter and darker take on 1980s corporate ambition than it is often given credit for, with its deft handling of feminist issues making it the female equivalent of Wall Street. It features strong performances from Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith, but ultimately delivers a bleak political statement dressed up as romance. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/working-girl-1988-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Mike Nichols - **Director:** Mike Nichols - **Writer:** Kevin Wade - **Cinematography:** Michael Ballhaus - **Editor:** Sam O'Steen - **Music:** Carly Simon - **Production design:** Patrizia von Brandenstein - **Costume design:** Ann Roth - **Producer:** Douglas Wick - **Cast:** Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill; Harrison Ford as Jack Trainer; Sigourney Weaver as Katharine Parker; Alec Baldwin as Mick Dugan; Joan Cusack as Cyn; Philip Bosco as Oren Trask; Nora Dunn as Ginny; Oliver Platt as Lutz - **Runtime:** 1h 54m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 20 December 1988 - **Genres:** Comedy, Romance, Drama - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1988); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Winner, 1988) - **Budget:** $28 million - **Box office:** $103 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va1UqFivi6A ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RS, SE, SG, SI, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1989: Best Actress (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Apartment* (1960), Fi1m 91: Another office comedy that understands how readily promotion becomes a personal compromise. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-apartment.md) - *His Girl Friday* (1940), Fi1m 90: Fast workplace dialogue and a heroine whose professional appetite complicates the romance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/his-girl-friday.md) - *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: Office routine opens onto a tentative romance, with warmth and room for disappointment. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md) - *Toni Erdmann* (2016), Fi1m 86: Corporate manners receive stranger, harsher scrutiny, with a capable woman under constant pressure. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann.md) - *Made in Dagenham* (2010): Women demand recognition at work, with the emphasis on collective action rather than promotion. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/working-girl