|
By
NICK ZEGARAC
Director Mike Nichols'
"Working Girl" remains the high water mark to all
those feel good capitalism-driven Cinderella
stories from the 1980s. Melanie Griffith stars as
Tess McGill, a faithful workhorse of a secretary,
trapped in a thankless dead end profession and
exploited by various employers and by her abusive
live-in boyfriend, Mick (Alec Baldwin). When Tess
lands a job working for Katherine Parker
(Sigourney Weaver) her woes seem to be at an end.
But Katherine's two-way street of goodwill and
sharing concepts becomes a dead end detour when
Tess discovers that Katherine has stolen one of
her ideas for a merger and acquisitions venture.
Here's the wrinkle: Katherine breaks her foot
skiing and is forced to rely on Tess who, as
payback, reclaims her idea and runs off with the
show.
The ad campaign for the film roots for the
underdog in all of us and the film never lets up
with its feel good message of success in the Big
Apple that was, after all, at the heart of most
effervescent '80s film fare. The divining moment
for Tess and audiences remains the film's barroom
failed marriage proposal scene between Mick and
Tess. After being rejected in front of his friends
by Tess, Mick storms out, declaring "Who died and
made you Grace Kelly?" to which Tess replies, "I'm
not steak. You can't just order me!" How does it
end? With a positive spin, (in short supply these
days) a bunch of laughs (equally in short supply)
and Harrison Ford (never looking better or playing
comedy with more flair) as Katherine's eventually
discerning lover, Jack Trainer. Infused with an
upbeat soundtrack capped off by Carly Simon's
Oscar nominated "Let the River Run," "Working
Girl" remains a highly enjoyable way to live one's
own dreams of success vicariously through the art
of cinema.
There's something of a disappointment to be had in
Fox's DVD transfer in that it is non-anamorphic.
But that's the end of the bad news. The good news
is that the transfer, despite this shortcoming, is
pristine. Colors are dated but bold, rich and
vibrant. Blacks are black. Contrast levels and
shadow delineation are bang on. There's generally
an absence of age-related artifacts and digital
grit for a visual presentation that is incredibly
smooth and life like. The soundtrack, though
dated, is well represented and has a nice spatial
spread across the speakers. There are no extras.
For a movie that was nominated for Best Picture,
this disc should have come with more features and
an anamorphic transfer. Oh, well -- let the river
run! |
