WORKING GIRL
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
I can't remember the last time I saw a Mike Nichols film that reflected an ounce of the talent and promise that he showed in THE GRADUATE, years and years and years ago. (it spoke to my *parent's* generation, for God's sake. :-) ) I am happy to report that the dry spell appears to have finally ended: WORKING GIRL is the kind of comedy you walk out of with an afterglow. It's slick -- very, very slick; I don't think it skips a beat, except maybe a few minute jiggles during the last ten minutes. It's the kind of entertainment that delivers smoothly, with the acting, technical and music cylinders firing right when they need to. It's not genius, or even an outstanding work, but it has so few weak points and so many good (not great) ones that it tends to stand out over the rest of the Christmas mudslide.
I was impressed with Melanie Griffith when I saw her in SOMETHING WILD, but I assumed much of that was due to Demme's directing (completely off-the-wall remark: saw a repeat episode of Columbo the other night, with Louis Jordan as a murdering restaurant critic, that was directed by a Jonathon Demme). More credit was due to her, it appears. Griffith has the ability to appear soft and rather vague, while at the same time showing that something is clicking beneath the mascara. It all appears very natural, and she is, without a doubt, the star of the movie (no doubt Ford and Weaver's agents insisted that they get top billing). Ford has been better, but it appears that he was asked to play Gary Cooper, and he does that better than anyone else in the movies these days. I admit that I like Sigourney Weaver in just about anything; I get the impression that she takes a part based on whether she likes the script, as opposed to whether it will enhance her career as a "serious actress". (Can you see Sissy Spacek or Meryl Streep rotating over a bed with Bill Murray in it?). She romps through this one, basically playing Joan Crawford and having a heck of a good time. And finally, Joan Cusak gets added to my list of "Durn Good Character Actors/Actresses", a breed I hold in higher respect than most "lead actors/actresses".
Technically, the film is a dream; the cinematography is excellent, and the segues between the parts of the films work very well, indeed. The shots on the ferry are particularly well done, and the whole film has a texture that is reflected both in the acting and the way the scenes are photographed. I am usually against popular vocalists doing the soundtracks to a film -- the demands of a film upon it's musical score are usually different than those placed upon a pop star's ballad. Carly Simon, however, puts together background music that fits WORKING GIRL like a glove; it pops up at just the right places, and is never intrusive. I hope they put out a soundtrack for this film...
Worth: Full Price. See it.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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