Overview
A determined secretary seizes her chance to rise in the corporate world, navigating ambition and romance in the bustling city.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- buoyant
- aspirational
- date night
- career inspiration
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a highly entertaining, deftly structured romantic comedy elevated by Melanie Griffith's luminous performance and Mike Nichols's confident direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tess is underestimated as a secretary and must overcome sexist assumptions, exploitative bosses, and class-coded expectations to advance.
Tess uses her injured boss's absence and persona to pursue her own business idea and career advancement.
Tess's professional breakthrough and relationship with Jack Trainer develop as intertwined goals rather than separate storylines.
The film moves between Tess's secretary life and the expensive offices, clothes, apartments, and social spaces of New York finance.
Films like Working Girl, and why
9 to 5
shares a witty workplace setting, romantic entanglements, ambitious female protagonists, and social commentary about class and gender
The Devil Wears Prada
combines screwball romance, professional rivalry, New York business culture, and a determined outsider pursuing upward mobility
Baby Boom
features a career-driven woman navigating corporate power, romance, deception, and gender expectations in a buoyant dramatic comedy
Broadcast News
pairs romantic comedy with class aspiration, office politics, and a working woman challenging restrictive social hierarchies
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Nichols
- Release Date
- 1988-12-20
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1099)
Cast
- Melanie Griffith
- Harrison Ford
- Sigourney Weaver
- Alec Baldwin
- Joan Cusack
- Philip Bosco
- Nora Dunn
- Oliver Platt
- James Lally
- Kevin Spacey
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Working Girl about?
- A determined New York secretary seizes an unexpected chance to outmaneuver her predatory boss, prove her business instincts, and pursue both professional success and love.
- What is Working Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Working Girl as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Working Girl violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Working Girl.
- What did critics think of Working Girl?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a highly entertaining, deftly structured romantic comedy elevated by Melanie Griffith's luminous performance and Mike Nichols's confident direction.
- Which films are like Working Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include 9 to 5, The Devil Wears Prada, Baby Boom, and Broadcast News.
- How long is Working Girl?
- Working Girl runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Working Girl?
- In United States, Working Girl is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
