If this isn't a movie that gets better with each viewing, I don't know what is. When you see a movie as many times as I've seen
Working Girl, you start to notice things. One thing I really noticed this time around was how Ford, in a performance that is rarely talked about, seems to be having a whole lot of fun making this movie, and another is that the chemistry between he and Griffith seems almost
contagious, making the movie really easy to get caught up in. I also noticed the element of
both Jack (Ford)
and Tess (Griffith) breaking free of deceitful, abusive, manipulative, controlling and, confirmed in at least one case, cheating relationships with Katharine (Weaver), and in Tess's case, Mick (Alec Baldwin). Notice how Katharine treats Tess: she manipulates her with a kind smile, lies to her face and steals her idea, in that order. Notice how Mick treats Tess, as she herself says, like steak, like an object, as if she's only there to serve him. He thinks he can just control her and force an answer after he's
just cheated on her. Notice the way Katharine treats Jack. She is
very forceful. Notice that she says, "Let's merge!" as if a marriage is one of her petty business deals. Jack is clearly glad to escape her clutches when he puts down her advances just as forcefully, and when she finally gets her comeuppance. It's also indirectly implied that Katharine may have also cheated on Jack, given a comment she makes about one of her doctors. Also, Tess is so relatable for anyone, male or female. We've all felt like Tess McGill once in a while, tired of being stepped on, tired of someone else taking the credit for what we ourselves actually did, tired of being stabbed in the back, tired of being ordered like steak. We've all had the boss from hell (or in my case, the teacher from hell). For anyone who's ever won? Check. For anyone who's ever lost? Check. And for anyone who's still in there trying? Check
again.
Working Girl really does, if you want my honest opinion, have something for everyone. One of these days, I'm gonna have to do a full write-up... Eventually. Just remember, "I am not steak; you can't just order me."