Working Girl - 7 stars out of 10

Working Girl - 7 stars out of 10

I didn't expect "Working Girl" to be as interesting as it was.  Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, and Harrison Ford create dynamically opposing personalities that give this well-written script energy from start to finish.  That being said, I didn't think that Griffith deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.  Why did she have to clear her throat so much?  Was she sick?  Did she have a dust allergy to something on the set?  I really don't think that the scriptwriter intended this for her character.  She was cute, but the person who deservedly received an Oscar nod was Sigourney Weaver.  Her transitions from sweet to evil were so sudden that it created the desired impression of misjudgement.  I'm shocked that Ford and Weaver received billing higher than Griffith - Griffith is obviously the main character with the entire story revolving around her.  Meanwhile, Ford doesn't enter the film until 1/2-hour in and Weaver disappears for the majority of the film.  I actually find it offensive that the producers had such little faith in the quality of their film that they had to use big names to draw an audience.  I like Joan Cusack as a character actress, which is precisely what she is in this film, but definitely not Oscar-worthy.  While I think that it is a stretch to award this film the status of being a Best Picture Nominee, I do think that the dialogue was well written and the story progressed well.  The best part of this film occurs when Weaver returns and, after being portrayed as the bad guy, a forgotten part of the plot returns to reveal her as a good guy.  I felt a strong emotional response and became attached to the characters and story at that moment.  I'd definitely recommend this film - maybe not as a critically-acclaimed Oscar nominee, but definitely as a Dramedy that is worth it for its twist.