{{Short description|1988 film by Mike Nichols}} {{About|the 1988 film|other uses|Working Girl (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox film | name = Working Girl | image = Working Girl film poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Mike Nichols]] | writer = [[Kevin Wade]] | producer = [[Douglas Wick]] | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Harrison Ford]] * [[Sigourney Weaver]] * [[Melanie Griffith]] }} | cinematography = [[Michael Ballhaus]] | editing = [[Sam O'Steen]] | music = {{Plainlist| * [[Carly Simon]] * [[Rob Mounsey]] (score) }} | studio = [[20th Century Fox]] | distributor = 20th Century Fox | released = {{Film date|1988|12|21}} | runtime = 113 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $28 million | gross = $103 million }} '''''Working Girl''''' is a 1988 American [[romance film|romantic]] [[comedy drama]] film directed by [[Mike Nichols]], written by [[Kevin Wade]], and starring [[Harrison Ford]], [[Sigourney Weaver]], and [[Melanie Griffith]]. Its plot follows an ambitious secretary from [[Staten Island]] working in [[mergers and acquisitions]]. The secretary, who has been going to business night school, pitches a profitable idea, only to have her new boss attempt to take credit. When her boss is laid up with a broken leg, she secretly takes over her boss's role to prove her capabilities in the corporate world.
The film's opening sequence follows [[Manhattan]]-bound commuters on the [[Staten Island Ferry]] accompanied by [[Carly Simon]]'s song "[[Let the River Run]]", for which she received the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]]<ref name="61stAcAwards">{{cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989 |title=The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners |date=October 5, 2014 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]],<ref name=46thGoldenGlobes>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/working-girl |title=Working Girl |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref> and the [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television]],<ref name="grammys">{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/32nd-annual-grammy-awards |title=32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards |publisher=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=May 1, 2011}}</ref> making her the first artist to win this trio of awards for a song composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]] |url=https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx |title=Carly Simon – ASCAP Founders Award |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901044750/https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The film was met with critical acclaim, and was a major box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $103 million.<ref name="boxoffice">{{Cite web|title=Working Girl|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl175801857/weekend/|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
''Working Girl'' was nominated for six [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Griffith, while both Weaver and [[Joan Cusack]] were nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]].<ref name="61stAcAwards"/> The film won four [[46th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globes]] (from six nominations), including [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical|Best Actress – Musical or Comedy]] for Griffith, and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress]] for Weaver.<ref name=46thGoldenGlobes/> It also received three [[43rd British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]] nominations: [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress]] for Griffith, [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actress]] for Weaver, and [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Score]] for Simon.<ref name="bafta">{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=September 16, 2016}}</ref>
==Plot== Tess McGill is a working-class woman from [[Staten Island]] who dreams of climbing the [[Career ladder|corporate ladder]] to an executive position. Having earned a business degree via night school, she works as a secretary at a [[Stockbroker|stockbroker firm]] in [[lower Manhattan]]. There, Tess's boss and male co-workers treat her like a [[bimbo]], despite benefiting from her intelligence and business instincts. After one humiliation too many from her scornful boss (he fixes her up with a rival executive, who only wants to do cocaine and have sex), Tess retaliates by posting on a VDT what she thinks of him and of what he's done. This greatly amuses Tess's colleagues, but also gets her fired.
Shortly thereafter, Tess lands another job, this time as an administrative assistant to Katharine Parker, an associate partner at the mergers-and-acquisitions firm Petty Marsh. At first, Katharine seems supportive of Tess, encouraging her to share ideas. Eventually, however, she insists that Tess's proposed purchase of a radio network by Trask Industries would not work out.
When Katharine breaks her leg skiing, she asks Tess to house-sit. While there, Tess discovers meeting notes which reveal Katharine's intention to pass off the Trask Industries idea as her own. Returning home, Tess finds her live-in boyfriend having sex with another woman. Tess dumps him. With Katharine still in the hospital, Tess uses her boss's connections and clothes to ramrod the Trask proposal. With help from her friend Cyn, Tess gives herself a makeover, borrowing Katharine's stylish clothes to look more professional.
Tess schedules a meeting with Jack Trainer, a mergers-and-acquisitions associate from another company. The night before the meeting, she attends (on Katharine's behalf) a dinner hosted by Trainer's firm. Trainer is attracted to Tess, and approaches her at the bar. Yet Jack does not reveal his name, even after she asks directly whether he knows the man she's slated to meet with (himself). Trainer brings Tess to his apartment, after she passes out in a cab from a combination of Valium and alcohol.
Tess leaves early the next day, believing that they slept together. Arriving for her meeting with Trainer and his associates, she is surprised to recognize him from the previous night. They both feign non-recognition. After the meeting, Tess worries that her deal has failed, until Jack arrives at Tess's office. He assures her that they did ''not'' sleep together, and that he wants to move forward with her idea. Together, they prepare the financials for her merger proposal, which they present successfully to Trask. Tess and Jack celebrate by giving in to their attraction, and ending up in bed. Thereafter, Tess discovers that Jack has been involved with Katharine, but was planning to break up with her when she went skiing and got injured.
Katharine returns home on the day of the merger meeting. While Tess is helping her get settled, Katharine brings up the Trask merger, claiming she was intent on taking it to Jack, and on eventually giving Tess credit for it. Katharine adds that Jack's strict ethical code has prevented him from looking at another's ideas without verifying the source, ever since he was accused of stealing himself. Jack arrives in response to a call from Katharine, who unsuccessfully tries to seduce him. Tess avoids running into Jack at Katharine's apartment, but accidentally leaves her notebook there before she departs for the meeting. Katharine discovers Tess's deception by finding the notebook, which includes Jack's phone numbers and the scheduled merger meeting.
At the meeting, Tess brings up what Katharine told her about Jack's ethical code, and about his being accused of stealing. Jack insists that it was all a lie. Then Katharine crashes the meeting and outs Tess as her secretary. She accuses Tess of stealing the Trask merger idea. Unable to defend herself, Tess apologizes profusely and leaves.
Tess returns to Petty Marsh a day later, intent on cleaning out her desk. Instead she encounters Jack, Katharine, Trask, and members of Trask's board. Jack sticks up for Tess, who points out a news item which presents a possible risk to the merger's success. In an [[elevator pitch]] she explains to Trask what inspired her plan for his radio acquisition. Trask confronts Katharine, who, when she is unable to explain where Tess's plan came from, is fired.
Tess lands an entry-level job with Trask Industries. She also moves in with Jack. On her first day at Trask, Tess meets a colleague named Alice, whom she takes for her new supervisor. Alice explains that she is actually Tess's secretary. Tess makes it very clear that she considers Alice a colleague, thus proving herself very different from Katharine. At the first opportunity, Tess calls Cyn from her new office and tells her that she has made it.
==Cast== <!--- Cast per tombstone opening credits order, roles per closing credits scroll ---> {{Cast listing| * [[Melanie Griffith]] as Tess McGill * [[Harrison Ford]] as Jack Trainer * [[Sigourney Weaver]] as Katharine Parker * [[Alec Baldwin]] as Mick Dugan * [[Joan Cusack]] as Cynthia * [[Philip Bosco]] as Oren Trask * [[Zach Grenier]] as Jim * [[Timothy Carhart]] as Tim Draper * [[Nora Dunn]] as Ginny, a colleague of Katharine's * [[Oliver Platt]] as David Lutz, Tess's first boss * James Lally as Turkel * [[Kevin Spacey]] as Bob Speck, a cokehead arbitrageur * [[Robert Easton (actor)|Robert Easton]] as Armbrister * [[Amy Aquino]] as Alice Baxter, Tess's secretary * [[Olympia Dukakis]] as personnel director * [[Ricki Lake]] as Bridesmaid * [[David Duchovny]] as Tess's birthday party friend }}
==Production==
===Development=== Screenwriter [[Kevin Wade]] was inspired to write the screenplay after visiting New York City in 1984 and witnessing throngs of career women walking through the streets in tennis shoes while carrying their high-heels.<ref name=afi/>
===Casting=== Melanie Griffith read the screenplay for ''Working Girl'' over a year before the production began, and expressed interest in playing the role of Tess McGill.<ref name=afi/> Approximately a year later, [[Mike Nichols]] agreed to direct the film after reading the screenplay while shooting his film ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' in [[Arkansas]].<ref name=afi/> Following Nichols's attachment, Griffith had a formal audition for the role.<ref name=afi/> [[Molly Ringwald]] auditioned but was deemed "too young."<ref>[https://variety.com/2024/film/actors/molly-ringwald-brat-pack-the-bear-feud-creative-vanguard-award-1235957763/ Molly Ringwald Felt Limited by ‘Brat Pack’ Label, But ‘The Bear’ and ‘Feud’ Roles Excite Her for What’s Next]</ref> Nichols was so determined for Griffith to have the part that he threatened to drop out of the production if the studio, [[20th Century Fox]], would not hire her.<ref name=afi/>
Following the casting of Sigourney Weaver and Harrison Ford—both major stars at that point—the studio agreed to cast Griffith, as they felt Weaver and Ford's involvement gave them a higher chance of box-office success.<ref name=afi/>
===Filming=== [[Principal photography]] of ''Working Girl'' began on February 16, 1988, in New York City.<ref name=afi/> Many scenes were shot in the [[New Brighton, Staten Island|New Brighton]] section of Staten Island in New York City. One half-day of shooting to complete the skiing accident scene took place in [[New Jersey]].<ref name=afi/> Four different buildings portrayed the offices of Petty Marsh—1 State Street Plaza; the Midday Club, which served as the company's club room; the lobby of [[7 World Trade Center (1987–2001)|7 World Trade Center]] (one of the buildings destroyed in the [[September 11 attacks]]); and the reading floor of the L. F. Rothschild Building.<ref name=afi/> [[One Chase Manhattan Plaza]] was featured at the end of the film as the Trask Industries building.<ref name=afi/> Filming completed on April 27, 1988, with the final sequence being shot on the [[Staten Island Ferry]].<ref name=afi/>
Throughout the shoot, Griffith was in the midst of struggling with a years-long alcohol and [[cocaine]] addiction, which at times interfered with the shoot.{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|pages=206–210}} "There were a lot of things that happened on ''Working Girl'' that I did that were not right," Griffith recalled in 2019. "It was the late '80s. There was a lot going on party-wise in New York. There was a lot of cocaine. There was a lot of temptation."{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=211}} After Nichols realized that Griffith had arrived on set high on cocaine, the shoot was temporarily shut down for 24 hours.{{sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=212}} Griffith elaborated on the experience:
{{Blockquote|Mike got so mad at me, he wouldn't talk to me. Mike Haley, the first [assistant director], just came up and said, "We're shutting down. Go home", and I knew I was in so much trouble. … The next morning he (Nichols) took me to breakfast and said, "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to pay for last night out of your pocket. We're not going to report you to the studio, but you have to pay for what it cost", and it was $80,000. They wanted to get my attention and they really did. It was a very humbling, embarrassing experience, but I learned a lot from it.{{Sfn|Carter|Kashner|2019|p=212}}}}
Three weeks after filming was completed, Griffith entered a rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for her addiction.<ref name=biography>{{Cite web|work=[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]]|title='Working Girl' Was Melanie Griffith's Big Break — and Helped Her Get Sober|last=Bertram|first=Colin|date=February 4, 2020|url=https://www.biography.com/news/melanie-griffith-working-girl-movie}}</ref> Ironically, according to the biography ''Mike Nichols: A Life'', written by [[Mark Harris (journalist)|Mark Harris]], Nichols had been battling a cocaine addiction of his own around the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mike Nichols: The Last Director Who Knew Everyone and Did Everything|url=https://www.gq.com/story/mike-nichols-biography|last=Tashjian|first=Rachel|magazine=[[GQ]]|date=February 9, 2021}}</ref>
===Music=== {{Main|Working Girl (soundtrack)}}
The film's main theme "[[Let the River Run]]" was written, arranged, and performed by American singer-songwriter [[Carly Simon]], and won her an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Academy Award]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], and a [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Grammy Award]] for Best Original Song,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/Awards.shtml|title=Carly Simon Official Website – Awards|accessdate=March 29, 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019020216/http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/Awards.shtml|archivedate=October 19, 2007}}</ref> making Simon the first artist to win this trio of awards for a song written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist.<ref>{{cite web|website=ASCAP.com|url=https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx|title=Carly Simon - ASCAP Founders Award|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901044750/https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2012/founders_award.aspx|archive-date=September 1, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a single, "Let the River Run" reached No. 49 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and No. 11 on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary]] chart in early 1989.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/carly-simon/chart-history|title=Carly Simon Chart History|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
The film's additional soundtrack was scored by Simon and [[Rob Mounsey]]. The [[Working Girl (Original Soundtrack Album)|soundtrack album]] was released by [[Arista Records]] on August 29, 1989, and peaked at No. 45 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/working-girl-mw0000198985/awards|title=Awards|website=AllMusic.com |accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
==Release==
===Box office=== The film was released in the United States and Canada on December 21, 1988, in 601 theaters before expanding to 608 theaters on Friday, December 23; 1,046 theaters on [[Christmas Day]]; and 1,051 on Monday, December 26.<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/59163|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|title=Working Girl|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title='Twins,' 'Rain Man' bouyant at b.o. ; 'Working Girl,' 'Hellbound' strong|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 28, 1988|page=5|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|author-link=Todd McCarthy}}</ref> It grossed $4.7 million in its opening four-day weekend and $5.6 million in its first 6 days.<ref name=boxoffice/><ref name=varchart>{{cite magazine|title=Weekend Box Office Report|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 28, 1988|page=6}}</ref> It went on to gross $63.8 million in the United States and Canada and $39.2 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $103 million.<ref name=boxoffice/>
===Home media=== ''Working Girl'' was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1989 by [[CBS/Fox Video]]; "Family Portrait", [[The Simpsons shorts|one of the shorts]] from ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]'' featuring ''[[The Simpsons]]'', was included before the movie on the VHS release. The film was released on DVD on April 17, 2001, by [[20th Century Studios Home Entertainment|20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]].<ref name="DVDReleaseDates">{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/3051/Working-Girl-(1988).html|title=Working Girl|publisher=dvdrleasedates.com|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> Special features included two theatrical trailers and three TV spots. The film was released on [[Blu-ray]] on January 6, 2015.<ref name="DVDReleaseDates"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Amazon.com: Working Girl [Blu-ray]: Movies & TV| website=Amazon | date=January 6, 2015 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Working-Girl-Blu-ray-Harrison-Ford/dp/B00OTADGKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1420827387&sr=1-1&keywords=Working+Girl|accessdate=July 15, 2021|location=United States}}</ref> The special features from the DVD release were carried over for the Blu-ray release.<ref>{{cite web|work=High Def Digest|url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/14660/workinggirl.html|title=Working Girl Blu-ray Review|last=Nutt|first=Shannon|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Critical response=== ''Working Girl'' received critical acclaim upon release. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|83|7|48|consensus=A buoyant corporate Cinderella story, ''Working Girl'' has the right cast, right story, and right director to make it all come together.}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/working_girl |title=Working Girl |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126003727/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/working_girl |archive-date=26 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|score=73|count=13}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/working-girl/ |title=Working Girl |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250610232246/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/working-girl/ |archive-date=10 June 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=[[CinemaScore]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' film critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "The plot of ''Working Girl'' is put together like clockwork. It carries you along while you're watching it, but reconstruct it later and you'll see the craftsmanship".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|authorlink=Roger Ebert|title=Working Girl|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=December 21, 1988|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/working-girl-1988|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> In her review for the ''[[Washington Post]]'', Rita Kempley described Melanie Griffith as "luminous as [[Marilyn Monroe]], as adorable as one of [[Disney]]'s singing mice. She clearly has the stuff of a megastar, and the movie glows from her".<ref>{{cite news|last=Kempley|first=Rita|title=Working Girl|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 21, 1988|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/workinggirlrkempley_a0c9d9.htm|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]], in her review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', wrote, "Mike Nichols, who directed ''Working Girl'', also displays an uncharacteristically blunt touch, and in its later stages the story remains lively but seldom has the perceptiveness or acuity of Mr. Nichols's best work".<ref>{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=The Dress-for-Success Story Of a Secretary From Staten Island|authorlink=Janet Maslin|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 21, 1988|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/21/movies/review-film-the-dress-for-success-story-of-a-secretary-from-staten-island.html|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> In his review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', Richard Corliss wrote, "Kevin Wade shows this in his smart screenplay, which is full of the atmospheric pressures that allow stars to collide. Director Mike Nichols knows this in his bones. He encourages Weaver to play (brilliantly) an airy shrew. He gives Ford a boyish buoyancy and Griffith the chance to be a grownup mesmerizer".<ref>{{cite news|last=Corliss|first=Richard|title=Two Out of Five Ain't Bad|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=December 19, 1988|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,148288,00.html|archive-date=July 27, 2022|access-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727121602/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,148288,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The February 2020 issue of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' lists ''Working Girl'' as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|magazine=[[New York Magazine]]|access-date=March 17, 2025}}</ref>
===Accolades=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- ! Award ! Category ! Nominee(s) ! Result ! Ref. |- | rowspan="6"| [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] | [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] | [[Douglas Wick]] | {{nom}} | rowspan="6" align="center"| <ref name="61stAcAwards"/> |- | [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] | [[Mike Nichols]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] | [[Melanie Griffith]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2"| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] | [[Joan Cusack]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Sigourney Weaver]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] | "[[Let the River Run]]" <br> Music and Lyrics by [[Carly Simon]] | {{won}} |- | rowspan="2"| [[American Comedy Awards#1989 awards|American Comedy Awards]] | Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | Melanie Griffith | {{nom}} | rowspan="2" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000019/1989/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_3 |title=American Comedy Awards, USA 1989 |publisher=[[IMDb]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref> |- | Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Joan Cusack | {{won}} |- | [[Casting Society of America#Artios Awards|Artios Awards]] | [[Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature (Comedy)|Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Comedy]] | [[Juliet Taylor]] | {{won}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1989 |title=1989 Artios Awards |publisher=[[Casting Society of America]] |access-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325115735/http://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1989 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | rowspan="2"| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1988|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]] | [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] | Melanie Griffith | {{won}} | rowspan="2" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1980s/ |title=BSFC Winners: 1980s |publisher=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]] |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref> |- | [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] | Joan Cusack {{small|(also for ''[[Married to the Mob]]'' and ''[[Stars and Bars (1988 film)|Stars and Bars]]'')}} | {{won}} |- | rowspan="3"| [[43rd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]] | [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]] | Melanie Griffith | {{nom}} | rowspan="3" align="center"| <ref name="bafta"/> |- | [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] | Sigourney Weaver | {{nom}} |- | [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Film Score]] | Carly Simon | {{nom}} |- | [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1988|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]] | [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] | Sigourney Weaver | {{nom}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97|title=Chicago Film Critics Awards – 1988–97 |publisher=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422075211/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97 |archive-date=April 22, 2016}}</ref> |- | [[41st Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]] | [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]] | Mike Nichols | {{nom}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1980s/1988.aspx?value=1988 |title=The 41st Annual DGA Awards |publisher=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan="6"| [[46th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]] | colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] | {{won}} | rowspan="6" align="center"| <ref name=46thGoldenGlobes/> |- | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] | Melanie Griffith | {{won}} |- | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]] | Sigourney Weaver | {{won}} |- | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]] | Mike Nichols | {{nom}} |- | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]] | [[Kevin Wade]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song – Motion Picture]] | rowspan="2"| "Let the River Run" <br> Music and Lyrics by Carly Simon | {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Phil Collins]] and [[Lamont Dozier]] for "[[Two Hearts (Phil Collins song)|Two Hearts]]".}} |- | [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards]] | [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television]] | {{won}} | align="center"| <ref name="grammys"/> |- | [[1988 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]] | [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] | rowspan="2"| Melanie Griffith | {{draw|3rd Place}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |publisher=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref> |- | [[1988 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]] | [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] | {{Runner-up}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1988 |title=1988 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref> |- | [[41st Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]] | [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen]] | Kevin Wade | {{nom}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=June 6, 2010}}</ref> |}
===Honors=== The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists: * 2002: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions]] – No. 91<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> * 2004: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]: ** "[[Let the River Run]]" – No. 91<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-songs/?promo=29399|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> * 2006: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] – No. 87<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-cheers/|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
==In other media== ===Television=== {{Main|Working Girl (TV series)}} ''[[Working Girl (TV series)|Working Girl]]'' was also made into a short-lived [[NBC]] television series in 1990, starring [[Sandra Bullock]] as Tess McGill.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098951/|title=Working Girl (TV Series 1990–)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=July 15, 2021}}</ref> It lasted 12 episodes.
===Theatre=== A Broadway musical version was in the works as of 2017, with a score to be written by [[Cyndi Lauper]] from [[Disney Theatrical Group#Buena Vista Theatrical|Fox Stage Productions]] and Aged in Wood Productions. For Aged in Wood, the producers were Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler. Instead of a production company on ''Working Girl'', the musical adaptation was switched to a license production by Aged in Wood Productions since Disney took over ownership of Fox Stage in 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last=Caitlin|first=Huston|title=Fox Stage Productions to merge into Disney Theatrical|url=https://broadwaynews.com/2019/07/02/fox-stage-productions-to-merge-into-disney-theatrical-productions/|accessdate=July 15, 2021|work=Broadway News|publisher=Broadway Brands LLC|date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> The show premiered at the [[La Jolla Playhouse]] in November 2025.<ref>{{cite web | title=Working Girl | url=https://lajollaplayhouse.org/show/working-girl/ }}</ref>
===Reboot=== In 2022 a reboot of ''Working Girl'' was reported to be in development at [[Hulu]], with [[Ilana Peña]] adapting the script. [[Selena Gomez]] was in talks to produce.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2022/08/selena-gomez-20th-century-working-girl-1235082769/|title= Selena Gomez And 20th Century Developing 'Working Girl' Reboot|date= August 2, 2022|access-date= August 2, 2022|first= Justin|last= Kroll|work= Deadline}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{Notelist}}
==Sources== *{{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Ash|last2=Kashner|first2=Sam|title=Life Isn't Everything: Mike Nichols, As Remembered By 150 of His Closest Friends|year=2019|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|location=New York|isbn= 978-1-250-11286-6}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * {{IMDb title}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190915212113/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/working-girl-v55284 ''Working Girl''] at [[AllMovie]] * {{AFI film}} * {{TCMDb title}}
{{Mike Nichols}} {{GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1981-2000}}
{{Authority control}}
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