Working Girl

Working Girl
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Nichols
Written byKevin Wade
Produced byDouglas Wick
Starring
CinematographyMichael Ballhaus
Edited bySam O'Steen
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 21, 1988 (1988-12-21)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million
Box office$103 million

Working Girl is a 1988 American 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 who takes over her new boss's role while the boss is laid up with a broken leg. The secretary, who has been going to business night school, pitches a profitable idea, only to have the boss attempt to take credit.

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[1] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song,[2] and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television,[3] 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.[4] The film was met with critical acclaim, and was a major box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $103 million.[5]

Working Girl was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Griffith, while both Weaver and Joan Cusack were nominated for Best Supporting Actress.[1] The film won four Golden Globes (from six nominations), including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Griffith, and Best Supporting Actress for Weaver.[2] It also received three BAFTA nominations: Best Actress for Griffith, Best Supporting Actress for Weaver, and Best Original Score for Simon.[6]

  1. ^ a b "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Working Girl". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  4. ^ "Carly Simon – ASCAP Founders Award". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Working Girl". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2016.