Slate Money: Movies – Working Girl

Airdate: April 13, 2021
Host: Felix Salmon (with Anna Shymansky and guest Jolie Hunt)

Episode Overview

This episode of Slate Money: Movies covers the 1988 classic Working Girl. Host Felix Salmon, regular panelist Anna Shymansky, and special guest Jolie Hunt (Hunt and Gather) analyze the film through the lens of business, class, gender, and personal aspiration. The discussion explores how Working Girl operates both as a fairy tale and a critique of the American dream, with detours into gender roles, workplace politics, and, memorably, 1980s fashion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Film’s Influence and Personal Resonance

• Jolie Hunt’s Connection:

  • Jolie first saw Working Girl at age 10 and credits its underdog message with inspiring her approach to work and ambition.
    • "I do think that for my younger self and my current self, it's a good reminder of why you have to hustle to get wherever it is that you're going." (01:28 - Jolie Hunt)
  • She describes the film as a depiction of the American dream and what can be achieved with hustle and some luck.

• Anna Shymansky’s Perspective:

  • Saw the film young as well and notes its rarity as a story where a corporate job is the fairy-tale ending for a woman, reflecting on its uniqueness in film narratives.
  • Recognizes the movie’s explicit acknowledgment that the American dream often requires breaking rules and receiving help from those with power.
    • "One of the lessons that I got watching at this time was they were saying the American Dream is only possible if you actually break rules... she also needs the help of wealthy people who can actually bring her up." (05:11 - Anna Shymansky)

Fairy Tale vs. Critique of the American Dream

• Surface vs. Subtext:
  • The film is both a celebration and a critique of class mobility.
  • "It's almost actually a little bit of a critique of the American Dream at the same time that it's celebrating it." (06:54 - Anna Shymansky)
• The Final Shot:
  • Felix points out the ending’s ambiguity, where Tess's rise is visually contextualized as just one cubicle among many, suggesting she's still just a "cog in the machine."
    • "She's just a cog in the machine, right? There's this darkness to the final shot." (07:10 - Felix Salmon)
  • Anna interprets the ending as both lateral and vertical movement, representing more than just a cynical view.

Mechanics of the Plot and Deals

• Corporate Confusion:
  • The plot’s business deal involves multiple companies (Petty Marsh, Trask, Dewey Stone), leaving even the panelists a bit puzzled about the relationships and necessity of these entities (08:33 – 10:23).
• Deal Dynamics:
  • Jack Traynor’s (Harrison Ford) company, Dewey Stone, is brought in because Sigourney Weaver’s character, Katherine Parker, lacks the ability or confidence to close the deal.

Gender, Class, and Power

• Semiotics of Fashion & Accessories:

  • The symbolic weight of the briefcase Jack gives Tess represents both assistance from a man and her transformation.
    • "I think he gives her the briefcase because it's clear she doesn't have one." (12:53 - Jolie Hunt)
  • Catherine’s (Sigourney Weaver) use of red in her wardrobe signifies power and her status.
    • "Red is the power color, right? It's the Hillary Clinton pantsuit of its time." (21:14 - Jolie Hunt)

• Performative Class:

  • Tess’s journey is literal and metaphorical, with code-switching in language, accent, and clothes representing class transition.
  • Anna notes that class in the film is “performative,” paralleling how gender is also performed in society. (25:48)

• Gender Dynamics:

  • The film plays with gendered expectations by objectifying Jack and having female characters exhibit typically male behaviors.
    • "The Harrison Ford character is almost kind of feminized at certain points.... The way that the Catherine Parker character at one point is basically trying to sexually assault him." (13:16 - Anna Shymansky)
  • Contrasts between Mick (Alec Baldwin) and Jack (Harrison Ford) highlight types of masculinity and what Tess must leave behind for corporate success.

Realism in Finance and Business

• Financial Accuracy:

  • The movie’s financial acumen is highlighted—e.g., Tess proposing a stock buyback (rare for a 1988 film).
    • "At one point, she suggests that Trask Industries use the leftover cash... to do a stock buyback." (17:10 - Felix Salmon)

• Insider/Outsider Dynamics:

  • The upwardly mobile journey is often only possible with sponsorship from someone on the inside; real advancement is about connections, not just pure merit.

Character Studies

• Tess as the "Diamond in the Rough":
  • Her innate talent and work ethic set her apart, even though she must perform upper-class identity to achieve her potential (19:01 - Anna Shymansky).
• Katherine as Power Archetype:
  • Sigourney Weaver’s character is coded as privileged and calculating, but not overtly “sexy.” Her role is read as more an indictment of class than straightforward sexism.
    • "I think it's really that you were on the wrong side of the tracks. I was on the right side of the tracks. Therefore, I have different opportunities, different wardrobes, and I don't have to. People will believe me." (25:20 - Jolie Hunt)
• Sin (Joan Cusack) and Mick (Alec Baldwin):
  • Represent Tess’s roots and what must be left behind, lending a touch of sadness and loss to the story of upward mobility (15:34 – 16:30).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jolie on Getting Ahead:
  "Being smart is not the only way. You do have to be a bit cunning. And I'd like to think I did some of that." (04:22)
• Felix on Cubicle Life:
  "Suddenly you realize that she's just a cog in the machine, right? There's this darkness to the final shot." (07:10)
• Anna on Breaking the Rules:
  "The American Dream is only possible if you actually break rules... She has to literally, like, lie and pretend she's someone else." (05:11)
• Jolie on the Briefcase:
  "I felt like it was him assisting her... You need someone to pull you up in these situations, right?" (12:02)
• Anna on Gender Play:
  "The way that gender worked in this film... the Harrison Ford character is almost kind of feminized at certain points." (13:16)
• Jolie on Power Dressing:
  "Red is the power color... None of those things were an accident." (21:14)
• Felix on the Scene Stealer:
  "If there's one indelible image from the movie, it's that... she bursts in through the door in her red power suit..." (34:08)
• Jolie on Personal Evolution:
  "This is more who I always was meant to be, if that makes sense." (19:53)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 03:03 — Jolie on the film as an emblem of the American dream
• 05:11 — Anna on the impossibility of the "pure self-made" narrative
• 07:10 — Felix describes the ambiguous/dark ending shot
• 12:02 — Discussion of the briefcase and what it symbolizes
• 13:16 — Anna on gender inversion/objectification of Jack
• 17:10 — Felix highlights the advanced-for-its-time financial content
• 19:01 — Anna: "diamond in the rough" and personal evolution
• 21:14 — Jolie dissects power dressing as symbolic of class
• 25:48 — Anna on class, gender, and performativity
• 31:02 — Panel discusses Tess’s agency and the “sexy” quotient
• 34:08 — Felix recalls the iconic Sigourney Weaver entrance

The Slate Money Verdict

• Working Girl depicts both the promise and pitfalls of seeking upward mobility, with rich subtext on gender and class. It’s a “fairy tale” that also critiques the system it celebrates. The lively discussion examined whether Tess’s transformation is a story of loss or fulfillment, agreeing it’s one of the rare business films to depict women's ambition and corporate desire in such a nuanced way. The cast agree: the film is well worth watching, even decades later.

Recommended For: Anyone interested in thoughtful, layered discussions of classic films, particularly those with themes intersecting gender, class, and workplace dynamics.