David Desser writes:
[re: WORKING GIRL]
"Of course, she not only
must fight the prejudices of her community in Staten Island, but also the
class-based prejudices exemplified by Sigourney Weaver's character.  I
think the film does a good job of highlighting class differences between
Melanie and Sigourney's characters in terms of different hair styles and
accents.  (I also wonder how much critical malignment of Melanie Griffith
is due to her accent--class bias in the critical and academic
establishment?  No way...)
    I would also say that WORKING GIRL has fallen into critical neglect
because it takes working class aspirations to achieve middle class status
seriously.
But that's another issue on which I won't get (re)started."
 
I'd agree with the above, but I do think the film suggests (perhaps
unintentionally) that something is lost whenever something is gained in
terms of status.  I wasn't thinking of the Baldwin character as emblematic
of Staten Island (although he is certainly part of the mix), but of her
friends.  Now she's in an isolated cubicle of her own, wearing a corporate
hairstyle and clothing.  Yes, she's nicer to her secretary and seems to
defend "good" entrepreneurship over bad but what happens next?
 
It is a complex issue--in ways that I think the film (script? direction?)
may be unaware of--and it does deserve more scrutiny.
 
--Don Larsson, Mankato State U., MN