Melanie Griffith...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 11:15pm

I am watching WORKING GIRL again on Tv right now.

How on earth did Melanie Griffith snag an Oscar nomination for her horrendous performance?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 11:39pm

You know, Munk, I've often wondered about this, too. When I watched this movie for the first time, I was expecting a great script with knockout performances. After all, the film received several Oscar nods, which I realize now doesn't mean much. Anyway, I was underwhelmed, to say the least. The movie was predictable and Melanie's performance was below par, in my opinion.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 11:41pm

She's the same in everything. Clueless and on drugs.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/8/06 at 11:48pm

Yeah, her kewpie doll voice grates.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:23am

Working Girl: The Mucinex Mix

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:31am

Um, she did an accent!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:37am

That's the problem with coke...the post nasal drip!

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:40am

What an old, tired thread from an old, tired poster.

Melanie was excellent in "Working Girl." She never "got there" again, but that was a terrific performance!

Too bad it's lost on some.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:48am

Great film...I watch it every time I pass it while flipping.

So much better than the overrated "Rain Man" which beat it for the BP oscar.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:52am

People might also forget that not only was Melanie nominated for her performance, she was the front-runner and had picked up several precursor critics awards that year. It was considered a bit of an "upset" when Jodie Foster beat her out for "The Accused."

[blueroses]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:53am

I was crazy for Melanie in this role, and loved Sigourney and Harrison Ford, too. Alec Baldwin as the hot but sleazy boyfriend, a great original song...so much to enjoy about this film.

Joan Cusack was the real standout, though.

"Six thousand dollahs and it's not even leathah!"

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:55am

I've said it too many times...BEST ORIGINAL SONG in film, EVAH!!

[blueroses]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 9:56am

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 11:30am

I have always had a soft spot for Melanie Griffith. She's no master thespian but possesses a kind of unforced vulnerability and comic savvy that other actors just don't have.
And unlike Marilyn, she's a survivor.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 11:41am

LOL @ the 80's bangs in that picture!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 11:41am

I don't feel strongly about her performance one way or the other in terms of whether she deserved an Oscar for it or not, but I do know it's a performance/film that I thoroughly enjoy. I'm quite a Mike Nichols fan and he really delivered with WORKING GIRL.
Sigourney Weaver is absolutely fantastic as well and both Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack (in an Oscar-nominated performance) give wonderful supporting roles. I personally think it's a pretty neat movie.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 12:00pm

Working Girl needs to take responsibility for it's contribution to the hole in the ozone layer!

[killertofu333]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 1:30pm

I have always had a soft spot for Melanie Griffith.

Borstal, I feel the same way. While I'm not a HUGE fan by any means, when I saw her in "Crazy in Alabama" I actually didn't completely hate her performance. Don't tell anyone!!!

[morosco]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 1:37pm

I watched this again recently and I couldn't figure out the big hair. Was it meant to look a little over the top when the film was originally released? Or was that normal hair for that period? They must have had multiple hair wranglers on the set at all times.

[killertofu333]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 3:23pm

Or was that normal hair for that period?

Believe it or not, that was normal hair for the 80s. It took a lot of teasing and hairspray to achieve such a horrendous coiffure.

[kelzama]

Posted: 2/13/09 at 3:32pm

There existed some subtle regional differences. While Melanie is sporting the look of a composite 80s girl, Joan's got the New Jersey Mall Bang look down pat, complete with extreme blush and 5 colors of eyeshadow worn all at once.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 11:20am

I've said it too many times...BEST ORIGINAL SONG in film, EVAH!!

I totally agree. Not only is it a fantastic song, but it was brilliantly used in the film. I get goosebumps every time I see Joan answer that telephone and jump out of her chair at the end.

While I'm not particularly a Melanie fan, she was in the right film at the right time. Her subtle and unique style created an instantly memorable and iconic character. I can't imagine anyone else playing that part, which is typically the sign of a great performance. It was the perfect cast, all delivering superb performances in a film that upon first viewing, the public knew would be a classic. I saw three times the week it opened.

While Joan's "look" may seem OTT now, it actually wasn't at the time and was completely on point for the character she played. It was her performance, which was probably driven by the look, that truly made her stand out in the film. But the look was crucial to the plot as illustrated by Melanie's transformation, which was performed by Joan's character. "If you wanna be taken seriously, you need serious hair." Twenty years later, we always look back at past and have a good laugh at fashion. Then it immediately becomes a retro fad, where designs run out of ideas, get lazy, and cherry-pick the elements they want the public to repeat. I will be thankful to finally get out of the 70s.

1987 was a particularly strong year for films and honestly, Rain Man was my last choice for Best Picture out of the nominees.

Some notable films that year:

Big
The Accused
Dangerous Liaisons
Working Girl
Mississippi Burning
Rain Man
Beetlejuice
The Accidental Tourist
Gorillas in the Mist
Pelle the Conquerer
A Fish Called Wanda
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Die Hard
Salaam Bombay
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Bagdad Cafe
The Milagro Beanfield War

I would have substituted the Rain Man BP nod with Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Accused or A Fish Called Wanda.

Updated On: 2/14/09 at 11:20 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 3:29pm

Great Griffith performances in bad movies: BODY DOUBLE and CECIL B. DEMENTED.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 3:55pm

Could never get past her affected way of speaking.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 4:03pm

Moriarty (formerly of AICN) defends Body Double