{"id":5355,"date":"2008-03-10T13:30:26","date_gmt":"2008-03-10T20:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5355"},"modified":"2021-01-12T10:08:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T17:08:06","slug":"working-girls-1986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5355","title":{"rendered":"Working Girls (1986)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[<strong>Note:<\/strong> The following review is of a non-Peary title; click <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=4388\">here<\/a> to read more.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Make sure the client is <em>completely comfortable<\/em> before you take any money.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-62959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1-91x128.jpg 91w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1-192x270.jpg 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/Working-Girls-Poster-1.jpg 463w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA Yale graduate (Louise Smith) works part-time in a Manhattan brothel while pursuing her dreams of a career in photography.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues<\/li>\n<li>Prostitutes and Gigolos<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis follow-up to director Lizzie Borden&#8217;s auspicious debut film (1983&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4462\"><em>Born in Flames<\/em><\/a>) is a noticeable omission from Peary&#8217;s book, given that it&#8217;s ultimately even more successful than its heavy-handed predecessor. Twenty years after its release, <em>Working Girls<\/em> &#8212; a fictionalized &#8220;day in the life&#8221; docudrama &#8212; remains the most revealing and honest look at female prostitution ever committed to film, offering viewers a refreshingly de-glamorized glimpse into the day-to-day operations of a modern brothel. Through an array of diverse prostitutes and johns, we learn why young women may choose this lucrative yet socially denigrated profession; how they bond together to laugh behind the backs of their often-ridiculous clients; how they maintain cleanliness and efficiency in their &#8220;office&#8221;; how they ensure that their clients aren&#8217;t cops (johns are ordered to  &#8220;get completely comfortable&#8221; &#8212; i.e., strip off all their clothing &#8212; before handing over money); and how there&#8217;s no honor among thieves when it comes to ambitious &#8220;pimps&#8221; like Madam Lucy (deliciously portrayed by Ellen McElduff). While Borden and Sandra Kay&#8217;s script is undeniably didactic at times, and the performances are mostly amateurish (Smith and McElduff stand out as the exceptions), it&#8217;s difficult not to get caught up in the lives of Molly and her motley co-workers. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Louise Smith as Molly<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-molly2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-molly2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1680\" height=\"1050\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5358\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ellen McElduff as &#8220;Madam Lucy&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-lucy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-lucy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1680\" height=\"1050\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5359\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Molly&#8217;s hilarious session with &#8220;Fantasy Fred&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-fantasy-fred.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/working-girls-fantasy-fred.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1680\" height=\"1050\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5356\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A refreshingly unglamorized inside-glimpse at the world&#8217;s oldest profession\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a one-of-a-kind original. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0092238\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/working-girls-1987\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1987\/02\/27\/movies\/film-working-girls.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/style\/longterm\/movies\/videos\/workinggirlsnrharrington_a0aa33.htm\">Washington Post Review (Richard Harrington)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/working-girls\/review\/123153\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/working-girls\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.] &#8220;Make sure the client is completely comfortable before you take any money.&#8221; Synopsis: A Yale graduate (Louise Smith) works part-time in a Manhattan brothel while pursuing her dreams of a career in photography. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues Prostitutes and Gigolos Review: This follow-up to director Lizzie Borden&#8217;s auspicious debut film (1983&#8217;s Born in Flames) is a noticeable omission from Peary&#8217;s book,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5355\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missing-title-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5355"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62961,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5355\/revisions\/62961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}