I Have A Head For Business, And A Bod For Sin, Anything Wrong With That?

Preamble
This must be the weekend for me to catch up on my old, 80's favorites. First Less Than Zero and now this....

I love the movies of the eighties, especially those that fell into the romantic/comedy genre. If you think about it, in the 80's one of the particular themes touted by the gawd of this genre, John Hughes was that of the female underdog. You had Molly Ringwald in both Sixteen Candles and Pretty In Pink, Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind of Wonderful, and Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club.

The Story
Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a hard working chick who is determined to make it big one day. She's doing all the right things - getting her degree, attending seminars and work shops, while at the same time, she holds down her 9 to 5 job as a secretary to a male wall street broker. This point is important to note because her male bosses tend to never take her seriously even though they know she knows what she's talking about.

As she turns 30 years old, fate intervenes and she is forced into making some changes in both her personal and professional life.

First, she goes to work for a new boss. Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) is practically her twin in age (separated by just a couple of days). Katherine isn't anything like her other bosses. She insists that she wants for them to work together as a team effort. "Bring your ideas to me, and I'll work them through." This, of course, is exciting for Tess as she has wants someone to mentor her to that next level.

Second, Tess and her live in boyfriend, Mick (Alex Baldwin), look like they might be taking things to that next level.

Now doesn't every thing seem to be falling into place?

Not so fast....Katherine goes off on a skiing trip and breaks her leg. While she's gone, Tess discovers what a snake her boss is. Why, she even went so far as to steal one of Tess's ideas. Tess decides to reclaim her idea back. She makes arrangements to meet not as Tess the secretary but as Tess the corporate woman, with the man she thinks can help her - Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford). Her friend Cyn (Joan Cusack) reluctantly aids and abeits her friend, making the outside world think that Tess is indeed, an important woman.

When Jack and Tess meet, sparks fly. Sounds like smooth sailing, right? Oh, of course not! You know that eventually, Katherine comes back and finds out what is going on. The question here is, does Tess win? Does she get the deal? Keep the man? Ya gotta see the movie to find out.

Analyze Me
The writer of this film, Kevin Wade is nobody I recognize. This was his first real jump into mainstream Hollywood film writing and I must say that I was impressed with his efforts. I was thoroughly excited about the dialogue in the movie. It seemed as though each character was given the opportunity to be the straight man and then at other times, they were the funny one.

This wasn't exactly Mike Nichols type of movie to direct either. Known for his work in The Graduate and Silkwood. I think he had a wonderful script to work with but I did hear that he had his hands full with the coked-up-her-a*ss Melanie Griffith. I guess that's part of the director's job, right? Make sure that the lead actress actually shows up and performs :).

You may think that I don't like Melanie, but it's quite the opposite. I was sheltered from her antics until some time in the early 90's when she went into rehab for the 1,000th time. Ms. Griffith was nominated, and even won awards (Golden Globes, Best Actress - Comedy/Musical) for her portrayal of Tess. The chemistry between her and Harrison Ford was really believable but the best part, was that it was fun. A relationship like this restores your faith that parts of your life can be lighthearted and fun.

Sigourney Weaver plays the perfect be-atch. She's like many back-stabbing women I encountered in my youth :). If I had only one negative thing to say about her performance is that she really didn't give me a reason to feel sympathetic towards her.

Harrison Ford looks like a hot stud in this movie. You could totally buy his attraction to both Tess and Katherine. Tess was the side of his personality that was wild and untamed. Katherine was business, business, business. Usually, Harrison is known for being the straight man. He had some great moments in here where he got to be the funny man.

If I told you that I loved Joan Cusack, would you believe me? I hope so because I think that she is one of the most underrated actresses and comedians. In 1987, Joan wasn't that all well known in the film business. She had bit parts in Sixteen Candles and Class. This movie gave her the opportunity to shine. She was also nominated for many supporting actress awards.

The End
Remember how I told you that Less Than Zero wasn't a feel good movie? Well, this one is. It keeps your attention and in the end, you feel all warm and gushy. It's a good rent!

Extra - Memorable Quotes
Katharine Parker: Never burn bridges. Today's junior prick, tomorrow's senior partner.

Cyn: Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn't make me Madonna. Never will.

As Tess is trying on one of Katherine's dresses, Cyn spies the price tag...
Cyn: $6000! And it's not even leather!

Just as Cyn is about to cut Tess's long hair...
Cyn: Are you sure you want to do this?
Tess: You want to be taken seriously, you need serious hair.

Jack questions Tess's presence at the party, especially since she's dressed like a real woman...
Tess McGill: I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?

Tess: Why did you say you weren't you last night?
Jack: I knew what would happen. All mergers and acquisitions. No lust and tequila.

Tess: What did happen exactly?
Jack: The earth moved, the angels wept. The polaroids are in my other coat. Nothing happened.
Tess: I woke up in my underwear.
Jack: I bet you looked nice.