(Note: This essay is part of a series that highlights a time when (and how) Hollywood was America’s greatest soft power weapon and consistently made movies that average Americans actually wanted to see.) EPISODE THREE: WORKING GIRL There is a sense in which selling movies ought to be the easiest thing in the world. When done right, movies are like a drug. They make the audience feel really good and the best of them encourage the audience to return to the theater to do it all over again… to chase the dragon, if you will.
I still get angry when I see the Twin Towers in older movies.
Good choice of movies, MFW. Working Girl appealed to men as well as women. As you say, the medicine went down easy and the relatability of the characters smoothed over objections about who needs who. Two observations:
1. I admire actors like Sigourney Weaver who are stars and don't balk at playing characters that might tarnish their "image."
2. Young people today do embrace rule breaking because they are convinced the rules are unjust and therefore don't apply to them. They are often guided into this attitude by their parents, educators, and role models. What they are not prepared for is that if you break the rules and don't have the talent to back up your actions then the system is right in casting you down so that you end up stocking shelves in a company polo shirt.
I still get angry when I see the Twin Towers in older movies.
Good choice of movies, MFW. Working Girl appealed to men as well as women. As you say, the medicine went down easy and the relatability of the characters smoothed over objections about who needs who. Two observations:
1. I admire actors like Sigourney Weaver who are stars and don't balk at playing characters that might tarnish their "image."
2. Young people today do embrace rule breaking because they are convinced the rules are unjust and therefore don't apply to them. They are often guided into this attitude by their parents, educators, and role models. What they are not prepared for is that if you break the rules and don't have the talent to back up your actions then the system is right in casting you down so that you end up stocking shelves in a company polo shirt.
Great entry in your series!