I don’t remember where or when I saw the phrase “You Need to See Her to Be Her”. Was it a public service announcement? An acceptance speech from some awards show? More likely an ad for something. The phrase and the meaning stuck if not the surroundings that presented it. Of course, it immediately makes sense that examples of working women would support my chosen path going forward.
Until recently I didn’t realize just how extraordinary it was to see movies with professional women as the central protagonist. The one that came up immediately when I was doing an impromptu inventory was Broadcast News starring Holly Hunter. The 1987 romantic comedy combined many of my favorite things – witty lines, self-deprecating humor, and a successful, highly competent and slightly neurotic woman. If you know me, I hope you see some of that description in me.
The movie also contains one of my favorite exchanges. When the head of news, Paul is talking to Hunter’s Jane Craig.
Paul Moore: It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you’re the smartest person in the room.
Jane Craig: No. It’s awful.
Sure, I’ve been known to print out this exchange and display it in my office. Was that so bad? I consider it being self-aware. The meaning of the speech isn’t so much about being always right, but feeling as if you are and just wanting to get the work done. At least that is my interpretation.
Jane is a single, driven career woman whose romantic interests complicate her work. No spoilers here, but her professional ethics clarify the romance.
While I consider myself a connoisseur of movies and TV shows, I was surprised to only find a handful of other movies centered on a professional woman and her career challenges.
I don’t remember where or when I saw the phrase “You Need to See Her to Be Her”. Was it a public service announcement? An acceptance speech from some awards show? More likely an ad for something. The phrase and the meaning stuck if not the surroundings that presented it. Of course, it immediately makes sense that examples of working women would support my chosen path going forward.
Until recently I didn’t realize just how extraordinary it was to see movies with professional women as the central protagonist. The one that came up immediately when I was doing an impromptu inventory was Broadcast News starring Holly Hunter. The 1987 romantic comedy combined many of my favorite things – witty lines, self-deprecating humor, and a successful, highly competent and slightly neurotic woman. If you know me, I hope you see some of that description in me.
The movie also contains one of my favorite exchanges. When the head of news, Paul is talking to Hunter’s Jane Craig.
Paul Moore: It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you’re the smartest person in the room.
Jane Craig: No. It’s awful.
Sure, I’ve been known to print out this exchange and display it in my office. Was that so bad? I consider it being self-aware. The meaning of the speech isn’t so much about being always right, but feeling as if you are and just wanting to get the work done. At least that is my interpretation.
Jane is a single, driven career woman whose romantic interests complicate her work. No spoilers here, but her professional ethics clarify the romance.
While I consider myself a connoisseur of movies and TV shows, I was surprised to only find a handful of other movies centered on a professional woman and her career challenges.
His Girl Friday
Going way back, there’s His Girl Friday (1940) starring Cary Grant as Walter, the newspaper editor and, Hildy played Rosalind Russell, his ex-wife and former ace reporter. The movie starts with Hildy who divorced Walter informing Walter she is about to marry insurance man Bruce Baldwin played by Ralph Bellamy.
As an aside, Ralph Bellamy of Trading Places fame, looked quite fetching when he was younger. Reason enough to check out this black and white screwball comedy.
Hildy wants to settle down as a housewife in Albany and give up her crazy life as a reporter. Walter, the conniving editor, attempts to convince Hildy to return to reporting and remarry him by reminding her of the thrill of her work.
Hilarity ensues, as the saying goes, as she covers the impending execution of a killer – getting lured back into reporter mode. Trust me – it is quite charming. Given the depiction of both divorce and a professional woman, I’m surprised at all the positive contemporary reviews. I guess laughter and Cary Grant can make anything better.
His Girl Friday
Going way back, there’s His Girl Friday (1940) starring Cary Grant as Walter, the newspaper editor and, Hildy played Rosalind Russell, his ex-wife and former ace reporter. The movie starts with Hildy who divorced Walter informing Walter she is about to marry insurance man Bruce Baldwin played by Ralph Bellamy.
As an aside, Ralph Bellamy of Trading Places fame, looked quite fetching when he was younger. Reason enough to check out this black and white screwball comedy.
Hildy wants to settle down as a housewife in Albany and give up her crazy life as a reporter. Walter, the conniving editor, attempts to convince Hildy to return to reporting and remarry him by reminding her of the thrill of her work.
Hilarity ensues, as the saying goes, as she covers the impending execution of a killer – getting lured back into reporter mode. Trust me – it is quite charming. Given the depiction of both divorce and a professional woman, I’m surprised at all the positive contemporary reviews. I guess laughter and Cary Grant can make anything better.
Adam’s Rib & Desk Sets
If you know anything about Katherine Hepburn, and I think everyone should, you won’t be surprised that a few of her movies made this list. Adam’s Rib (1949) and Desk Set (1957) are both romantic comedies starring Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in lead roles with strong personalities that clash over workplace issues. In Adam’s Rib, Tracy and Hepburn are married lawyers who are on opposing sides of a murder case. (Again, hilarity ensues.)
In Desk Set, Hepburn’s character leads a TV network’s reference library while Tracy’s character is an efficiency expert who brings a computer to modernize the department and lay off Hepburn’s staff.
Romance is a significant part of both films, but so are strong, capable women succeeding in their careers.
Adam’s Rib & Desk Sets
If you know anything about Katherine Hepburn, and I think everyone should, you won’t be surprised that a few of her movies made this list. Adam’s Rib (1949) and Desk Set (1957) are both romantic comedies starring Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in lead roles with strong personalities that clash over workplace issues. In Adam’s Rib, Tracy and Hepburn are married lawyers who are on opposing sides of a murder case. (Again, hilarity ensues.)
In Desk Set, Hepburn’s character leads a TV network’s reference library while Tracy’s character is an efficiency expert who brings a computer to modernize the department and lay off Hepburn’s staff.
Romance is a significant part of both films, but so are strong, capable women succeeding in their careers.
Double Feature Rent/Buy
9 to 5 & Working Girl
No list would be complete without looking at 9 to 5 (1980) and Working Girl (1988). Both are broad comedies with extremely capable working women who are undervalued in their work environments.
9 to 5 starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin is more of a farce portraying fantastical revenge scenes dreamt up by justifiably, disgruntled women against their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” boss.
While their response is pure fantasy, the issues such as being overlooked for promotion, confronting sexism and being unrecognized for your talent were definitely relatable at the time. I hope no one has literally been inspired by the acts depicted in the movie, I wonder how these situations would be perceived by younger professional women today. Would they recognize these incidents as something they themselves have experienced or would they be totally foreign? I’m hoping the latter, and then I would feel women would have made significant progress since that time.
Working Girl starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver switches the gender of the villain. Weaver’s Katharine Parker becomes the antagonist to her aspiring secretary, Tess, played by Griffith. So, it isn’t just men but bosses in general that suppress qualified women. Just 8 short years after 9 to 5, we’ve come a long way as an equal offender. Again, this is a comedy, but deals with some serious issues surrounding the ability of women to be recognized for their value.
All these movies are comedies, and I couldn’t recall a serious drama before or during my impressionable era as a young professional that demonstrated skilled women succeeding in business. Movies such as Erin Brockovich (2000) and Hidden Figures (2016) came later well into my climbing up the career ladder.
Any of these movies resonate with you? Have I missed any?
9 to 5 & Working Girl
No list would be complete without looking at 9 to 5 (1980) and Working Girl (1988). Both are broad comedies with extremely capable working women who are undervalued in their work environments.
9 to 5 starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin is more of a farce portraying fantastical revenge scenes dreamt up by justifiably, disgruntled women against their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” boss.
While their response is pure fantasy, the issues such as being overlooked for promotion, confronting sexism and being unrecognized for your talent were definitely relatable at the time. I hope no one has literally been inspired by the acts depicted in the movie, I wonder how these situations would be perceived by younger professional women today. Would they recognize these incidents as something they themselves have experienced or would they be totally foreign? I’m hoping the latter, and then I would feel women would have made significant progress since that time.
Working Girl starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver switches the gender of the villain. Weaver’s Katharine Parker becomes the antagonist to her aspiring secretary, Tess, played by Griffith. So, it isn’t just men but bosses in general that suppress qualified women. Just 8 short years after 9 to 5, we’ve come a long way as an equal offender. Again, this is a comedy, but deals with some serious issues surrounding the ability of women to be recognized for their value.
All these movies are comedies, and I couldn’t recall a serious drama before or during my impressionable era as a young professional that demonstrated skilled women succeeding in business. Movies such as Erin Brockovich (2000) and Hidden Figures (2016) came later well into my climbing up the career ladder.
Any of these movies resonate with you? Have I missed any?
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So excited about this list. Can’t wait to watch these movies.
So glad you liked the post.
This is SUCH a good list. We have weekly family movie nights, and are always trying to think of stories our teenage daughter can see that reveal another way to be a woman in a man’s world. 9-to-five and Working Girl are favorites, and now I’m going to introduce Adam’s Rib and His Girl Friday. (These will also please my film buff/film snob husband who loves old flicks.) Thanks, Julie!
Lindsay – Let me know when you watch any of these movies. There are still stereotypes in the older movies, but it is interesting to see how they handled these issues.