Working Girls

WORKING GIRLS is the farthest thing from a Hollywood film. One of the oddest, most original, and refreshing films I have ever seen. Stimulating, without feeling pornographic. Lizzie Borden handles the subject-matter well -- in her tender, loving woman-hands. I wish I could get MY HANDS on some of her other films -- BORN IN FLAMES was what I had in mind. There is an excellent chapter on her in John Russo's (book) MAKING MOVIES. WORKING GIRLS will embarrass those who are not comfortable with the darker side of their nature -- and will bore those who desire no substance, just the old in-out. WORKING GIRLS doesn't feel the least bit exploitive. I loved the film, and I wish that Lizzie was still making movies -- movies that could find their way to my local cineplex.

"Most refreshingly, WORKING GIRLS earnestly but also playfuly takes the stigma off the oldest profession, Borden shows stimulating rapport among the girls, albeit their manifold colorations, uncouth or soft-spoken, frigid or wide-eyed, they might not be each other's best friends after hours, but internecine competition is nonexistent among them whereas sisterhood prevails and they do not stint on camaraderie. It is also awkwardly funny when Molly has to hide her sapphic predilection from a new girl in a girl-on-girl show, who is mortally averse to lesbianism. Indeed, it is through those small vignettes Borden excellently gives us a capsule view of the sign of its times: homophobia, racism (a black girl cannot earn as much as her pale-skinned coworkers, even a black customer is prone to stiff a girl of his own race, the humiliation feels lacerating), and most stirringly, the male chauvinism that is the canker incubates our society's inveterate inequity, and also the unique connection between a prostitute and her clients, it doesn't necessarily be exclusively carnal, interpersonal communication burgeons among human beings every nook and cranny. Borden's overarching critique is on point, totally honest and prescient."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

A day in the life of a woman who is a prostitute in a brothel-a very high class brothel. Nothing really happens--her and the other girls sit around and talk and serve clients. The movie does not glamorize prostitution. It shows it as a grueling, painful and demoralizing job. The script is sharp and on-target and most of the performances are good. Not great film, but well-made.

What we see is a day in the life of a brothel working girl. This is no cartoonish whorehouse with supermodels in garter belts sucking poutily on their fingers while lounging suggestively on chaise lounges in a gaudy parlor. These are real-looking women at the workplace.

Nothing unusual happens today. Someone calls in sick, someone has to pick up an extra shift, someone new starts work, lunch is ordered, jokes are shared, co-workers talk about how much they hate their boss, just a normal day, just a normal job.

Only it's not a normal job. This is such an honest film, it blew me away. Prostitution isn't glamorized, nor is its depiction harsh enough to scare you straight. Good script, well worth seeing.

The drawback? Obvious amateurs in most of the roles. Sometimes the acting is wooden -- but it can be forgiven because everything else is anything but.

Here is one film from 1987 that stands alone. I've seen this movie numerous times. I love it. Everyone else, that I've given this movie to, hates it, or just doesn't like it. It''s my brother in law's worst movie. He was pulling incredulous looks, when he watched it with me and my sister, he actually thought it was that bad. I'm sure most escorts would tell you, this film is true to fact. It opens up, where our main character Molly, who's into photography, and shares her New York apartment with her lesbian lover and kids, is getting ready for the day. Hardly any dialogue takes place here, and we have this interesting piece of music that accompanies it. Then it's off to work on her bicycle and we get into the story. It's basically Molly's story, a day in the life of a brothel worker. There in this ordinary looking apartment that operates as a brothel, we meet some other girls. Only a couple of them are moderately good looking. Their male clients are mostly ordinary looking, intellectual forties to sixties types, a mixture of pathetic, obscene, degrading, cruel, some who are good hearted types. A younger client, a musician who's been harassing Molly to get together with him on the outside, gets forceful with her, providing a dangerous touch to the film and shows you that small minority of clients you don't need. Most of the actress's here, have only done one or too films, which gives it that documentary feel and it works. One of the exclusions is Ellen Mcduff (that kooky waitress in Maximum Overdrive) who's the star performer as the heartless Madam Lucy. She's fantastic. Another good performance is Amanda Goodwin (Whore) one of the younger, fiesty, and more popular workers, Dawn, who Lucy rides a lot, but our independent Dawn dishes it back, one scene provoking Lucy to slap her. I love it. It's the characters of the tricks that make the movie work, some of them wanting some really weird requests. We have one character, Fantasy Fred, a big burly guy, again, ordinary looking type, who sees all the new girls, like Molly. Here, Molly plays the blind virgin, and Fantasy Fred, is the one who can cure her blindless-follow. We have a sixties client/lawyer, another of Molly's fans who wants to get together on the outside. He, a valued client, likes dominatrix. They have a special room, called the jungle room. While being tied down and whipped, right in the middle of it, he interrupts the middle of the show by asking the time. Nearly all of the film takes place in the apartment, save for a couple of scenes that has Molly out, buying a heavy inventory of contraceptives, etc. The male pharmacist, saying "You don't take any chances, do ya?". Another scene has her spying on her lesbian's daughter, in the playground of her kindergarten. Then it's back to work. We really get to be part of the story with these girls, even sharing a rushed lunch hour for em'. We even celebrate a worker's fiftieth birthday, as well as meet a new girl starting, the second best looking, to Gina. One of her first jobs has her making out with Molly, which she's phobic about, and it isn't soon before this young lass is packing her bags. We have madam Lucy out at lunch with her boyfriend, married of course, who has to rush back as the phones are kept putting on hold. She's goes absolutely ape. This woman really doesn't give a s..t about her girls, just money and jewellery as it so happens. After being drained with clients and considering an offer from the latter of em', it's great how Molly finally confronts her at the end, before quitting, you almost want to be there with her. The end is very much like the start with Molly cycling home, hypnotic music again (a great New York night shot, stopping on the way to by some flowers. What I love about Working Girls, is it doesn't try to be something it isn't with flashy sets, big stars, or larger that life characters. What we have here is real life. And if you can't accept that, you're probably not gonna like this. Highly recommended.