Working Girl

Two weeks ago the sale of the company was final. It was the second time in two years I have gone through this. Friday the layoffs took place. I have been a little sad because some really good people are no longer on my team. So I try to focus on the one asshole I am so happy to see go, and finally get the boot.

I am reminded of the movie Working Girl. A must see for any movie fan. There are two scenes that keep playing in my mind.

The first is Harrison Ford opening up to Melanie Griffin about his insecurity for keeping his job. He describes stickers on the speed dial of his phone where good men had their names but were replaced by another sticker. “They were good men and I don’t want to be another sticker” was his sentiment. It’s a small part of the movie, but what helps make the character real and relatable in a way only Ford can portray.

The other moment is during the end of the film. After this exciting and fun adventure we have just been through we see Tess, Melanie Griffin’s character, sitting at her new desk with a window and the world of possibilities ahead of her. The camera pulls back and we see other offices with other workers. The camera continues to pull back and we see more offices and still more workers. The camera has a steady single shot that lasts minutes behind the credits. The further it pulls back the more office windows and workers we see sitting at desks in other buildings, in several buildings, in midtown Manhattan, in all of Manhattan. We realize that her adventure, as grand as it may have been for Tess, was really only a small step on the corporate ladder in a city, no, a world of tough and cold business.

It is easy to get wrapped up in the daily doldrums of being a worker bee. Finding the one thing to work for is more important than the work itself.