The 7 Best Working Women Movies

Working women as portrayed in Hollywood movies still have a long way to go -- point me to a few romantic comedies featuring overly-ambitious career women who don't eventually come to the realization that they're missing their chance to ever find love in the arms of a man and thus, their one shot at happiness, and I'll consider revising that statement.

Still, there are some films featuring driven career women that are just too good to pass up. In honor of Labor Day, I give you the seven best working women movies.

Which are your favorite (and least favorite)? Can't wait to hear what you think.

WATCH:

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'The Devil Wears Prada' - 2006

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In "The Devil Wears Prada," Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a smart young striver fresh out of college, suffers for months at the hands of her demanding boss, fashion magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). At first the harried editorial assistant rarely manages to please the ice queen, but gradually she wins favor, in part through victories like the one in this clip. Because the Miranda character is rumored to be based on a specific person in a very specific position, Vogue's notoriously intimidating Anna Wintour, the film doesn't so much perpetuate the idea that all female bosses are unreadable and unreasonable -- just this particular boss. And a later scene of Miranda in crisis (in which Streep wears not an ounce of makeup) is the rare nuanced portrayal of a woman confronting the sacrifices she has made for her career. Here Andy is about to quit after receiving the most ridiculous request yet (to secure an unpublished Harry Potter manuscript for Miranda's twins), but she pulls through. I don't love that she couldn't have done it without the help of the famous male writer hoping to get her in bed, but she's the scheme's mastermind.

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In "The Devil Wears Prada," Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a smart young striver fresh out of college, suffers for months at the hands of her demanding boss, fashion magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). At first the harried editorial assistant rarely manages to please the ice queen, but gradually she wins favor, in part through victories like the one in this clip.

Because the Miranda character is rumored to be based on a specific person in a very specific position, Vogue's notoriously intimidating Anna Wintour, the film doesn't so much perpetuate the idea that all female bosses are unreadable and unreasonable -- just this particular boss. And a later scene of Miranda in crisis (in which Streep wears not an ounce of makeup) is the rare nuanced portrayal of a woman confronting the sacrifices she has made for her career.

Here Andy is about to quit after receiving the most ridiculous request yet (to secure an unpublished Harry Potter manuscript for Miranda's twins), but she pulls through. I don't love that she couldn't have done it without the help of the famous male writer hoping to get her in bed, but she's the scheme's mastermind.

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Top 5 Working Women Movies

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Comments

[Vikki Poster]

07:48 PM on 09/06/2011

How could you not mention Sally Field as Norma Rae?

[bagman29]

07:09 PM on 09/06/2011

When it comes to women's jobs in film, it seems they always fall in one of three categories:

1) Womens magazines
2) Fashion
3) Law

[motherofmaggie]

11:27 AM on 09/06/2011

Working girl made me want to throw up...

[Yamagatagirl]

10:50 AM on 09/06/2011

I'm sorry but I don't think Hollywood has ever really truely addressed the difficulities of a working wife and mother with any true sincerity although most of the movies mentioned were comedies. But they are movies......

[IMissAmerica]

09:16 AM on 09/06/2011

Working Girl is a classic... so many great lines in that movie!

"Five thousand dollas and it's not even leatha!"

[April Pells]

08:15 PM on 09/05/2011

Legally Blonde? Really?

[noaxe397]

08:10 PM on 09/05/2011

Mildred Pierce?

[Lisa Shields]

12:36 PM on 09/05/2011

An interesting point about Working Girl.

I (who was trying to break into Business at the time) loved the film.
My sister, who was already THERE, and successful LOATHED it.
(It probably did not help that she resembled Sigourney Weaver in real life, but still.)

[pennywhite]

10:55 AM on 09/05/2011

Why not include "Pretty Woman"?
I'm kidding - but it's really no worse than some of the other movies included in this list.

[granamica]

10:28 PM on 09/05/2011

Now if only you could find your brain and use it.

[Dede Eagleburger]

11:12 PM on 09/04/2011

Legally Blonde, the best of the bunch, no contest!! And it was written by women too :)

[theroundearth]

08:34 PM on 09/04/2011

"…point me to a few ROMANTIC COMEDIES featuring overly-ambitious career women who don't eventually come to the realization that they're missing their chance to ever find love in the arms of a man…"

Since the word "romantic" means something associated with love, the audience of a romantic comedy obviously expect to see a couple (conventionally a woman and a man) falling in love with the help of amusing incidents.

Outside of the romantic comedy genre ("Alien") you can find overly-ambitious career women not looking for love in the arms of a man --though their love for a cat (a male cat?) can expose them to dangerous situations.

[theroundearth]

07:43 PM on 09/04/2011

'Legally Blonde': ...and once again the judge role is played by a black actress.

[mrsL]

07:45 PM on 09/04/2011

...because black women rock!

[jokamachi]

07:37 PM on 09/04/2011

This list blows.

[standish]

07:28 PM on 09/04/2011

Oh, please. Where is "The Best of Everything" with Joan Crawford and Hope Lang? And "Pillow Talk" and "Lover Come Back" with Doris Day, who played professional women in both?

[mercedes1947]

11:50 PM on 09/04/2011

And Desk Set - Tracy/Hepburn where Hepburn was the boss already + Woman of the Year, that admittedly ended with Hepburn submitting to the homebody role, but it was fun along the way. Adam's Rib, the quintessential Male/Female competing in the workplace picture as Tracy as prosecutor goes up against his wife a lawyer that decides to defend the woman he is prosecuting. Does not get any more volatile than that. And yes, I too thought of Doris Day. She and her movies are always underrated.

[standish]

04:23 AM on 09/06/2011

You get a "Favorite" for your Doris Day comment. I'm a fan, too, and her movies are definitely underrated.