BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Movie Review

“What’s the matter? Haven’t you ever seen a banana before?” With those words, one nude man greets Honey (Sarah Kennedy), who is new in town and in the apartment where Denise (Laurie Rose) has invited her to stay. You see, times are tough; the economy is in the tank and there’s no decent job anywhere to be found.

A girl’s got to eat (even bananas), you know.

I’m just going to flat out and tell it to you straight. The Working Girls, led by the spunky charm of Miss Kennedy, is damned hilarious. The lines are zippy, clever, and always full of energy. The whole thing is gorgeous gas.  While most people know this movie thanks to the excellent striptease performed by Cassandra Peterson (you know, Elvira), the moments of constant comedy in the dialogue was an unexpected surprise. This low budget wonder finally makes its blu-ray debut courtesy of Code Red, who go to the private/UCLA archival print for the remastering.  

It sucks being broke and writer/director Stephanie Rothman (Group Marriage), who made some excellent exploitation flicks and was the first female to be given a Directors Guild of America fellowship, knows that well enough, admitting that she only made exploitation flicks to work in Hollywood. Women weren't wanted.  No one – except for Roger Corman – was giving her any work. And, to Corman’s credit, Rothman still admits that he was the best teacher she every had when it came to directing.

Through with school, Honey (who talks in the cutest of voices) can’t find work in Los Angeles anywhere. She’s made it this far through conniving men, petty theft, a bit of blackmail, and just plain dumb luck. Desperate for a quick twenty dollars, she puts an advertisement in the newspaper that she can help people for the right amount of money and, suddenly, the offers come tumbling in. With her platinum blonde hair and her turquoise dress, Honey is easily spotted. And her clients are usually always pleased with the results.

Surprisingly enough, The Working Girls delivers a solid flick that is full of humor and hotshot crooks. This is Sex and the City before Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda even met.   Topical, vulgar, and full of lowlife men doing the women all sorts of wrongs, this exploitation flick is also one hell of a statement about gender in the early end of the 1970s.

From being asked to kill (and back up over again and again) one client’s abusive husband to serving as a secretary for a man who works out of his car on the streets of Los Angeles, The Working Girls is a howling good time on the job market. It also takes us out of the streets an right into the strip club. Because, yes, we go there. And one of roommates, Jill (Lynne Guthrie) gets tapped to be on the stage full time. What follows is a series of misadventures as the girls get shit on by the men (their bosses) in their lives and, banding together, decide to push back.

Don’t forget to release the safety on those trigger fingers, boys and girls. The Working Girls is open for business once again.  Once a staple of late night television, the film finally gets the respect it so richly deserves thanks to this release.

Film Details

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 81 mins
Director: Stephanie Rothman
Writer: Stephanie Rothman
Cast: Sarah Kennedy, Laurie Rose, Mark Thomas
Genre:  Comedy
Tagline: Elvira...in her only nude scene EVER!.
Memorable Movie Quote: "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a banana before?"
Theatrical Distributor:
Official Site:
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 15, 2016
Synopsis: Working Girls is the story of 3 beautiful girls who don’t just want to have fun - they want to work and will do anything to get ahead. Starring Cassandra Peterson (Elvira-Mistress of the Dark) in a very revealing role – a free spirited stripper that teaches the other girls what it takes to make it in the big city.

Blu-ray Review

Home Video Distributor: Code Red
Available on Blu-ray - November 15, 2016
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: None
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The brand new 16x9 transfer that Code Red presents was supervised by Stephanie Rothman and is archived from her original print. The Working Girls is a clear transfer that, while a bit hazy, provides a solid upgrade. There’s no real technical limitation spotted here as both interiors and exteriors look good in the new transfer. There is a solid contrast and the colors appear brighter than on the poor quality DVD releases. Skin tones are solid and the details in some of the period clothing with high levels of saturation. While there is ZERO depth to many of the shots and dirt and some scratches still pop up, the film has never looked better then when it strolls outside to take in the sunlight and the greenery. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 is perfectly suited for home viewing.

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

There’s a new interview with Laurie Rose, a theatrical trailer, and some trailers for other Code Red titles.

On camera interview with star Laurie Rose

Theatrical Trailer