5 Awesome Professional Women In Nora Ephron Films

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5 Awesome Professional Women In Nora Ephron Films

12:30 pm, June 27th | by Laura Donovan

For no particular reason at all, I pulled “Julie and Julia” out of my DVD case two nights ago and popped it into my laptop disc drive. It’s not the greatest movie of all time, but was just the Monday pick-me-up I needed. Less than 24 hours later, I learned that its screenplay writer Nora Ephron had passed away, and her loss was felt around the world. We at The Jane Dough were huge fans of her work for many reasons, and among them was her honest depiction of hard-working women. Here are some of my favorite professional women from her films.

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1.Julia Child, Julie and Julia

Julia Child was living proof that it's never too late to change the world with one's professional achievements. She wasn't famous for her cooking at the beginning of her career, and "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" didn't come out until she was nearly 50. Any time I feel like I should have changed the world by now (hey, Justin Bieber already has!), I remember that Julia Child hadn't made a name for herself at age 23 either.

2.Julie Powell, Julie and Julia

Not one, but two inspiring women in Julie and Julia! I could relate best to Julie Powell, a cubicle-bound aspiring writer who starts a cooking blog to add some flavor to her unsatisfying life. She winds up with a huge following and book deal. She gives me hope that I'll someday be able to do the same.

3.Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Kathleen Kelly, <em>You've Got Mail</em>

Kathleen Kelly is a fighter in You've Got Mail, which follows her campaign to stop a chain book store from hitting the streets of NYC. The owner of a mom and pop book shop, she doesn't want the city to lose its character at the hands of a corporate business. We need more people like her in real life.

4.Sally Albright, When Harry Met Sally

Sally Albright, <em>When Harry Met Sally</em>

Meg Ryan had a knack for mouthing off in 90s flicks! She's a journalism student in When Harry Met Sally, and a strong-minded one at that. She doesn't go easy on her buddy Harry, with whom she tends to argue, and this trait is helpful for surviving in any field, particularly reporting.

5.Karen Silkwood, Silkwood

Karen Silkwood's story is a rather sad one. In 1974, the chemical technician died in a suspicious car accident upon investigating worker safety issues at the Kerr-McGee plant, for which she worked. She was an inspiring figure who merely wanted to expose the wrongdoings of her place of employment.