Who's That Girl (1987) Synopsis

Over an animated opening credits sequence, a New York City bookie named Johnny finds evidence of crimes that a high-powered businessman has committed. Johnny locks the incriminating photos and financial records crimes in a bank safe deposit box and gives the key to his girl friend, Nikki Finn (Madonna). When he tries to blackmail the person, the industrialist has Johnny killed, and the thugs stuff his body in the trunk of Nikki's car. Sometime later, Nikki is arrested for the murder. The judge rules it a crime of passion and sentences her to seven years in the Rockford Correctional Institute for women.Four years later.Nikki is paroled on good behavior. As a condition of her parole she is to return to her hometown in Philadelphia for the remainder of her parole.The movie then introduces tax attorney Loudon Trott (Griffin Dunne) on a busy day. He is getting married to the daughter of one of the richest men in New York, Simon Worthington. Loudon's bride Wendy Worthington (Haviland Morris) is a selfish woman who is more consumed in her wedding plans than in the well-being of her fiance. Loudon, on the other hand, has a number of duties entrusted to him by his boss (and future father-in-law), Mr. Worthington (John McMartin).Simon Worthington calls Loudon into his office where he orders him to pick up Nikki upon her release, and make sure she gets on a bus for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Worthington does not explain Nikki's background, merely stating it is a charitable mission for the company known as: "Operation Prisoner Shuttle." En route to the prison, Loudon Trott stops at the docks to pick up a package for another client, millionaire Montgomery Bell (John Mills). Loudon is stunned to find the package is a full grown cougar, a rare, nearly extinct Patagonia felis concolor, which only mates every twenty-six months. With the cougar locked in a cage in the back seat of Simon Worthington's Rolls Royce convertible, Loudon picks up Nikki Finn from the prison. The young woman insists on stopping at a shopping mall to buy presents for her family before getting on the bus. Meanwhile police detectives Bellson and Doyle follow Nikki. They arranged for her early release in hope that she would lead them to the evidence Johnny had and the identity of the real murderer.At the shopping mall, Nikki now has a new wardrobe and steals some music cassette tapes from a local Sam Goody record store, and plants one on a leering guy who she sends out of the store which triggers the alarm, and allows Nikki to leave with the alarm blaring and the guy getting picked up by security for shoplifting.After leaving the shopping mall, Nikki refuses to leave town until she buys a gun in Harlem from a weapons dealer that a cellmate used to know. Loudon agrees to placate her, and lets Nikki drive the Rolls Royce. However, her reckless driving prompts police to pull her over, and causes Loudon to collapse. Police take Loudon to the hospital, believing he is having a heart attack. There, Nikki tells hospital authorities that she is Loudon's wife, and while he is unconscious, she takes his wallet and clothes, and flees in his automobile.When Loudon awakens, he takes a taxicab to Harlem, where he finds vandals spray painting graffiti on the Rolls Royce and stealing its parts. The cougar, which Nikki has named "Murray," has escaped. Loudon finds Nikki buying a gun in a seedy apartment, as police raid the gun dealer's apartment. Nikki and Loudon escape via the roof and avoid arrest. After hiding in the closet of a next door apartment building, Nikki sets off the fire alarm and building sprinklers and she and Loudon escape again.Afterward, while hiding out in a trash dumpster, Nikki whistles, and Murray comes running to her. Here she confides (and flirts) with Loudon as she insists on clearing her name. Nikki still has the key to Johnny's bank deposit box, but does not know the the name of the bank or the box number. However, she tells him that the pimp Raoul (Coati Mundi) and his lackey Benny (Dennis Burkley), the people who killed Johnny, does know.Simon Worthington telephones Loudon on his car phone, demanding that he get Nikki on the bus. Loudon promises to carry out the assignment, even though he has come to despise the free-spirited woman.When Nikki and Loudon find Raoul, a fight ensues as Nikki, using her semi-automatic handgun, holds Raoul and Benny hostage while Loudon drives the limo they are in erratically leading to the top level of a parking garage, with the limo dangling on the edge of the building. Eventually, Raoul reveals the name of the bank in Manhattan and he and Nikki get away as the limo falls off the building and into the Hudson River.En route, Loudon stops at Cartier to pick up his wedding rings. As Nikki tries on a necklace, she takes off the chain with the safe deposit key on it. The store clerk notices that the clasp on her chain is broken, and as he tries to fix it, the key falls into a package. However, a delivery man named Buck (James Dietz) takes the package away before they can retrieve it. Nikki and Loudon follow the delivery truck, which coincidentally arrives at the apartment of Loudon's fiancee, Wendy Worthington. His betrothed is holding a bridal shower, and Nikki introduces herself as Loudon's cousin from Atlanta. They retrieve the key, but by the time they get to the bank, it has closed for the day.Meanwhile, Raoul and Benny, having survived their drop into the river, arrive at Wendy's house and take her and all five of her bridesmaids hostage.Sometime later, Loudon meets with three-person co-op board of an apartment he and Wendy hope to move into. When Wendy is late for the meeting, Loudon convinces Nikki to pose as his girlfriend. As the meeting gets underway, Raoul and Benny arrive, holding Wendy at knife-point. Nikki convinces Raoul to let Wendy go and take her instead. Afterward, Nikki whistles for Murray, who scares Raoul and Benny, and Nikki flees with the cougar.That evening, Loudon goes to millionaire Montgomery Bell's townhouse to report that he has lost Murray, but he is surprised to find Nikki and the cougar already there. Montgomery shows them the Brazilian rain-forest-style refuge for endangered species that he is building in his backyard, already filled with exotic animals. Enchanted by the magical refuge, Loudon and Nikki kiss, while Murray and another cougar begin mating.The next morning, Loudon takes Nikki to the bank where she retrieves the envelope from the safe deposit box, but she does not examine the evidence. Loudon puts her on a bus headed to Philadelphia, then goes to the Worthington estate where his wedding is about to take place. Once on the bus, Nikki looks opens the envelope and is stunned to see it incriminates Simon Worthington, Loudon's soon-to-be father-in-law. Nikki convinces the bus driver to turn around and take her to the Worthington estate, where she climbs the fence and interrupts the ceremony, announcing that Simon Worthington is an embezzler and a murderer. Nikki demands that the ceremony cannot continue because Loudon is in love with her. Loudon admits it is true and calls off the wedding. When Simon Worthington tries to escape, he is arrested by police, along with Raoul. Unfazed, Wendy leaves with the hunky delivery man Buck.Later in the final scene, Nikki and Loudon take the bus to Philadelphia, where they plan to open an animal hospital. The film ends with Nikki and Loudon riding off into the sunset on a bus to Philadelphia, with Murray and his cougar partner chasing after them.

Over an animated opening credits sequence, a New York City bookie named Johnny finds evidence of crimes that a high-powered businessman has committed. Johnny locks the incriminating photos and financial records crimes in a bank safe deposit box and gives the key to his girl friend, Nikki Finn (Madonna). When he tries to blackmail the person, the industrialist has Johnny killed, and the thugs stuff his body in the trunk of Nikki's car. Sometime later, Nikki is arrested for the murder. The judge rules it a crime of passion and sentences her to seven years in the Rockford Correctional Institute for women.Four years later.Nikki is paroled on good behavior. As a condition of her parole she is to return to her hometown in Philadelphia for the remainder of her parole.The movie then introduces tax attorney Loudon Trott (Griffin Dunne) on a busy day. He is getting married to the daughter of one of the richest men in New York, Simon Worthington. Loudon's bride Wendy Worthington (Haviland Morris) is a selfish woman who is more consumed in her wedding plans than in the well-being of her fiance. Loudon, on the other hand, has a number of duties entrusted to him by his boss (and future father-in-law), Mr. Worthington (John McMartin).Simon Worthington calls Loudon into his office where he orders him to pick up Nikki upon her release, and make sure she gets on a bus for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Worthington does not explain Nikki's background, merely stating it is a charitable mission for the company known as: "Operation Prisoner Shuttle." En route to the prison, Loudon Trott stops at the docks to pick up a package for another client, millionaire Montgomery Bell (John Mills). Loudon is stunned to find the package is a full grown cougar, a rare, nearly extinct Patagonia felis concolor, which only mates every twenty-six months. With the cougar locked in a cage in the back seat of Simon Worthington's Rolls Royce convertible, Loudon picks up Nikki Finn from the prison. The young woman insists on stopping at a shopping mall to buy presents for her family before getting on the bus. Meanwhile police detectives Bellson and Doyle follow Nikki. They arranged for her early release in hope that she would lead them to the evidence Johnny had and the identity of the real murderer.At the shopping mall, Nikki now has a new wardrobe and steals some music cassette tapes from a local Sam Goody record store, and plants one on a leering guy who she sends out of the store which triggers the alarm, and allows Nikki to leave with the alarm blaring and the guy getting picked up by security for shoplifting.After leaving the shopping mall, Nikki refuses to leave town until she buys a gun in Harlem from a weapons dealer that a cellmate used to know. Loudon agrees to placate her, and lets Nikki drive the Rolls Royce. However, her reckless driving prompts police to pull her over, and causes Loudon to collapse. Police take Loudon to the hospital, believing he is having a heart attack. There, Nikki tells hospital authorities that she is Loudon's wife, and while he is unconscious, she takes his wallet and clothes, and flees in his automobile.When Loudon awakens, he takes a taxicab to Harlem, where he finds vandals spray painting graffiti on the Rolls Royce and stealing its parts. The cougar, which Nikki has named "Murray," has escaped. Loudon finds Nikki buying a gun in a seedy apartment, as police raid the gun dealer's apartment. Nikki and Loudon escape via the roof and avoid arrest. After hiding in the closet of a next door apartment building, Nikki sets off the fire alarm and building sprinklers and she and Loudon escape again.Afterward, while hiding out in a trash dumpster, Nikki whistles, and Murray comes running to her. Here she confides (and flirts) with Loudon as she insists on clearing her name. Nikki still has the key to Johnny's bank deposit box, but does not know the the name of the bank or the box number. However, she tells him that the pimp Raoul (Coati Mundi) and his lackey Benny (Dennis Burkley), the people who killed Johnny, does know.Simon Worthington telephones Loudon on his car phone, demanding that he get Nikki on the bus. Loudon promises to carry out the assignment, even though he has come to despise the free-spirited woman.When Nikki and Loudon find Raoul, a fight ensues as Nikki, using her semi-automatic handgun, holds Raoul and Benny hostage while Loudon drives the limo they are in erratically leading to the top level of a parking garage, with the limo dangling on the edge of the building. Eventually, Raoul reveals the name of the bank in Manhattan and he and Nikki get away as the limo falls off the building and into the Hudson River.En route, Loudon stops at Cartier to pick up his wedding rings. As Nikki tries on a necklace, she takes off the chain with the safe deposit key on it. The store clerk notices that the clasp on her chain is broken, and as he tries to fix it, the key falls into a package. However, a delivery man named Buck (James Dietz) takes the package away before they can retrieve it. Nikki and Loudon follow the delivery truck, which coincidentally arrives at the apartment of Loudon's fiancee, Wendy Worthington. His betrothed is holding a bridal shower, and Nikki introduces herself as Loudon's cousin from Atlanta. They retrieve the key, but by the time they get to the bank, it has closed for the day.Meanwhile, Raoul and Benny, having survived their drop into the river, arrive at Wendy's house and take her and all five of her bridesmaids hostage.Sometime later, Loudon meets with three-person co-op board of an apartment he and Wendy hope to move into. When Wendy is late for the meeting, Loudon convinces Nikki to pose as his girlfriend. As the meeting gets underway, Raoul and Benny arrive, holding Wendy at knife-point. Nikki convinces Raoul to let Wendy go and take her instead. Afterward, Nikki whistles for Murray, who scares Raoul and Benny, and Nikki flees with the cougar.That evening, Loudon goes to millionaire Montgomery Bell's townhouse to report that he has lost Murray, but he is surprised to find Nikki and the cougar already there. Montgomery shows them the Brazilian rain-forest-style refuge for endangered species that he is building in his backyard, already filled with exotic animals. Enchanted by the magical refuge, Loudon and Nikki kiss, while Murray and another cougar begin mating.The next morning, Loudon takes Nikki to the bank where she retrieves the envelope from the safe deposit box, but she does not examine the evidence. Loudon puts her on a bus headed to Philadelphia, then goes to the Worthington estate where his wedding is about to take place. Once on the bus, Nikki looks opens the envelope and is stunned to see it incriminates Simon Worthington, Loudon's soon-to-be father-in-law. Nikki convinces the bus driver to turn around and take her to the Worthington estate, where she climbs the fence and interrupts the ceremony, announcing that Simon Worthington is an embezzler and a murderer. Nikki demands that the ceremony cannot continue because Loudon is in love with her. Loudon admits it is true and calls off the wedding. When Simon Worthington tries to escape, he is arrested by police, along with Raoul. Unfazed, Wendy leaves with the hunky delivery man Buck.Later in the final scene, Nikki and Loudon take the bus to Philadelphia, where they plan to open an animal hospital. The film ends with Nikki and Loudon riding off into the sunset on a bus to Philadelphia, with Murray and his cougar partner chasing after them.

Published Time: 2021-03-25 21:45:17