9 to 5

Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Sterling Hayden, Elizabeth Wilson, Henry Jones
Directed by: Colin Higgins
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
1980

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three employees (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton) team up to exact revenge on their lying, manipulative, harassing boss (Dabney Coleman).

Review:

Tim: 9 to 5 is a film that's had a cult following for decades, and for good reason. It's a fever dream fantasy about three office workers rising up and getting revenge against their chauvinistic, horrible boss. It's a film that despite its penchant for extremes paints a vivid picture of what it meant to be a woman in business in the late 1970s / early 1980s. It offers a glimmer of hope for those millions of females in the workforce who routinely get a raw deal because of their gender. It's also an entertaining, crazy movie that is a lot of fun to watch.

This is the kind of film where the cast reigns supreme over everything else. Jane Fonda leads the cast and she's critical because she is our conduit into this world. She's newly entering the workforce and it's through her eyes that we learn about the office, the politics involved, and the memorable characters. Fonda's performance might not be great, but it's effective. You quickly grow to like her and root for her. Lily Tomlin is really strong as the street smart employee who understands the ins and outs of the office. Her performance was believable and she demonstrates this world weariness that is a nice contrast to the naive innocent of Fonda's character. The two of them work well together and their differences play off each other. Dolly Parton is a great way to round out the main cast. Parton brings this infectious energy and uses her accent to make you downplay her character. As the movie progresses, the characters (and the audience) grow increasingly impressed with this strong, intelligent, misunderstood character. These three actresses work so well together and give memorable performances. They're the chief driver of this film's success.

I also have to applaud the performance of Dabney Coleman. He's terrific in this unlikable role. I wasn't born when this film was released and it would be many years before I had a boss, but Coleman captures something authentic about the worst bosses out there. Let's be frank- there's a ton of terrible bosses in the world (that's why I have a job outside of writing about movies in my spare time). A lot of bosses are self-centered, a ton of them were chauvinistic in the 1980s (and sadly, too many are still today). The business world is filled with people in positions of power who have no business being there. Bosses who don't care about their people, don't have ideas of their own, and terrorize the lives of their employees. Coleman conveys all this with his performance, but it's never a one-dimensional, "evil" role. His character is too stupid for that. He's a wonderful foil for the three strong women and he feels like a boss all of us have had (even if we never experienced the demeaning acts the women here experience, perhaps because we're straight white men). We can all relate to bad bosses and Coleman's performance captures that.

I really enjoyed this movie, but the story might be the worst part. There's definitely terrific moments throughout the film, but the wild, twisting plot veers between believable and completely ludicrous. For its own sake, it's fortunate that it never stays to the worse extreme for too long, but this movie definitely requires us to suspend our disbelief and be somewhat forgiving. The hospital scene is a great example. It's completely absurd, but it's also hilarious and entertaining. It never feels realistic, but it makes for a fun time. We have to be okay with that. The whole kidnapping plot is hard to swallow, but it's enjoyable.

I also thought the movie did a great job of displaying what can happen when a boss gets out of the way and lets their people lead (true, in this film it was against his will). That was brilliantly depicted for a film in 1980 and it was ahead of its time. Sure, the ending is a little convenient, but most people show up to work motivated. Sometimes all it takes is for a boss to stop being demotivating, and wonderful things can happen. This movie conveyed that message long before the rest of the world recognized that.

9 to 5 might have some flaws, but it's an entertaining movie that captures the feeling of being a working woman in 1980. It offers up a fun revenge fantasy, but the social commentary piece is what sticks with me the most. The cast is strong and the movie is memorable. The film was nominated for 1 Academy Award (Parton's song, "Nine to Five"), and it's an important, influential movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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