9 to 5They say, "when the cat's away, the mouse will play"; or should that be "the 'wouse' will play"? For those scratching their heads, the joke refers to a moment in 9 to 5 when our three heroines--Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), and Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton)--commiserate over the multitudinous shortcomings and detestable characteristics of their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss, Franklin M. Hart, Jr. (Dabney Coleman), fantasizing about how they would "off" him given the chance, fantasies emergent over a marijuana joint. But their dreams quickly come a little too close for comfort to reality.
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9 to 5 is an uproarious comedy about office drama, gossip in the restroom, equipment gaffes, and most of all, the inequity of the proverbial "glass ceiling". There are no illusions that Frank holds his position by virtue of his gender, surrounding himself with competent secretaries who not only do his work for him, but whom he also coerces to run personal errands on his behalf, browbeating new hires like Judy, extolling their efforts as his own like Violet, and even sexually harassing Doralee. In short, Frank Hart represents the worst kind of boss; so when the eventual revolution blows through the office of Consolidated Companies, it may be silent but long overdue. New to the workforce, Judy's experiences should be familiar to anyone recalling their first day at any new, demanding job, including the infamous Xerox room moment, where vast runs of multicolored paper spew forth from the machine as big as twelve vending machines (welcome back to 1980). Violet shows Judy the ropes--the real leader at Consolidated from behind the scenes--but must still grin and bear it when Hart barks at her to fetch him a cup of coffee with his favorite sweetener, "Skinny & Sweet", while she has been vying for a well-deserved promotion. It is when Violet discovers that she was passed up for the promotion because, as Hart claims, clients prefer to deal with a man, she lets slip the rumor spread (by none other than Hart) that Doralee is having an affair with Hart. It is here that the women begin their bond over a mutual desire to see Hart get his well-deserved comeuppance, each fantasy a vignette both colorful and absurd, including cartoon animals, lassos, and even an office lynching by torchlight, with Violet's fantasy including poisoning Hart. One day, pushed too far, Violet--quite accidentally--slips rat poison into Hart's coffee. (You can't really blame her; it looks just like Skinny & Sweet...except for the little skull-and-crossbones on the label.)
With Violet convinced she killed the boss--and not in that fun, imaginary way--she flips out and ropes Judy and Doralee into aiding her in abducting a body she believes to belong to Hart, lest she get her Consolidated severance package in handcuffs. As the three are packed into the bucket seats of Violet's sedan, they experience their first real taste of team-based crisis management, a skill that will serve them well later, when they discover that Hart is not only fine and walking around, but following a report from their presumed secret discussion in the ladies' room by Hart's resident sneak, Roz (Elizabeth Wilson), that he plans to extort recompense from them for their alleged murder attempt. And it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from here to coming back to that fantasy of Doralee hogtying Frank and Judy firing off a few bullets at the boss man. The three women, now firmly entrenched in the mess of kidnapping their boss, decide to fight fire with fire when they discover that Frank has been embezzling from Consolidated, using Ajax Warehouse as a front, and keep him prisoner why they compile evidence. But it's not enough that Frank's downfall comes in the form of litigious ammo; in order to prevent him from escaping or harming them, they devise an elaborate prisoner's outfit, which ironically serves to humiliate Hart in a fashion spiritually similar to how he had humiliated women like them before. And with the "cat" away for almost two months, the women decide to inject life back into their office, running the company far better by proxy than Frank ever could, adding the metaphorical "heart" back into the office while the real Hart is ever absent. 9 to 5 is a jovial and sincere comedy, addressing gender inequality in the workplace without ever coming across as preachy, but also not losing sight of the message. Hart's penchant for stealing other's work is ironically turned against him, when his lauded programs instituted in his name result in him being drafted under the chairman of the board, Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), for a special assignment in Brazil, where his inevitable fate at the hands of a tribe of Amazons proves to be the icing on the cake for his just desserts.
Recommended for: Fans of a witty and exceptionally quotable comedy that captures the magic of both office drama and sexism and stays consistently funny. Dolly Parton also wrote the toe-tapping theme song.
With Violet convinced she killed the boss--and not in that fun, imaginary way--she flips out and ropes Judy and Doralee into aiding her in abducting a body she believes to belong to Hart, lest she get her Consolidated severance package in handcuffs. As the three are packed into the bucket seats of Violet's sedan, they experience their first real taste of team-based crisis management, a skill that will serve them well later, when they discover that Hart is not only fine and walking around, but following a report from their presumed secret discussion in the ladies' room by Hart's resident sneak, Roz (Elizabeth Wilson), that he plans to extort recompense from them for their alleged murder attempt. And it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from here to coming back to that fantasy of Doralee hogtying Frank and Judy firing off a few bullets at the boss man. The three women, now firmly entrenched in the mess of kidnapping their boss, decide to fight fire with fire when they discover that Frank has been embezzling from Consolidated, using Ajax Warehouse as a front, and keep him prisoner why they compile evidence. But it's not enough that Frank's downfall comes in the form of litigious ammo; in order to prevent him from escaping or harming them, they devise an elaborate prisoner's outfit, which ironically serves to humiliate Hart in a fashion spiritually similar to how he had humiliated women like them before. And with the "cat" away for almost two months, the women decide to inject life back into their office, running the company far better by proxy than Frank ever could, adding the metaphorical "heart" back into the office while the real Hart is ever absent. 9 to 5 is a jovial and sincere comedy, addressing gender inequality in the workplace without ever coming across as preachy, but also not losing sight of the message. Hart's penchant for stealing other's work is ironically turned against him, when his lauded programs instituted in his name result in him being drafted under the chairman of the board, Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), for a special assignment in Brazil, where his inevitable fate at the hands of a tribe of Amazons proves to be the icing on the cake for his just desserts.
Recommended for: Fans of a witty and exceptionally quotable comedy that captures the magic of both office drama and sexism and stays consistently funny. Dolly Parton also wrote the toe-tapping theme song.