9 to 5

Review By: Aaron Cutler
AaronCutler@TheCinemaSource.com

9 to 5 is a very funny film, made with energy, heart and good cheer, and a new Special Edition DVD (that’s not the real title, which shall be revealed later) works to make sure that this minor gem from 1980 is not forgotten.

The story is a workplace comedy, its focus is three frazzled secretaries – Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), the wide-eyed newbie who has never worked before, Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), the cynical old saw, and Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), the blonde bundle of sweetness who everyone assumes is sleeping with the boss. That boss is Mr. Hart (Dabney Coleman), a nasty chauvinist with a penchant for staring at Doralee’s chest. The three women get together one evening, eat barbecue, get high and fantasize about how they would most like to get back at the beast (the most memorable is Violet’s, with Disney creatures and Snow White-turned-quiet-psycho). This leads to hijinks involving rat poison, missing corpses and S & M jokes, and if you think that that’s crazy, wait’ll you see the workout clothes.

Underneath the madness, however, 9 to 5 carries a serious message about the need for equality in the modern workplace; at one point Violet tells the other women that they are trapped inside a “pink-collared ghetto,” underlining the film’s points about how men in the workplace humiliate women and keep them from moving forward while using buzzwords like “teamwork.” Violet trained Hart before he was promoted, and the last straw breaks when he promotes an unqualified male colleague over her because of a college degree – which Violet could not get because she was raising four children. Indeed, the film calls out for corporations to add a human face, which is here equated with a female face, as the idealized fantasy of the women taking over leads to helpful initiatives like job sharing, flexible office hours and the installation of a daycare center. While employee relations have certainly improved since the time of the film’s making, working American women still receive lower salaries and fewer benefits, on average, than men in equal positions. While certain elements of the film have dated (for God’s sake, the characters use typewriters), 9 to 5’s message of empowerment is still relevant.

Although the chemistry between them is undeniable, the film’s three stars achieve varying levels of success with Colin Higgins’ witty and intelligent screenplay. Tomlin is the strongest link, a natural comedienne who gets off many of the film’s best lines. Fonda, also known for socially progressive dramas like Coming Home, captures Judy’s earnestness but sometimes seems ill at ease with the physical comedy.