AaronCapenBanner
Colin Higgens directed and wrote this hit comedy that stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as three office secretaries in a successful firm who must contend with their lecherous and overbearing boss Franklyn Hart(played by Dabney Coleman) who treats them like servants, and wont leave Parton alone(despite being married). The women fantasize about revenge(in a colorful series of vignettes) but unexpectedly get their chance one day, and things will never be the same again... Good cast, especially Coleman in a most memorable performance, and though it starts out well, it eventually takes a sharp-left turn into contrived absurdity, and never recovers, despite almost redeeming itself with a bright ending. Truly uneven.
thesar-2
What lawyer wouldn't have a field day if Nine to Five happened today?Nine to Five is one of my all-time favorite comedies and as a comedy, with extreme deadpan delivery from Lily Tomlin (Violet) and excellent lines and acting from first-timer-at-the-time Dolly Parton (Doralee,) it still works. Sadly, this is the Stone Age when it comes to office politics and, of course, equipment. This is not to say sexist remarks or promoting males faster than females still doesn't occur, but I cannot imagine, as a whole, it's this blatant.While that's not a flaw, it was what it was 33 years ago, the movie's only flaw that I could concede is that it went on for far too long. It didn't know where to cut or when to end. And still, even with that minor fault, it's still amusing and fun through to the end.I truly loved this movie and it begins solid with one of my all-time favorite movie songs, the same name of the film and sung by the star, Parton. Following that, I loved the fact that the three central characters, Violet, Doralee and Judy (Jane Fonda) weren't exactly friends at first, but become allies when their over-the-top "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss wrongs them. While the movie was already fun at that point – mainly thanks to, again Tomlin and Parton, this is where the sh|t gets real…funny.From merely complaining, to pot smoking their way into incredible laughs (from both them and us) of their fantasies of getting retribution, to almost and inadvertently bringing one of their ideas to life, these ladies get in deep when trying to deal with the soulless boss.While I stated the movie, sadly, is dated for 1980 or that timeframe, it's also unfortunate that the same stereotypical coworkers exist today. Maybe that's reason #38 why I like this movie so much; I can relate as I've worked in offices since March 1996 and have seen all kinds of these characters portrayed here, in the almost equally hilarious Office Space and in pretty much any Dilbert strip.Now, that said, allow me to make sure I am revealing a positive. These secondary and third-tier characters make the movie even better. They're hilarious ("Atta, Girl" said three times almost back-to-back is one of my favorite lines and so true from the office drunk) and realistic (there's ALWAYS an untrustworthy office spy/boss, kiss-up "Roz" character to deal with.) On the front end, there's also always the sarcastic and down beaten "Violet" (which is usually me,) the optimistic "Doralee" and the newbie, "Judy," who ALWAYS will soon learn the hard way. Now, though I've encountered my share of horrible bosses – as well as awesome human managers, I've never worked under the reigns of the terrible "Mr. Hart" (played deliciously by Dabney Coleman,) although I know they exist as do his superiors as portrayed in this film.I didn't work in 1980 – I was at the young age of ___ then, and my mom was still a stay-at-home mother when this was released, but I know these events in the movie happened in real life and I am glad these talented ladies could theatrically fight for women's rights. It might not have seemed like a political film, and perhaps it wasn't meant that way, but I bet this brought to light a lot of the disgusting things that occurred to the female workers of the late 1970s, early 1980s.Oh, and speaking of that era, I've read and been told countless times that "Jane Fonda was the DEVIL for her war-time actions" prior to the movie's creation. While she wasn't my favorite part or character of the movie, she was still enjoyable in her role. I do my very best to stay out of filmmakers/star's politics. If I didn't, I wouldn't have enjoyed so many Tom Cruise films – and believe me, I have more fun in his action/comedy/suspense films than most actors over the past few decades.On a personal note, it truly pains me to hear someone tell me not to watch Fonda's movies, or worse, wish her dead. Without getting into the details of what she did, or even the reasons why, I don't care one bit. "Did she entertain me when I watched this?" is the only question I should be asking myself and the answer was: yes.I digress. This movie is hilarious, real fun, adventurous and it's one I could watch countless times, like I did as a kid. Highly recommended.Side Note: That song, Parton's Nine to Five, isn't just one of my favorite movie tracks, it's one of my all-time favorite songs. And funny story: when I was a kid and I would, indeed, watch this movie over and over, or listen to that song from one of my mother's, ah-hem, record player, repeatedly, I always thought the first few lines read:Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen; Pouring myself a cup of bitchin'…I was shocked, growing up in a swear-free household, at that word! It truly intrigued me. Until, of course, I grew up, got, what we call now: digital music, clear-sounding movies and, obviously, internet, and learned the true word was: "ambition."Eh, I think both fits.
gelman@attglobal.net
Jane, Lily, Dolly and Dabney Coleman have fun in this classic comedy and so will you. It's not about unionization of the work place. That came a little later. But female office workers of a certain age will remember the humiliations inflicted on them by their male bosses and maybe the role played by female tattle tales. We watched 9 to 5 in streaming video and three of us had a good time doing so. The chase scenes with a dead body (mistaken identity) is especially hilarious. All three of the female leads are splendid. I'm not sure, however, that Dabney Coleman doesn't steal the show as their hateful boss. It was a life-saving diversion from all those election ads which we see because we're next door to a swing state. Neither of the Presidential candidates bothered campaigning in Maryland, among the bluest of the blue states. As the most recent of the GOP candidates for governor explained, they've got the organization, they've got the money, they've got the message. What they haven't got is the voters.
