There are very, very few comedies that give office workers their sweet revenge. Many people would probably bring up a film such as Office Space as being a perfect example, but before Mike Judge gave some of us a film that we could relate to, there was another film that did the same thing, and then some. The film was 9 to 5, a movie that has become a perfect example of how in the 1980’s, comedies were actually funny, though there have been a handful in the past decade that I still find hilarious. This however is one of those rare gems that 25 years later still is as relevant and important today as it was when it was released.

9 to 5 follows the working lives of three female employees working for a rather large corporate firm. Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is the newcomer to the organization, a recently divorced woman who is coming into the workplace for the first time. Overseeing her training Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) who has been struggling in the corporate world to get ahead in what is simply a man’s world. Doralee Rhoades (Dolly Parton) is something of the odd-woman out, at least at first, since the busty secretary is though to be sleeping with the boss, Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman), but the three will soon have quite a bit in common; their boss.

Franklin Hart isn’t exactly the perfect model of the ideal boss. The employees hate him for the most part, save for Roz (Elizabeth Wilson) who reports anything and everything that she hears to Hart. A faithful incident brings Doralee, Violet, and Judy together where they find that just how alike they are, and fantasize about killing off Hart. It’s all in good fun, at least until Violet accidentally puts poison in Harts coffee, something that actually had a fantasy about. They believe that he’s dead, but when he shows up very much alive and learns of the mishap . . . well, the ladies take matters into their own hands, as well as the office, and the term “keeping up appearance” has never been so funny.

In Lily Tomlin’s own words, 9 to 5 is best described as a feminist movie, but with plenty of light hearted comedy, even some black comedy at times. This also is a film that when you look at the changes in society, would never be made today (and hopefully won’t be remade either.) One of the primary reasons is that the film deals a great deal with sexual harassment and you’ll find Hart doing anything and everything he can to get just one night with Doralee. Pushing pencils off the desk so she has to pick them up (and he can look down her blouse) and having her attend non-existent conventions are just a few of tricks, but in cinema today, it would ultimately result in nothing more than a lawsuit.

Even though a great deal of the things featured in the film are very dated, the office equipment in particular, the general idea as well as the comedy still holds up very well all these years later. Much of that is due to some great screenwriting as well as the onscreen chemistry between the cast. 9 to 5 actually is the very first film that Dolly Parton ever appeared in, but she made the right move, and who would have thought that not only could the country-western singer act, she could be funny? Parton is hilarious in the film, but so are her other cast members. No one else but Dabny Coleman could pull off the role of such a demanding and sleazy boss, Jane Fonda is perfect as the somewhat innocent and naive Judy while Lily Tomlin is perfectly cast (though you’ll discover as you venture further into the extra features that she actually didn’t want to do the film.)

What else really works about this film, and one reason that I feel many people will relate quite well with it, is the environment. The ladies are taken for granted to some degree, something that anyone working in an office has felt, but there’s something more. Once Hart is temporarily removed from the setting, the three embark on making changes for the better, and it helps improve morale. Anyone and everyone who works in an office has felt this, has tried to make changes and seen nothing be done, but in 9 to 5, we have a victory for the heart and soul of the organization. For the most part, the people getting paid their nice salaries, getting plenty of extra time off, and getting every ideal perk and benefit have no idea what is going to improve morale, but those that are on the “battle field’ as it were certainly do.

9 to 5 also is one of those rare example where everything in the film is perfectly executed and things all come around full circle. By this, I mean that there really aren’t any wasted or pointless scenes, something that really has become a burden on many films of recent years. You’re never really left questioning anything. For example, after the girls have gotten Hart back home and decide they need to find a way to keep him there, the fact that there is a garage door opener now installed in the bedroom as a security precaution isn’t something that is ever really pondered simply because we already know that Violet can install one, not to mention the fact that she really does have to go on record as being a cool mom. How many of them would be okay with their teenage son offering to roll them a joint and leave it in their purse? The set up and delivery of the comedy is perfect as well, and probably one of the most famous sequences in the film has to be the fantasies about what each woman would do to Hart to get even, the Snow White one being probably the best. You just don’t’ find film making nor comedies of this caliber these days, and that’s in part due to the wonderful writing of the late Colin Higgins, a fantastic writer and director who honestly was taken away from the industry far too soon.

What would a comedy like this be without special features? Absolutely nothing and 9 to 5 offers fans, and those just discovering the movie for the first time, a vast number of bonus features that really add to the release. The entire film has commentary featuring Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and producer Bruce Gilbert, though the ladies really take center stage here. The original theatrical trailer for 9 to 5 is included, and what I love about it is that you don’t get the laughs from the film delivered here, leaving them for the film itself. This is something else I have often felt really takes away from comedies, and there have been many films that seemed as though they were going to be hilarious, but the truth is that the comedy was given in the 30 second previews.

There are a number of deleted scenes, and while I have seen some moments that ended up on the cutting room floor that really should have been included, this isn’t the case. Removing the scenes found here really is what helped to give 9 to 5 such a solid flow. Working on a film also isn’t without some onset comedy, and there is a gag reel included that highlights some of the mishaps and forgotten lines that any movie can experience. One of the best features has the cast members today talking about their work on the film then, and it’s great to see that every important cast member participated in this. Also, I want to point out that Dolly Parton actually turned 60 this year, and as you’ll see in this feature, she looks absolutely incredible for her age, and in fact, she may look better now than she has before. The DVD also has a segment filled with memories of Colin Higgins and is completed with 9 to 5 karaoke. Come on, anyone who remembers the film when it was released knows that Dolly Parton’s theme song became something of an anthem at the time.

9 to 5 isn’t just as relevant today as it was back in 1980, it’s still just as funny, and it’s the type of film that can’t be replicated without losing a little of the magic. Fox apparently found this out when they tried not once, but twice to turn the hit film into a television series, but it just didn’t strike the same chord with those that loved the movie. For anyone who has felt underappreciated at work, for those that have wanted to change their work environment, or if you’re simply one that has a nagging fantasy about how you would do in your boss, 9 to 5 is the perfect comedy that lets you vicariously live out those dreams and have some laughs along the way.
 

-mike-
 

Directed by: Colin Higgins   Written By: Patricia Resnick & Colin Higgins   Cast: Jane Fonda Lily Tomlin Dolly Parton Dabney Coleman Sterling Hayden Elizabeth Wilson Henry Jones Lawrence Pressman Marian Mercer Ren Woods

DVD Features: Available Languages: English, French & Spanish English & Spanish Subtitles Commentary w/ Bruce Gilbert, Doly Parton, Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Nine @ 25 Overview Deleted Scenes Remembering Colin HIggins Gag Reel Singing Nine to Five Karaoke Original Theatrical Trailer