9 to 5 (1980) User Reviews (139)

How to deal with a 'sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot' boss in '80s America!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 24 January 2019]

It is Judy Bernly's first day at work and she is being shown around by Violet Newstead. She introduced to new workmates and boss Franklin Hart, Jr. It soon becomes clear that Hart is a 'sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot'... he gives a man a promotion over Violet despite her greater experience and lets the office know he is having an affair with his secretary, Doralee Rhodes despite the fact that she has rebuffed all his advances. It all comes to a head one day and Judy, Violet and Doralee end up talking about how they would like to kill him... then, following an accident, it looks as if one of them has really killed him... their lives are about to get complicated.

This office based comedy really stands the test of time; the technology and big hair may have long gone but the basic story still feels fresh and is certainly still funny. That are plenty of laughs throughout the film although most come after the women start talking about killing Hart and then deal with the consequences when they fear one of them has accidentally poisoned him. The fantasy sequences may be a little cheesy, one even feature Disney style cartoon animals, but I found them rather funny. The three female leads; Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are great as Judy, Violet and Doralee; three distinct characters whose developing friendship feels real. Dabney Coleman is equally great as Hart; he makes the character easy to dislike while still keeping him very funny. The film has a clear message about how women are treated in the workplace; this might not be subtle but it never felt like a lecture. There isn't much to offend in the film; just some comical sex references... I can only imagine the UK '15' certificate is because the three protagonists enjoy a joint together and are shown to have a good time rather than any negative effects. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody wanting a good laugh who enjoys '80s films, especially ones with strong female leads.

Cheesy 80s fun!

[misslv80 · 8/10 · 18 August 2004]

"Nine To Five" is one of those classic 80s comedies which was what made the decade so fun as far as movies go. Jane Fonda plays Judy, a recently divorced housewife who lands a secretarial job at a corporate office. Lily Tomlin is Violet, the beleagured supervisor at the office who shows Judy the ropes on her disasterous first day. Dolly Parton is Doralee, a secretary whom everyone at the office thinks is using her - ahem - "assets" to get ahead by sleeping with the boss.

Soon these three become best friends and team up after they've gotten fed up with their chauvinistic and smarmy boss Mr. Hart, played to the hilt by Dabney Coleman. Sure, it does delve into zany corniness, such as the scene where they all get high on pot and share their fantasies about how each of them would like to knock off the boss (the funniest is Violet's "Snow White" coffee one, which uses cartoon animation and live action) or the scene where Violet thinks she accidentally poisoned Mr. Hart's coffee with rat poison and tries to steal his supposed dead corpse out of the hospital! This is the kind of movie where you check your brain at the door and take it for what it is.

There are some great one-liners like the one where Fonda tells her ex-husband, who thinks she's having a kinky S&M affair with Mr. Hart, something along the lines of, "If I want to do M&M's, that's fine with me!" The office they work in is reminiscent of the one in "The Apartment". Three very clever characters, great comedic acting from Parton as Doralee and Tomlin as Violet. Jane Fonda, who I never cared much for, was good as the naive Judy. Sterling Hayden has a great cameo at the end as the "Chairman of the Board". A funny revenge comedy about Every Office, U.S.A.. You gotta love the theme song, too. Most recommended!

as delightful and jolly as one can get in a comedy that has something to say but consciously eschews any trace of indoctrination

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 1 August 2018]

Three female company employees wage war against their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss in this prototype 80s sisterhood comedy, 9 TO 5 is the late Colin Higgins' second feature film and flexes the muscle of female star power which not only brings down the house, but also sets alight its box office, the runner-up top-grosser of its year, second only to STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

The Fonda-Tomlin-Parton trinity embodies three different types of career women, Fonda's Judy is a housewife grossly jilted by her ex-husband for his secretary, so she is the greenhorn in the workplace, prissy but not without wits and guts, her frilly entrance is remarkably incongruous with the rest, although her clash with the boss Frank (Coleman) is most tangential among the three, her personal victory climaxed when she blurts out to her feckless ex-husband that being dumped by him is the best thing ever happened to her.

Tomlin's Violet is a widow with a brood of four, the assertive senior office supervisor who has plodded for years in the company, yet the promotion she deserves proves to be unattainable because of Frank's sexism, and aggravated by being ordered about like a servant by him, she has every reason to get back at him; Parton's Doralee (her maiden picture, who also pens and belts out the Oscar-nominated title song), a corn-fed, bosomy secretary repulses the derogated stereotype as a boss-hunting schemer, who is indeed happily married and only humors Frank's advancement for the sake of the job, but in the face of Frank blabbering blackmail, she is the one who is not hesitant to pinion him like a steer.

Truly, the triad enjoys a real blast together, initiated by a joint-influenced brainstorm about how each envisions a scenario to vent their grievance on Frank - here Higgins makes a good fist of genre conventions, whether it is a black-white mob thriller, a lasso-tossing oater or a Snow White animation with a dark spin, all are given a reality simulacrum later in the plot - and hits the mark during their hilarious blunder with the wrong body, although the resultant kidnapping idea is less wholly engaging for its yawning implausibility, not least when the deus ex machina comes about in the form of Sterling Hayden's chairman of the board, publicly asks equal pay to be eliminated from the reform program, which is actually conceived by the triad and executed by forging Hank's signature.

Nonetheless, 9 TO 5 is as delightful and jolly as one can get in a comedy that has something to say but consciously eschews any trace of indoctrination, all three leading ladies are having a field day, but for my liking Tomlin is the one gets an upper hand for her steely nerve and comedic timing; as the antagonist, a versatile Coleman eloquently exhibits shameless wickedness to the hilt, and lastly, Elizabeth Wilson has her own moment as a brilliant tittle-tattler, who perfectly encapsulates the entire farce with a precisely uttered "Holy merde!" to bring down the curtain in the coda.

Fully of classic one line quotes you'll be laughing for ages.

[mat-tuck · 23 May 2004]

This has to be a true classic movie for anybody. Parton, Fonda, Tomlin play the three main characters set in a big business office block, "Consolidated". Dolly Parton is excellent, portraying the country girl, Jane Fonda as the divorced housewife's first job role, and Lily Tomlin as the bosses stepping stone. The film is full of one line crack jokes which can be missed on the first time you watch it. Do watch the movie a few times, and soon you'll pick up on how funny the lines are "Violet, did you get my Memo?", "I did Roz, I tore right through it".

Later in the film the plot is well underway and animation is combined successfully with Tomlin's scene of a Snow White type character!

I loved this film, and my laserdisc copy is always on the top of the pile. A good all rounder to be watched over and over, and I sometimes find myself using those punch lines.

Dolly Parton provides the "9 to 5" opening music, which sets the movie off to a good pace.

The boss is gonna get his

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 6 November 2021]

I'll take the blame for this: not only am I forty years late to the party, but I'd also underestimated the star power of Dolly Parton; a natural performer who's integral to the success of this movie. On its own, 9 to 5 is a decent comedy, led by the more-than-capable Lily Tomlin, but Parton infuses her scenes with a bubbly independence that really helps sell the feminist message. Dabney Coleman is the consummate company sleaze, the tinpot schemer helming this faceless conglomerate; ideal for the target of such a workplace revenge fantasy.

In less capable hands, this may have fallen flat. But I enjoyed myself and have a newfound (overdye) reverence for The Queen of Nashville.

Very Enjoyable

[liammurphy1 · 7/10 · 10 October 2004]

I know it's a 'chick-flick' but I can't help but like this 1980 Comedy about 3 women played by Jane Fonda,Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton (who also sang the titlesong) who work as secretary's for a mean,horrible,sexist pig (a tailor made role for Dabney Coleman) who decide enough is enough and so plan their revenge.

I've heard of this movie for quite sometime, but didn't watch it because I didn't think it was my cup of tea, How wrong I was, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish

The movie is quite dated (all the ladies use typewriters-which have since been turned into antiques by the onset of Computers.

It's well Directed by Colin Higgins who had previously Written and Directed the equally enjoyable Chevy Chase-Goldie Hawn Crime Comedy 'Foul Play'.

Followed By not one but TWO TV series based on the film 1982-1983 and 1986-1988 without the Stars and probably suffers as a result

all in all a very enjoyable 1980's Comedy that was a major hit on it's original release 24 years ago.

My Rating ***1/2 out of ***** or 7/10

Three secretaries' fun revenge on their chauvinistic boss

[roghache · 6/10 · 17 March 2006]

This is a cute, fun movie where three very different secretaries extract, most humorously, a gruesome revenge on the inconsiderate, chauvinistic boss who treats them abysmally. Nothing serious, just laughs, other than a (humorous) memorial to women's struggles in the workplace.

The three secretaries are quite diverse, but share a common desire to give that sexist, egotistical boss, Frank Hart, his comeuppance. Jane Fonda convincingly plays Judy, a recently divorced housewife, who is just now timidly venturing forth into the corporate world. Lily Tomlin shines as Violet (not shrinking), the smart but put upon, unappreciated supervisor who shows Judy the ropes, and Dolly Parton (my perennial favorite) is the sweet, well endowed Southern gal, Doralee, who is assumed by many to be sleeping her way to the top.

The plot moves along ridiculously from one set of crazy antics to the next, both fantasies and actual revenge tactics. My favorite scene is the one where the intimidated Judy must do battle with the photocopy machine, which of course has a mind of its own. I totally identified, being quite nontechnically minded myself. Of course it's also pretty funny when Violet thinks she's inadvertently murdered Hart by poisoning his coffee with rat poison. I seem to recall that at one point the ladies have Hart all trussed up.

It's not memorable or rocket science but kinda fun. As one reviewer noted, check your brain at the door. The lasting legacy of the film is, however, Dolly's cute and catchy tune of the same name.

Perfect Performances all the way around!!!!!!!

[peachesrox · 9/10 · 23 July 2001]

From the sparkling acting debut of Dolly Parton to the comic genius of Dabney Coleman 9 to 5 is one of the best acted comedies of the 1980s. Jane Fonda and the brilliant Lilly Tomlin round out the lead cast with hilarious performances in this screwball revenge comedies that was one of the first films to champion "girl power". Even the smaller characters like Marien Mercer (as Missy Hart)and Elizabeth Wilson (as office snitch/bitch Roz)get in good one liners and laughs. Rent this movie. No wait - BUY this movie. You can watch it again and again.

Nine to Five

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 7 June 2023]

I can't help but think that if some of the folks churning out the bad-ass "girl power" nonsense of the naughties were to look back at films like this; they might see a clear demonstration of what real girl power actually is... Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are three working women at various stages of the corporate food chain - presided over by their womanising , parasitic boss Dabney Coleman. Initially suspicious of each other, they unite over some of Tomlin's teenage son's weed and decide to take matters into their own hands. What follows is at times a laugh-out-loud comedy as they manipulate and reek revenge on their hapless, helpless boss. It could never be called subtle, but it does illustrate clearly that wits and guile are more than enough to achieve their aims without the need for long fight scenes; flashing their flesh and/or continuous bad language. The title song isn't bad, ether...

Hilarious Comedy Stands The Test Of Time

[ecatalan98 · 9/10 · 8 January 2006]

I never saw 9 TO 5 when it played in the theaters but saw it soon after on video. I was like 14 years old back then and I remember enjoying the film very much, even if I didn't get all the misogynistic humor and women's lib stuff. Fast forward to 2006 and I decided to buy 9 TO 5 on DVD and see the fun again. After all, I haven't seen this one on TV in a LONG time and my local BLOCKBUSTER is sorely lacking a "classics" catalog. I knew in my mind that some of the movies you hold so dearly when you're a kid simply don't "cut it" when you see them all grown up. I am very pleased to say that 9 TO 5 has stood the test of time quite well and its "it's a corporate world" underpinnings couldn't be more appropriate now a days. The movie was cleverly written and directed and the humor develops naturally without looking forced or too acted out. It's the story of recently divorced Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda). Her ex husband ran away with his secretary and now Judy, ironically, finds a job being one. The company is called Consolidated Companies, which by the way, we never really know what they do or what they sell. We only know that it is a big company and that each floor of the high building is a "division". Frank Hart (played wonderfully by Dabney Coleman) is the villainous boss and head of the division. He is, as his right hand aide might put it, an "egotistical bigot". Hart's overwhelming tyranny makes his aide, Violet, to snap and with her go Judy and Dorlee (Dolly Parton), his voluptuous personal secretary. The trio spend the afternoon together drinking and smoking pot and jokingly thinking how each of them would "kill" their boss if they had the chance. The movie visualizes each of the secretary's outlandish fantasies and this part of the movie is one of the most entertaining and hilarious. Next day it's back to the real world and back to the daily grind. From here on each of the secretaries' fantasies take real form in some way or another making the movie even more fun. You'll have to see the rest to know what I mean. Despite being a 25 year old movie, 9 TO 5 stands the test of time perfectly, with only some of the cars and some of the clothing fashion looking a bit dated. It is a very well made, fast paced comedy that never bores. My wife loved it and she had never seen it before (she was barely a year when this came out!). 9* out of 10!!!

The office ladies tangle with and hog-tie an ogre

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 11 May 2021]

"9 to 5" is a very funny movie. This is not a comedy of clever and funny dialog. And, it's only somewhat situational. But it's from the situations that it turns into one very hilarious romp. Three ladies at Consolidated have had their fill of their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot of a boss. He may think he's hot stuff, but he's no match for Violet, Doralee and Judy.

Of course, for the comedy to work in their getting even with Franklin Hart, he has to be a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot of a boss that no one in the audience could like but would like to see the girls, er, ladies get even with. And Dabney Coleman is such a boss. He plays the part perfectly. And so do Lily Tomlin, dolly Parton and Jane Fonda play theirs superbly.

This is just a fun movie to watch. Even during the obvious moves by Hart early in the film, because one knows that he will one day get his. One of the aspects that makes this film work well, is that the ladies have fun when they coop up Hart and run the business on his floor in his absence. Rather than their gloating over his captivity, they are still humane and very human and enjoying every minute of their great coup.

The ending is very good. One might have suspected that all the changes the ladies put in place might come back to Hart's credit, but then when the chairman of the board gets in the act, the ladies - and everyone else gets their reward. The funny credits at the end are a fitting close to this entertaining flick.

One of the Best Comedies Ever

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 6 March 2018]

On the first day of the secretary Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) at the Consolidated Companies, the senior office supervisor Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) is in charge to introduce her to the coworkers. Judy was a housewife that has never worked but after her recent divorce, she is forced to find a job. Violet explains that their boss Franklin Hart Jr. (Dabney Coleman) is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot and his secretary Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) is his mistress. When Violet develops a method to increase the profit of the company, the opportunist Franklin backstabs Violet and presents the wok as if he had made it. Later the chauvinist Franklin does not promote Violet. He also spreads rumors about Doralee and mistreats Judy. When Violet accidentally put rat poison in Franklin´s coffee, he has an accident with his chair, hits his head on the floor, loses consciousness and drops his coffee on the floor. He goes to the hospital and Violet and her friends believe he had died. When Franklin returns to the office, his snitch learns what happened and he blackmails the secretaries that kidnap him. Now Violet administrates the office with Judy and Doralee and they discover that Franklin is stealing Consolidated Companies. How can they prove?

"Nine to Five" is one of the best comedies ever. The timeless story is still very funny thirty-eight years after the release in 1980. Lily Tomlin is one of the best comedians of Hollywood and she shines in this comedy. Jane Fonda is also very funny in the role of an uptight woman recently divorced. The country singer Dolly Parton is the great surprise with a good performance. Dabney Coleman is also great in the role of the chauvinist Franklin Hart Jr. The fantasies of the women of how they would like to kill their boss is one of the greatest moment of this film. The conclusion with Franklin sent of the jungle in Amazon is delightful. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Como Eliminar Seu Chefe" ("How to Get Rid of Your Boss")

nice fun likable group

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 23 October 2015]

Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is new to the clerical pool. Her husband left her for his secretary. Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) is the veteran tired of getting passed over. Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) is the secretary to sexist boss Franklin M. Hart Jr. (Dabney Coleman). She is ostracized for a false rumor of having an affair with the boss. The three women become friends after a constant series of injustices by Franklin. Some misunderstandings lead the girls to believe that Violet accidentally poisoned Franklin. Franklin finds out and tries to blackmail Doralee. That is when Doralee takes him prisoner.

This is not as funny as one may expect. At least, there are no big laughs. This has a black comedy edge to it. It is likable enough. The three women have great chemistry. And Dolly Parton has that iconic song. Coleman is a great chauvinist.

Strong Start Then Waned

[view_and_review · 5/10 · 29 November 2019]

This movie had a strong start then waned.

I thought it was going to be a clever movie of how three oppressed and mistreated working women were going to flip the script on their chauvinistic and bigoted boss. Well, that kinda happened but it wasn't clever at all, it was just a series of sloppy events that fell in their favor. It went steadily downhill from the marijuana trip onwards.

Lily Tomlin was good, she's a pro. Jane Fonda looked out of place and Dolly Parton was pretty weak, though I give her a lot of credit for the theme song--it's top 20 in my book for movie theme songs. I wanted to like the movie, I really did, and it wasn't all bad. But when's the last time you complimented someone by saying, "You're not all bad." Like saying someone is not ugly, it's not the same as saying they're pretty.

Hilarious Office Angst.

[tfrizzell · 6 July 2002]

Three miserable women (Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda) take it upon themselves to get back at their evil boss (Dabney Coleman) in this hilarious little film. Rat poison, crazy dream sequences and S&M-styled equipment are the main calling cards in this amazingly creative little comedy. Parton's title song is also strong and it received an Oscar nod in 1980. Impressive comedic fare. 4 stars out of 5.

Occasionally perceptive office comedy eventually becomes arms-flailing cartoon

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 28 September 2005]

It had to happen: for two-thirds of its length, "Nine to Five" is a sharp, satirical, recognizable put-down of work-a-day life "at the office", but in its later stages it becomes a silly revenge comedy, and then a message piece. The messagey last act is the real bummer, with three secretaries taking over their work-place and transforming it into a politically correct nightmare. Jane Fonda is Judy, a just-divorced woman new to office work, and her starchy appearance and nervous manner aren't really all that funny (she's immediately cold to secretary Dolly Parton on the basis of office gossip alone); her character's big flub in the copy room is an example of director Colin Higgins' use of silliness--and it's not even to make a point (the Xerox machine goes cartoonishly haywire and Judy just looks like a jinx). Lily Tomlin is much better as Violet, a 12-year team player who keeps getting passed over for promotions--but why she would even want to be promoted into a den of thieves and liars is never really made clear. Dolly Parton is dazed but not frazzled--she's just pleasantly zonked as Doralee, whom everyone thinks is sleeping with the boss (Dabney Coleman--who only shines in the fantasy sequences; his Mr. Hart is a tiresome tyrant who, of course, is not just a show-off and a cheat but an embezzler as well!). Terrible-looking movie with an excruciating background score manages to get laughs with some canny writing (in the first hour or so) and because of Tomlin's dead-on impersonation of a working widow with kids who just wants her dignity. But the plot-twists in the second-half take the picture off-track, leading to a storybook ending that is commercially driven--and not even in keeping with the cynical, satirical tone of the early part of the film. **1/2 from ****

The theme song is more memorable and legendary than the movie itself.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 18 July 2006]

This is a fairly amusing comedy that has some good strong female characters in it and also makes a good social statement. However as a comedy it falls flat at times, since it heavily relies on just the three main characters, played by Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda.

The movie begins good and sort of satirical, about the male domination at the office. The boss of the office floor is portrayed as a 'sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot'. It's of course overdone but the movie makes a good statement. Therefor the movie works well as a social satire about the male supremacy- and the office work in general. The women are portrayed as strong individual personalities. However as the movie progresses the story becomes more and more silly and unlikely. The movie therefor then looses some of its power.

The three main characters are good and strong, mainly because they are being played by excellent actresses, that seem to know how to handle the comedy genre. The movie however very much relies on this three main characters with as a result that the movie looses its focus on the story at times. The story at times becomes muddled in and the filmmakers seemed to prefer to show the three women their antics instead. Some of the moments are funny but at the same time also far fetched, which makes this movie a rather simple comedy. Sure, it's good fun to watch but it also makes this movie quite a forgettable one. It's just not a movie that I want to re-watch again, any time soon.

Even though this is an 1980 movie, it still has a typical '70's feeling all over it, which means that it's also quite outdated to watch this days. Even though the male supremacy in the business life is still a relevant and much alive subject of course, even now, more than 25 years later.

Amusing relevant comedy but it doesn't leave a lasting impression, due to its flawed focus and storytelling.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Dated, but fun

[steiner-sam · 7/10 · 3 June 2021]

The film is focused on the conflict between female office workers and a hyper-sexist boss.

Judy (Jane Fonda) gets a secretarial job after her husband left her for his secretary. Violet (Lily Tomlin) is the office manager who trains Judy and actually runs the division. Doralee (Dolly Parton) is the personal secretary of Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman), the sexist vice-president who steals Violet's ideas, spreads the rumor that he's sleeping with Doralee, treats staff arbitrarily, embezzles from the company, and constantly refers to his staff as "girls."

There is a lot of broad comedy in the film (a runaway Xerox machine, a trick chair in Franklin Hart's office, mistaking rat poison for coffee whitener, stealing the wrong corpse from a hospital, kidnapping Franklin Hart in his own house, etc.)

It's dated but fun, something you might watch again on TV if it's on. Jane Fonda in a comedic role is somewhat unusual, particularly playing a helpless, always-wanting-to-be-proper secretary against the more explicitly feminist Lily Tomlin. Dolly Parton pretty much plays Dolly Parton.

"Poured Myself A Cup Of Ambition"

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 3 May 2010]

While watching Nine To Five, I couldn't help but think about the Billy Wilder classic film, The Apartment. Part of the plot of that film was Fred MacMurray, a more polished version of Dabney Coleman from this film who also used his office and position of authority to behave like a real pig. I thought about poor Shirley MacLaine who tried to commit suicide and eventually found love with Jack Lemmon, but both faced an uncertain future albeit with each other.

Shirley and the other of MacMurray's victims should have seen this film and taken a lesson from Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton who start as strangers and end up as allies and who find a way to get even with Dabney Coleman for using and abusing his employees.

All three women are different, different in real life and playing different types of characters in the film and at the beginning not really liking each other because they don't know each other. Tomlin is the efficient office manger who makes Coleman look good because he takes credit for her work. Fonda is a new employee who had to go back to work because her husband left her. And the beautiful and curvaceous Parton is Coleman's secretary who Coleman is trying to jump her form and the folks in the office think he already has.

But eventually these women make common cause and what they do to Coleman is an inspiration to working women everywhere.

As good as these women are the film would go nowhere without Dabney Coleman who makes a specialty of playing men you love to hate whether in comedy or drama. He's as big a sexist pig as MacMurray and a whole lot funnier.

The supporting cast has some real interesting roles as well. Elizabeth Wilson plays the office snitch and anyone who has ever worked in an office you can count yourself lucky if there are only one of those in your place of work. And they don't have to necessarily be women. I also liked Marian Mercer as Coleman's completely clueless wife. And movie veteran Sterling Hayden comes on in the end as the chairman of the board of the company who in his own earnest, but clueless way settles all their problems.

To Dolly, Jane, and Lily who took action for put upon employees everywhere, we did love you in this film.

Gets The Job Done

[the50xbomb · 7/10 · 5 August 2022]

A good example of how execution can sometimes be more important to a comedy film than the writing. To be frank, the writing and story are generally decent with the first quarter of the film easily being its weakest. But when it allows the main cast to start playing off one another, and the movie gets goofier in tone and more energetic, then it shines. There's a great synergy between the characters that the actors bring, a less talented cast would probably find the actors trying to steal the spotlight and deliver the jokes in an overbearing fashion. But Tomlin, Fonda, and Parton really have the feel of their parts down thus making the ensemble very watchable and even relatable sometimes. Colin Higgins got extremely lucky with this cast seeing as he's not the most inventive director when it comes to pacing and presenting a comedy, it could have easily fallen flat and been dull.

gruesome but cute

[ripleys1 · 10/10 · 22 February 2004]

I first saw this movie on HBO around 1981. Now, as I re-watch it again for the 20th time, it still has me laughing at all the hysterical lines, "....change you from a rooster to a hen....", "....gruesome but cute....", "It looks just like Skinny & Sweet....I might as well save them the trouble and give them the rat poison....", and all the rest of this wildly funny movie.

This movie is timeless. Including all the actors who are the perfect choice for this movie.

This comedy is a definite 10 out of 10!!!!

Sugary, lovable boss is unfairly attacked by 3 vindictive, murderous bitches

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 4 August 2001]

Comedies usually appeal to me about as much as falling into a snake pit. This one, however, was a little jewel. For my money, the boss made the movie....what a crud! While Dolly wasn't as polished as the other players, all did a commendable job. Just too funny!!

Mowie Wowie

[subjectivecuriosities · 9/10 · 8 February 2021]

Put down Karl Marx's Das Kapital & pick up this rated PG movie about women getting high & taking patriarchal capitalism hostage. The film starts off with Dolly Parton's super hit '9 to 5' Before introducing the main characters. Judy (Jane Fonda), Violet (Lily Tomlin), and Doralee (Dolly Parton in her acting debut) all work for the "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" Boss Mr. Hart (Dabney Coleman). This is perfect casting. By far my favorite part of the film is after toking on some 'mowie wowie' at Doralee's house each of the women share their fantasies of executing their boss. Judy goes first, imagining herself (in black & white) hunting Mr. Hart in his office while a mob of coworkers searches for him outside. She shoots him & puts his head on the wall like a big game trophy. Next Doralee imagines a western aesthetic where she subjects the boss to the same type of humiliations she endured. He flees the office & she hog ties him, to no ones objection, & leaves him spit roasting over a fire pit. The best is saved for last, Violet imagines everything like a disney film, where there is a mix of live action & animation. With the help of cartoon animals she puts poison in the boss' coffee. After Mr. Hart drinks the coffee steam comes out of his ears & his head spins around. Then with further help from her cartoon friends Violet pulls a lever sending Mr. hart out the skyscraper window. Her coworkers shown working chained in the lower level of a castle are given their freedom & rejoice while all 3 women smile & wave dressed like princesses. The women don't kill their boss but after a series of mistakes they have no choice but to kidnap Mr. Hart & run the office themselves. As an added bonus Ronald Reagan was fussy enough about the weed smoking scene to write in his diary on February 14th 1981 "...they had to get stoned on pot. It was an endorsement of Pot smoking for any young person who sees the picture." I love this film so much I included it on the Subjective Curiosities Podcast.

Fun but fluffy

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 24 January 2011]

Although this movie (or maybe just the title song) seemed ubiquitous in the early 80s when I was a young kid, you don't really hear people talk about it anymore and somehow I managed to never see it until now. I guess it's a "zeitgeist" film (did I get that right?), a film about a social movement that might not seem as urgent today. In 1980 this was an edgy movie, but today most the material would be tame for TV.

However, it still has some weird laughs... I enjoyed some of the dream sequences, especially Dolly Parton with the lasso capturing Dabney Coleman the "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss. My wife and I both thought that Coleman and Parton were the most fun to watch in the movie. Fonda was trapped in this ridiculous character, a 1950s housewife stereotype brought into the modern era, and she never finds her footing or does anything interesting in the inevitable scene where she becomes a "modern" outspoken woman. Lily Tomlin does some good acting (the scene where she half-heartedly resists her teenage son's offer of a joint is typically solid), but her character didn't really take off for me either. But at least she covered it up better. Parton's just having a good time and it's a bit infectious. Coleman, one of our great under-rated character actors, has more to work with her than usual. He has several different layers of nastiness, and at least one layer of sympathy.

I think the project is good, but just short of being really memorable or classic. I found the plot very thin generally, and that once the office situation and the characters had been set up so well there was nowhere up for the movie to go. The hospital sequence and the scenes in and outside of the car were tedious, and there are too many scenes of Coleman in his odd S&M getup. I would have liked to see the film maybe a bit more episodic, instead of settling into that whole story-angle about the rat poison for the entire length. Also I think the film's formula is too rigid and it ends up restricting the characters. The zany scenes clash too much with the serious scenes and it makes the whole thing feel a bit haphazard, because it's not directed with any vision that would have united them.

With the story going so far and so long into the whole hostage situation, my sympathies weren't sticking completely with "the girls." The film tried too hard to make them heroic, despite all the bizarre stuff they were doing to Coleman's character. A good example would be the big confrontation I mentioned between Fonda's character and her ex-husband (Laurence Pressman). The way I saw it, he could easily have been a sleaze.... he obviously was to some extent, because he ran off with the secretary and so on. But nothing he does or says in that particular scene is so outrageous, that we should really jump to Fonda's side and cheer when she tells him off..... as we're obviously supposed to do, en masse. Unlike in somewhat similar films about office and sexual politics such as, say, "Election" and "Office Space", the protagonists are simply right in this movie and whoever gets in their way is wrong. Don't worry too much about the details, or expect any introspection along with the character development, because this movie ultimately is about female empowerment in the most generic sense of the term. I found it fun in a lightweight way, but it was too comfy with its own assumptions and the farce was too broad to completely please me.

A classic comedy that has a few good laughs.

[pkzeewiz · 4/10 · 10 January 2010]

I have watched this movie a few times and never really thought it was that funny, but it's still fun to watch and good for a few laughs.

Its about women that work at a company and their boss is a jerk and they end up giving him a taste of his own medicine, and try to get the respect they deserve.

The acting is really good. Dabney Coleman is one of those 80's stars that plays a good bad guy, not really evil, just unlikeable. Dolly Partin is lovable and fun to watch in comedies and her down south wit really shines here. Jane Fonda is so-so and does little for me. Lily Tomlin is the best thing about this movie, she has the funniest lines and made me laugh out loud several times, gotta love her.

I could recommend this to anyone that likes 80's comedy. I like the movie but it has things about it that I don't like. It starts off great and has a nice flow and then everything starts coming together all at once and made me care less about the characters. They all have little fantasies about what they would like to do the boss and although 'cute' I just thought it slowed down the flow of the movie. As the movie goes on it once again picks up and the funniest things happen and then once again it slows down, only to wrap up in a quick manner thats too good to be true.

4 out of 10 stars, but give it a try if you haven't seen it. I think depending on ones mood it may be more or less likable.