Nine to Five (1980)

Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.

Director:

Colin Higgins

Writers:

Patricia Resnick (story), Colin Higgins (screenplay)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Judy Bernly
Lily Tomlin	...	Violet Newstead
Dolly Parton	...	Doralee Rhodes
Dabney Coleman	...	Franklin Hart, Jr.
Sterling Hayden	...	Tinsworthy
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Roz
Henry Jones	...	Hinkle
Lawrence Pressman	...	Dick
Marian Mercer	...	Missy Hart
Renn Woods	...	Barbara (as Ren Woods)
Norma Donaldson	...	Betty
Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini	...	Maria
Peggy Pope	...	Margaret
Richard Stahl	...	Meade
Ray Vitte	...	Eddie

Storyline

Meet Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman). The biggest "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss on the planet. He thrills in taking advantage of his head female office staff; humiliating, downplaying, and condescending against them whenever conveniently possible, particularly his top assistant Violet (Lily Tomlin). Long-exhausted over his gruesome bullishness, Violet, alongside co-workers Doralee (Dolly Parton) and Judy (Jane Fonda) comprise comical methods of "doing him in", when a freak incident occurs. They then manage to kidnap Hart and trap him in his own house, while assuming control of his department, and productivity leaps. But just how long can they keep him tied up?

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Plot Keywords:

workplace | female protagonist | friendship between women | camera shot of feet | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

The power behind the throne

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Most critics thought Mike Nichols' feminist office comedy hit Working Girl (1988) was, in many ways, the offspring of this movie. So were The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Associate (1996), Horrible Bosses (2011), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) and Clockwatchers (1997).

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Goofs

Just before the first time we see the garage door opener used on Mr. Hart (when Doralee is bringing his lunch in a green sweater), we see him walk into the bathroom looking for something - presumably a weapon. He is very clearly wearing pajama bottoms. When he walks out of the bathroom, he is very clearly wearing shorts (boxers?). He then breaks a leg off the TV tray, planning to hit Doralee with it. Much later in the movie, we see Hart walk into the bathroom - clearly wearing boxers/shorts - when he DOES find the nail file hidden in the drawer. Seems like there were two scenes shot, one in PJs and one in shorts, and they were incorrectly spliced together.

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Quotes

Doralee Rhodes: [Hart mistakenly believes Doralee, Violet and Judy have attempted to murder him] ... But it really was a mistake, Mr. Hart! Violet put the poison in strictly by *accident*!
Franklin Hart, Jr.: Oh, really? Well, she might be able to get a jury and the press to believe that; then again, she might not. But I think the real question, here, is whether or not *you* want to take that chance.
Doralee Rhodes: Just what are you driving at?
Franklin Hart, Jr.: It's very simple. You come over to my house for the night, and I'll forget the whole thing - maybe.
Doralee Rhodes: [...]

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Alternate Versions

HBO/Cinemax's version of the film on Closed-Captioning changes one word of dialogue. Violet says to Mr. Hart, angrily, "The boys in the club are threatened, and you're so intimidated by any woman that won't sit in the back of a bus." Closed-Captioning reads, "The boys in the club are threatened, and you're so intimidated by any woman who isn't submissive."

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: Any Which Way You Can/The Formula/Raging Bull/Nine to Five (1980)

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Soundtracks

Nine To Five
Written and Performed by Dolly Parton
Produced by Gregg Perry
©1980 Velvet Apple Music and Fox Fanfare Music, Inc.

User Reviews

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

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

19 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

9 to 5

Filming Locations:

801 S. Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,966,832, 21 December 1980

Gross USA:

$103,290,500

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,300,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

IPC Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1