synopsis of movie 9 to 5

Cast & crew
User reviews

Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
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? — Peanutlee <[email protected]>
On the first day of the secretary Judy Bernly at the Consolidated Companies, the senior office supervisor Violet Newstead 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. is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot and his secretary Doralee Rhodes 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? — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The film centers on the friendship between three women who work in the offices of a large corporation known as Consolidated Industries. Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is a naïve new employee whose husband Dick (Lawrence Pressman) recently left her for his secretary. On her first day, Judy meets Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), the supervisor of her department, and a longtime employee. Violet trains Judy and introduces her to the department executive, Franklin Hart, Jr. (Dabney Coleman), who immediately reveals himself to be arrogant and sexist. Judy soon learns that despite the fact that Violet has worked there for over 10 years, she has been passed over consistently for promotion and in fact has seniority over Hart. Violet also introduces Judy to the staff, including mail room clerk Eddie (Ray Vitte), alcoholic secretary Margaret Foster (Peggy Pope), and Roz Keith (Elizabeth Wilson), Hart's executive assistant and his eyes and ears in the office, eavesdropping on private conversations. The third woman in the trio is Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), Hart's personal secretary. Despite the fact that Doralee is happily married to a construction worker and part-time country-western singer named Dwayne (Jeffrey Douglas Thomas), and Hart is also married to a sweet but oblivious woman named Missy (Marian Mercer), Hart continually makes inappropriate advances toward Doralee, pushing her patience and tolerance to the limit. Hart has also been lying to his colleagues that he's been sleeping with Doralee, causing office gossip to go wild. As a result, the other women in the office treat her rudely and initially Judy shuns Doralee's attempts to be friendly. Some time passes, and Violet is once again passed over for an important promotion, even though her ideas are good enough that Hart passes one off as his own and takes all the credit for it. When Violet protests to Hart that he passed her over for a promotion because she is a woman, Hart bluntly tells her that the company would rather have a man in the position, and Violet becomes enraged, storming off on her own, but not before she reveals to Doralee that her affair with Hart is common knowledge. Doralee, who has been confused and upset about the way she's treated by her coworkers, snaps, and also rages at Hart, threatening to use her gun on him the next time he makes an indecent proposal. Angry and upset by Doralee's outburst, Hart takes it out by firing Maria (Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini), a dedicated employee (due to an infraction overheard by Roz, who had been eavesdropping in the ladies' room). After witnessing the incident, Judy joins Violet and Doralee in storming out of the office. The three women converge at a local bar to drown their sorrows, when Violet discovers a marijuana cigarette that her son left in her purse as a gift. They return to Doralee's house and smoke it together, prompting each of them to have a detailed fantasy about how they would take down Hart if they had the chance. Judy imagines a scenario where she's a great white hunter who hunts down Hart in the office with a shotgun. Doralee's fantasy is of her as a cowgirl who turns the tables on Hart and sexually harasses him before hog-tying him and roasting him alive on a spit. Violet envisions a fairy tale where she is a Snow White-type character who poisons Hart's coffee and sends him falling to his death from his office window, which suddenly releases scores of oppressed "prisoners" chained to their desks. Things take a sudden bizarre turn the next day when each of the women's fantasies comes true in some odd respect: Violet accidentally poisons Hart's coffee, having mistaken a box of rat poison for artificial sweetener. Before Hart can drink it, he falls from his unstable chair and knocks himself unconscious on his credenza desk in his office. Doralee finds him, summons an ambulance, and accompanies him to the hospital. At first the women have no clue what happened to Mr. Hart, but then Violet finds the rat poison, realizes what she did, and they all assume the reason Hart blacked out was because he drank the poisoned coffee. At the hospital, Hart, who has regained consciousness, leaves on his own without being seen -- the penny-pinching Hart saying that the hospital and doctors want to charge him a small fortune for nothing -- and the three women mistake a dead police witness for their boss, steal the dead body (to prevent an autopsy), stash it in the trunk of Violet's car, and drive off. After they get into a minor car accident, they discover they've stolen the wrong body, so they smuggle it back into the hospital. After shaking off a suspicious police officer, the three women dispose of the body by taking it back to the hospital and leaving it in a wheelchair in a restroom. The next day, they discover that Hart wasn't harmed at all, but their discussion about the incident is overheard by Roz. At the end of the day, Hart tries to use the information to blackmail Doralee into having an actual tryst with him. Doralee loses her temper and hog-ties Hart with telephone wires when he threatens to call the police (just like in her fantasy), and Judy fires on Hart with Doralee's pistol when he persuades her to untie him after promising he won't carry out his threat (similar to her fantasy). With Hart's wife away on a lengthy cruise, the women decide to kidnap Hart and imprison him in his own home until they can somehow get him to cooperate and forget the whole incident. But the cold and misogynist Hart refuses to listen to them and vows to blackmail them. Looking for a way to keep him quiet, Violet discovers that Hart has been embezzling money from Consolidated by illegally selling inventory from a company-owned warehouse and keeping the profits. The women plan on using the information to blackmail Hart to keep him from calling the police. After purchasing a series of items, including a skydiving harness, chains, dog collars, and a remote-controlled garage-door opener to keep Hart confined in his own house, the women return to work after the weekend as usual while Violet sends for an order of the warehouse inventories as proof of Hart's embezzlement scheme. The three women work together to make Hart's absence in the office as inconspicuous as possible. After a few weeks of the ruse working, Judy learns from the head office in New York City that, because of a computer system change, the office will not send them the invoices for between four to six weeks. Violet and Judy are crestfallen but Doralee thinks they can continue the subterfuge for that long. From there, the trio work to make several changes around the office, with Doralee able to forge Hart's signature on several memos: flexible work hours, equal pay for male and female employees, a job-sharing program, and even an onsite daycare center for employees with children. The trio learns that Hart's so hated around the office (by male and female employees alike) that the only person to question his absence is Roz, whom Violet sends away to Europe for a immersive multi-week training program to learn French. Hart's archaic and oppressive rules are done away with, employee morale improves greatly and productivity improves as well. One night, Hart almost escapes when he finds a nail file in the bathroom that his captors overlooked and tries cutting his restraints. Using the restraining system they'd installed in Hart's bedroom, Judy is able to render him helpless while he hangs from the ceiling. Judy is further surprised when her ex-husband, Dick, shows up at Hart's house after following her there and asks to reconcile with her. But when Hart makes a noise, Judy is forced to restrain him, and seeing the captive Hart tied up, her ex-husband mistakenly assumes that Judy is having an affair with her boss and leaves, claiming that they are now over and will never get back together. Later, Hart is accidentally freed when Missy returns early from her cruise, and for three days, he quietly buys back all the items he sold and puts them back in the Consolidated warehouse. Doralee only learns about Missy's return when Missy calls her to thank her for her sending her flowers in Hart's name, which is why she returned from her vacation early. Doralee hurries to Hart's house to find the freed Hart now holding Judy captive. After taking them to the office to meet with Violet, Hart plays his final card, boasting that women never can defeat him and that he'll see them all sent to jail. Just then a sudden visit from the reclusive and ruthless Chair of the Board, Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), interrupts him. To the cold and unfeeling Hart's chagrin, he finally sees that Violet, Judy, and Doralee have made some radical changes in the office during his captivity, and the sudden surge in productivity has caught Tinsworthy's attention. Where Hart had bristled at the changes in the office -- job-sharing, flexible hours, new, disabled employees working alongside veteran ones, a drying-out program for alcoholic workers (Margaret Foster's no longer an alcoholic, thanks to the company's alcohol rehab program, and Maria's back with the company on a part-time basis and sharing her workload with another employee) -- Tinsworthy congratulates Hart for the increased morale. Since the women did all of it under the false approval of Hart, they can take no credit for it, but fate seems to be on their side: Tinsworthy "rewards" Hart for his good work by immediately removing him from his position and sending him to work on a special project in Brazil, much to the amusement and delight of Violet, Doralee, and Judy, as now they are free from Hart, who will never try to destroy them without destroying his own career. In the final scene, Roz returns from her training and is stunned to discover Violet, Judy, and Doralee celebrating in Hart's office. In a postscript at the end, it is revealed that Violet took Hart's place as vice president of Consolidated, Judy married the Xerox technician and quit the company, Doralee also quit the company and moved back to her Tennessee hometown, where she became a country music singer (just like the actress that played her), and Hart was kidnapped by natives during a trip in the Amazon and was never seen or heard from again.

Contribute to this page

Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5 (1980)

More from this title

More to explore.

More like this

Did you know

[a candy-striper, with a 'Buffy' nametag, approaches Violet who's hauling a dead corpse on a gurny under a sheet]

Buffy : Excuse me. Could you tell me where the coffee shop is?

Violet Newstead : [nervous tone] The what?

Buffy : The coffee shop.

Violet Newstead : The coffee shop? No, I'm new here, I don't drink coffee.

Buffy : I'm new here too. Where do you work?

Violet Newstead : Uh... downstairs.

Buffy : In the morgue?

Violet Newstead : [nervous tone] Yes, that's right!

Buffy : [looks at the body on the gurny] How did he... ?

Violet Newstead : Coffee... too much coffee. I'm just taking him out for some air. Uh, I mean fresh air for me, he's just coming along for the ride.

[Buffy gasps]

Violet Newstead : *What?*

Buffy : Oh, you're a doctor! I'm sorry, I didn't see your badge.

[Violet looks at the badge and finally realizes that the white lab coat she's stolen is a doctor's]

Violet Newstead : Oh yeah... I'm a doctor. So why the hell am I talking to you? Piss off!

User reviews 128

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 49 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

More to explore

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

Movies in theaters

Movies at home

Certified fresh picks

New TV Tonight

What to know

It might not be much of a way to make a living, but 9 to 5 is a wonderfully cast comedy that makes some sharp points about gender roles in the workplace. Read critic reviews

Where to watch, rate and review.

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified..

AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

Theater box office or somewhere else

By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

9 to 5 photos.

Office satire about three female secretaries who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss by abducting him and running the business themselves. The trio, one of whom has been passed over for promotion because she is a woman, spend a night together having drug-induced fantasies of killing the slave-driving chauvinist. One of them panics the following day when she suspects she really has poisoned the tyrant.

Genre: Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: Colin Higgins

Writer: Colin Higgins

Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1980 wide

Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2001

Runtime: 1h 50m

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for 9 to 5

87 Fearless Women Movie Heroes Who Inspire Us

50 F–k Yeah Moments of Female Empowerment in the Movies

Game of Thrones Returns Early 2019, Plus HBO Confirms Deadwood Movie

Critic Reviews for 9 to 5

Audience reviews for 9 to 5.

Movie & TV guides

Most Anticipated 2023 Movies

TV Premiere Dates 2023

Best Horror Movies 2023

Best Movies 2023

9 to 5 (1980)

Listen to our film review

Film and Plot Synopsis

Franklin Hart may be the most sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritically-bigoted boss on the planet. He constantly humiliates his female employees, downplays their input, and makes condescending remarks about them whenever possible. His top assistant, Violet, is long over his bullshit and she conspires with co-workers Doralee and Judy to kidnap Hart and trap him in his own house. Once they do that, they can assume control of his department.

Buy the Film

Nine to Five

‘9 to 5’ movie summary.

Violet introduces Judy to her sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss, Vice President Frank Hart (Dabney Coleman), whom Violet also trained once upon a time. One of Hart’s lies is that he is having an affair with his attractive and equally married secretary, Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton).

Violet’s been playing nice with Hart so he will promote her for an upcoming position opening up in like six weeks. When Hart promotes a man instead of her because he’s a man supporting a family, Violet becomes furious. As she tears into Hart, she lets it slip to Doralee that Hart’s been telling anyone who will listen that the two are having an affair. Violet then leaves to get drunk at a nearby bar. Doralee, now furious over Hart’s lies, tears into him. She too then leaves to get drunk at the same bar.

As this goes on, Judy learns that Hart has fired her coworker, Maria (Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini) for sharing with Judy how much money she makes; how much Hart makes, and how much the office snoop, Roz (Elizabeth Wilson) makes—violating the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 in the process.

Furious, Judy doesn’t tear into Hart, but does head to the nearby bar for a drink with the ladies. The three then bond back at Doralee’s place over some Maui Wowie and tall tales over how they would deal with Hart once and for all.

Judy would shoot him safari style and mount his head on the wall like a trophy. Doralee would hog tie him wild west style before roasting him like chestnuts on an open, and Violet would dress up as Snow White—but not Disney style because that’s copyrighted—and poison his coffee.

The next day, the ladies must have been hung over because Violet “accidentally” mistakes a box of rat poison for artificial sweetener and puts an unhealthy dose in Hart’s coffee. However, Hart doesn’t get the chance to drink it. Before he does, the locking mechanism on his reclining chair fails—again—and Hart hits his head on the credenza, knocking him out.

When Judy tells Violet that Doralee took Hart to the hospital, Violet realizes her mistake and thinks the poison caused Hart to black out. She and Judy high tail it to the hospital where they find Doralee. Just as they do, they overhear a doctor pronounce a man dead from poisoning in the same room Hart was wheeled into. However, it’s not Hart. He woke up and walked out another door because he refused to pay the outrageous fees our 1970’s American health care system charges.

With Violet thinking she killed Hart, she steals the dead body in the hall she believes to be Hart to prevent the corner from performing of an autopsy on the body. She then throws it in the back of her car as Judy and Doralee catch up to her.

The three ladies head down the street in a panic, arguing amongst one another before Violet crashes her car. The collision damages the driver side fender. Doralee goes to get a tire iron from the trunk to pop out the fender, and in the process finds the body isn’t Hart. So they return the body to the hospital and shove it in a wheelchair and stick the body in a bathroom. Oddly, this isn’t the first time the cleaning lady has found a dead body like this in the bathroom.

The next morning, the women are shocked to find Hart arrive for work as if nothing happened. They converse about it in the bathroom and learn from Doralee that Hart hit his head, but did it before he had a chance to drink the coffee. The three are relieved they got away with the shenanigans, but unknown to them, the office snoop, Roz, is hiding in a stall and taking notes of their entire conversation. She squeals all to Hart.

Before Doralee leaves for the day, Hart asks to talk to her in his office where he demands Doralee either have sex with him over the weekend or he will go to the police about the rat poison. Doralee balks at the ultimatum and when Hart refuses to hear her out, she hog ties him with a phone cord and stuffs a scarf in his mouth to shut him up. She then asks Judy to watch him while she gets Violet. Hart convinces Judy to loosen the cord, but when she does, he breaks loose. Judy takes Doralee’s gun out of her purse and shoots at him. At this point, all three women’s pot fantasy’s about taking Hart out have been acted out, but without success.

They hold Hart hostage at his large house where they can be alone since his wife, Missy (Marian Mercer), is out of the country on a cruise for two months. Violet gets some dirt on Hart that he’s been selling Consolidated’s inventory and pocketing the proceeds, and the ladies decide to use that to blackmail Hart into silence since that’s all he seems to know.

Violet asks corporate for a bunch of invoices which will prove her theory, but they won’t arrive for 4-6 weeks as the company is doing an upgrade to their computer systems. So they chain Hart in his bedroom M & M style and fake his appearance in the office—for weeks. Since nobody likes Hart, it’s an easy sell.

They take this opportunity to implement several programs in Hart’s name that are popular with the workers. Things like an in-office day care center, equal pay for men and women, flexible hours, and a job sharing program where employees work part time.

However, three days before the invoices arrive, Hart’s wife returns from her cruise. Once she frees him, Hart sends her to a hotel so that he can pretend to still be chained up while secretly buying back the inventory he sold.

The day the invoices arrive, Hart finds Doralee’s gun and takes her and Judy to the office where he sees all their changes… and disproves. Just as he’s about to report the three women to the police, the chairman of Consolidated’s board, Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), arrives to meet Hart. He’s heard great things about Hart’s changes which have resulted in a 20% increase in productivity in six weeks. As a result, he promotes Hart to join him on a multiyear project in Brazil which Hart has no choice but accept. Unable to now report the ladies, Violet, Judy, and Doralee celebrate.

The film ends with an epilogue storyboard. Violet gets her promotion to vice president. Judy falls in love with and marries the Xerox sales rep, and Doralee leaves to become a country western singer. Poor Hart. A tribe of Amazons kidnap him and he is never heard from again.

Additional Film Information

Rate the film.

20th Century Fox released 9 to 5 on December 19, 1980. Colin Higgins directed the film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton.

9 to 5 (film)

Edit source

Theatrical release poster

9 to 5 is a 1980 American comedy film written by Patricia Resnick and Colin Higgins, directed by Higgins, and starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Dabney Coleman. The film concerns three working women living out their fantasies of getting even with, and their successful overthrow of, the company's autocratic, "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss.

9 to 5 was a hit, grossing over $3.9 million in its opening weekend in the United States[2] and is the 20th highest-grossing comedy film.[3] As a star vehicle for Parton—already established as a successful singer and songwriter—it launched her permanently into mainstream popular culture. Although a television series based on the film was less successful, a musical version of the film (also titled 9 to 5), with new songs written by Parton, opened on Broadway on April 30, 2009.

9 to 5 is number 74 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies"[4] and is rated

82% fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]

Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is forced to find work after her husband, Dick (Lawrence Pressman), runs off with his secretary. Judy finds employment as a secretary at Consolidated Companies. The senior office supervisor, Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), introduces Judy to the company and staff, including mail room clerk Eddie, alcoholic Margaret Foster, the sleazy boss Franklin Hart, Jr. (Dabney Coleman), and Roz Keith (Elizabeth Wilson), Hart's executive assistant. Violet reveals to Judy that Hart is supposedly involved with his buxom secretary, Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton). Hart exploits and mistreats his female subordinates, with backstabbing and sexist remarks. He takes credit for Violet's ideas, cruelly yells at and threatens Judy on her first day after an equipment malfunction and sexually harasses Doralee, spreading rumors about an affair that never happened.

When Violet discovers that a promotion she was hoping to receive was instead given to a man because of sexist hiring practices, she confronts Hart about it, as well as the rumors about Doralee (who enters Hart's office just in time to hear, and now realizes why she has become unpopular with the other secretaries). Violet storms off, stating that she needs a drink. Doralee takes Hart to task over his transgressions, informing him that she keeps a gun in her purse and will "turn him from a rooster to a hen with one shot" if his sexist behavior continues. She then also leaves, stating that she needs a drink.

Judy, upset over the firing of Maria, a dedicated employee (due to an infraction overheard by Roz, who had been eavesdropping in the ladies' room), joins Violet and Doralee in storming out of the office, and the three women drown their sorrows at the local bar before retiring to Doralee's house to smoke a joint given to Violet by her teenage son. While there, the beginning of the their friendship forms, and they share fantasies of getting revenge on Mr Hart: Judy wants to hunt him down like an animal in a classic mobster scenario, Doralee wants to rope him like a steer in a Western scenario, and Violet wants to poison him in a twisted Snow White-style scenario.

The following day, a mix-up leads Violet to accidentally spike Hart's coffee with rat poison. However, before he can drink the tainted coffee, Hart falls out of his desk chair and hits his head on the credenza desk, which knocks him out cold. On hearing he has been rushed to the hospital, Violet, thinking he is sick from the accidental poisoning, rushes to the hospital with Judy and Doralee in tow. At the hospital, Hart, who has regained consciousness, leaves on his own without being seen, and the three mistake a dead police witness for their boss, steal the dead body (to prevent an autopsy), stash it in the trunk, and drive off. Soon they discover they've stolen the wrong body, so they smuggle it back into the hospital.

Hart turns up alive the next morning, much to the shock of Violet, Doralee, and Judy. During a break in the ladies' room, the three speculate on what could have happened, but ultimately decide to consider themselves lucky and simply forget the whole matter. However, Roz, hiding in one of the stalls, overhears them and relates the conversation to Hart. He confronts Doralee about the hospital incident and demands that she spend the night at his house, or he'll have all three of them prosecuted for attempted murder.

The three kidnap him and bring him to his Tudor-style mansion, keeping him prisoner in his bedroom while they find a way to blackmail him. The three women discover an embezzlement scheme, and must keep Hart tied up at home while they collect evidence on it.

The women use Hart's absence to effect numerous changes around the office, in his name: flexible hours, equal pay, a job-sharing program, and a daycare center. Hart is so hated around the office that nobody questions his absence, with the exception of Roz, whom Violet sends away for a multi-week training.

Meanwhile, as Judy is guarding Mr. Hart, her husband Dick comes to ask her to come back to him. She refuses, forcefully throwing him out. Hart's adoring wife Missy (Marian Mercer) returns from vacation early, putting the women's plan in jeopardy. Hart manages to break free and return the stolen items back to the warehouse. Then he escorts the women to the office at gunpoint. Hart is appalled by the changes which have been made in his absence, but receives an unexpected visit from Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), the Chairman of the Board, who has come to congratulate Hart for increases in productivity - but he wants the equal pay eliminated. Margaret Foster is no longer an alcoholic thanks to the company's alcohol rehab program and Maria is now back with the company on a part-time basis and sharing her workload with another employee. Tinsworthy is so impressed that he recruits Hart to work at Consolidated's Brazilian operation for the next few years. Roz returns from her training and is stunned to discover Violet, Judy, and Doralee celebrating in Hart's office.

In the epilogue, it is revealed that Violet gets promoted to Hart's job, in which Roz must now answer to her; Judy falls in love and marries a Xerox representative; Doralee quits Consolidated and becomes a Country and Western singer; and Hart is abducted by Amazons in the Brazilian jungle and is never heard from again.

Jane Fonda as Judy Bernly, the new girl who is forced to find work after her husband has an affair with his secretary, a younger woman named Liza. She becomes friends with Violet and Doralee. Lily Tomlin as Violet Newstead, a widow with four kids who's been working at the company for twelve years. She is very knowledgeable about the company, and was the one who trained Hart. Despite her knowledge, she is continually passed over for promotions, due to Hart's sexist attitudes. She is Judy's best friend, helped train her, and seems to understand the loneliness Judy feels. Dolly Parton as Doralee Rhodes, a secretary who is presumed to be sleeping with Mr. Hart, despite the fact that she has refused his advances. Because of this, she is looked down on by most of the other women in the office, but this changes after she becomes friends with Violet and Judy. Dabney Coleman as Franklin M. Hart Jr., the strict, overly-tight, lying boss and antagonist of the movie who fires people for no reason and also spread the false rumor that Doralee was sleeping with him. He was eventually reassigned to Brazil. Sterling Hayden as Russell Tinsworthy, Consolidated's chairman of the board who likes the new office layout that Violet and the others set up. Elizabeth Wilson as Roz Keith, Mr. Hart's administrative assistant who is constantly eavesdropping. Henry Jones as Mr. Hinkle, Consolidated's president. Lawrence Pressman as Dick Bernly, Judy's ex-husband. Marian Mercer as Missy Hart, Mr. Hart's sweet natured wife who is oblivious to the fact that Mr. Hart has a one-sided thing for Doralee. Ren Woods as Barbara, one of Judy and Violet's co-workers. Norma Donaldson as Betty, another co-worker. Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini as Maria Delgado, a friend of Judy's who got fired, thanks to Roz's snitching to Hart, but was later reinstated by one of the three girls, under Hart's name. Peggy Pope as Margaret Foster, an alcoholic secretary (sometimes referred to by other characters as "the old lush") whose catchphrase is "atta girl!" Although Judy feels weird around her at first, she warms up to her and the two become friends. Richard Stahl as Meade, another vice president at the company, who doesn't like Hart. Ray Vitte as Eddie Smith, a man who works in the mail room. When he meets Judy on her first day, he says, "What? How am I going to get out of this mail room prison if they keep hiring people from the outside? Lady, you're gonna hate it here", which turns out to be true. Jeffrey Douglas Thomas as Dwayne Rhodes, Doralee's supportive husband. A musician, he is often performing at various gigs, thus allowing Doralee a good deal of free time to get into mischief with Judy and Violet.

Production[edit]

The movie was based on an idea of Jane Fonda, who had recently formed her own production company, IPC. Fonda:

My ideas for films always come from things that I hear and perceive in my daily life... A very old friend of mine had started an organisation in Boston called 'Nine To Five', which was an association of women office workers. I heard them talking about their work and they had some great stories. And I've always been attracted to those 1940s films with three female stars.[6]

Fonda says the film was at first going to be a drama, but "any way we did it, it seemed too preachy, too much of a feminist line. I'd wanted to work with Lily [Tomlin] for some time, and it suddenly occurred to [her producing partner] Bruce and me that we should make it a comedy."[6] Patricia Resnick wrote the first draft drama, and Fonda cast herself, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton in the leads, the latter in her first film role.[7] Then Colin Higgins came on board to direct and rewrite the script. Part of his job was to make room for all three in the script. Higgins says Jane Fonda was a very encouraging producer, who allowed him to push back production while the script was being rewritten.[8][9]

"He's a very nice, quiet, low-key guy", said Dolly of Higgins. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd had one of those mean directors on my first film."[7]

Higgins admitted "he expected some tension", from working with three stars, "but they were totally professional, great fun and a joy to work with. I just wish everything would be as easy."[10]

"It remains a 'labour film', but I hope of a new kind, different from the Grapes of Wrath or Salt of the Earth", says Fonda. "We took out a lot of stuff that was filmed, even stuff the director, Colin Higgins, thought worked but which I asked to have taken out. I'm just super-sensitive to anything that smacks of the soapbox or lecturing the audience"."[6]

Fonda says she did a deal of research for the movie, focusing on women who had begun work late in life due to divorce or being widowed.

What I found was that secretaries know the work they do is important, is skilled, but they also know they're not treated with respect. They call themselves 'office wives'. They have to put gas in the boss's car, get his coffee, buy the presents for his wife and mistress. So when we came to do the film, we said to Colin (Higgins), ok, what you have to do is write a screenplay which shows you can run an office without a boss, but you can't run an office without the secretaries![6]

Filming locations[edit]

The home of Franklin Hart is located at 10431 Bellagio Road in Bel-Air, Los Angeles. The Consolidated offices were presumably in the Pacific Financial Center located at 800 W 6th Street, at South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California 90017. Although the story appears to be set in Los Angeles, the opening credit montage, set to the title song, is mostly composed of shots from downtown San Francisco. These shots include an electric MUNI bus, the Market Street clock and a brief glimpse of the San Francisco twins, Marian and Vivian Brown.

Theme song[edit]

Main article: 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)

The movie's theme song, "9 to 5", written and recorded by Parton, became one of her biggest hits of the decade. While filming the movie, Dolly found she could use her long acrylic fingernails to simulate the sound of a typewriter. She wrote the song on set by clicking her nails together and forming the beat. The song went to number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the U.S. country singles charts, and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Song. It won the 1981 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Motion Picture Song", and two 1982 Grammy Awards: for "Country Song of the Year" and "Female Country Vocal of the Year" (it was nominated for four Grammys). Additionally, it was certified platinum by the RIAA.

At the same time, newcomer Sheena Easton was enjoying her first major hit in the UK with a song also titled "9 to 5". With the success of Parton's song, and to avoid confusion, Easton's record company renamed her recording "Morning Train (9 to 5)" for its North American release.

Television series[edit]

Main article: 9 to 5 (TV series)

The movie inspired a sitcom version which aired from 1982 to 1983 and from 1986 to 1988. The show, which aired on ABC (1982–83) and in first run syndication (1986–88), featured Parton's younger sister, Rachel Dennison, in Parton's role, and Rita Moreno and Valerie Curtin took over Tomlin and Fonda's roles, respectively. In the second version of the show, Sally Struthers replaced Moreno. A total of 85 episodes were filmed.

2009 Broadway musical[edit]

Main article: 9 to 5 (musical)

In an interview aired September 30, 2005 on Larry King Live, Parton revealed that she was writing the songs for a musical stage adaptation of the film.[11] A private reading of the musical took place on January 19, 2007[12] Further private presentations were held in New York City in summer 2007.

In early March 2008, Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie announced that 9 to 5 would have its pre-Broadway run at the Center's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles beginning September 21, 2008, with Allison Janney starring as Violet, joined by Stephanie J. Block as Judy, Megan Hilty as Doralee, and Marc Kudisch as Franklin Hart, Jr. The book for 9 to 5: The Musical was written by Patricia Resnick, who co-authored the film. Andy Blankenbuehler choreographed the show, and Joe Mantello directed.[13]

According to playbill.com, the musical opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in previews on April 7, 2009, and officially on April 30, 2009.[14] However, due to low ticket sales and gross, the production closed on September 6, 2009. A National Tour began in September 2010. A UK tour has been arranged for 2012.

Possible sequel[edit]

In the 1980s Universal developed a sequel with Colin Higgins. Tom Mankiewicz worked on it for a while and says while Dolly Parton was enthusiastic, Jane Fonda was not and Higgins' heart was not in it.[15]

In a TV interview broadcast on BBC1 in the UK in 2005, the movie's stars Fonda, Tomlin and Dolly Parton all expressed interest in starring in a sequel. Fonda said if the right script was written she would definitely do it, suggesting a suitable name for a 21st-century sequel would be 24/7. Parton suggested they had better hurry up before they reach retirement age. In the DVD commentary, the three reiterate their enthusiasm; Fonda suggests a sequel should cover outsourcing and they agree Frank Hart would have to return as their nemesis.

9 to 5 (film)

Edit source

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search

9 to 5 (listed in the opening credits as Nine to Five ) is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Colin Higgins, who wrote the screenplay with Patricia Resnick. It stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with and overthrowing the company's autocratic, "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss, played by Dabney Coleman.

The film grossed over $103.9 million [2] and is the 20th-highest-grossing comedy film. [3] As a star vehicle for Parton—already established as a successful singer, musician and songwriter—it launched her permanently into mainstream popular culture. A television series of the same name based on the film ran for five seasons, and a musical version of the film (also titled 9 to 5 ), with new songs written by Parton, opened on Broadway on April 30, 2009.

9 to 5 is number 74 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies" [4] and has an 83% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. [5]

Contents [ ]

Plot[edit] [ ]

Reserved, prudish housewife Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is forced to find work after her husband, Dick (Lawrence Pressman), leaves her for his secretary. She is hired as a secretary at Consolidated Companies, under the eye of sharp-tongued senior office supervisor, Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin). Their narcissistic boss Franklin Hart Jr. (Dabney Coleman) exploits and mistreats his female employees with unfair, sexist remarks, and sexually harasses his personal assistant Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), spreading rumours about an affair that never happened, which causes the other women at the company to dislike and exclude her.

One afternoon after Hart infuriates all three women for different reasons, they take the afternoon off and end up in the same local bar. They get drunk and go to Doralee's house where they smoke marijuana and bond over fantasies of getting revenge on their boss; Violet wishes she could poison his coffee, Judy wishes she could hunt him down and shoot him, and Doralee wishes she could tie him up with a lasso like in an old western movie.

The following day, Hart falls out of his desk chair and hits his head, knocking him unconscious. Violet, who had accidentally put rat poison in his morning coffee, mistakenly believes she has poisoned him, and rushes to the hospital with Judy and Doralee. They mistake a dead police witness for Hart and steal the body to prevent an autopsy from taking place, before smuggling it back into the hospital after they discover they've stolen the wrong corpse.

Hart turns up at work the next morning, much to the shock of Violet, Judy and Doralee. They discuss the previous night's antics in the ladies' restroom and their conversation is overheard by Hart's executive assistant, Roz (Elizabeth Wilson), who then tells him. Hart demands that Doralee spend the night at his house, threatening to have all three of them prosecuted for attempted murder if she does not oblige. They kidnap him (Judy shoots at him but misses and then Doralee ties him up) and, upon taking him back to his home, discover he has been involved in an embezzlement scheme.

The women keep Hart tied up at home while they collect evidence in order to blackmail him into silence. They also use Hart's absence to effect numerous changes around the office in his name, including flexible work hours, equal pay for male and female employees, and an onsite daycare centre for employees with children. Hart is so disliked around the office that the only person to question his absence is Roz, whom Violet eventually sends away to Paris for a language training seminar.

One night while Judy is staying at Hart's, Dick turns up and asks her to take him back. However, he later discovers Hart tied up and jumps to the wrong conclusion about Judy, leading her to shed her meek ways and throw him out. A few days later, Hart manages to secretly break free and undo the embezzlement, eliminating the leverage that the three women had over him and giving him the upper hand to prosecute them.

Back at the office, although Hart is appalled by the changes that have been made in his absence, an unexpected visit from the company chairman Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden) reveals that the changes have led to substantial increases in productivity. Tinsworthy is so impressed that he recruits Hart to work at Consolidated's Brazilian operation for the next few years.

A graphic reveals that Violet is later promoted to Hart's job, Judy falls in love with and marries a Xerox representative, Doralee quits Consolidated to become a country and western singer, and Hart is abducted by a tribe of women in the Brazilian jungle and is never heard from again.

Cast[edit] [ ]

Production[edit] [ ]

The film was based on an idea by Jane Fonda, who had recently formed her own production company, IPC. Fonda:

Fonda says the film was at first going to be a drama, but "any way we did it, it seemed too preachy, too much of a feminist line. I'd wanted to work with Lily [Tomlin] for some time, and it suddenly occurred to [her producing partner] Bruce and me that we should make it a comedy." [6] Patricia Resnick wrote the first draft drama, and Fonda cast herself, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton in the leads, the last in her first film role. [7] Then Colin Higgins came on board to direct and rewrite the script. Part of his job was to make room for all three in the script. Higgins says Jane Fonda was a very encouraging producer, who allowed him to push back production while the script was being rewritten. [8][9]

"He's a very nice, quiet, low-key guy", said Parton of Higgins. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd had one of those mean directors on my first film." [7]

Higgins admitted "he expected some tension", from working with three stars, "but they were totally professional, great fun and a joy to work with. I just wish everything would be as easy." [10]

"It remains a 'labour film', but I hope of a new kind, different from the Grapes of Wrath or Salt of the Earth ", says Fonda. "We took out a lot of stuff that was filmed, even stuff the director, Colin Higgins, thought worked but which I asked to have taken out. I'm just super-sensitive to anything that smacks of the soapbox or lecturing the audience". [6]

Fonda says she did a lot of research, focusing on women who had begun work late in life due to divorce or being widowed.

Filming locations[edit] [ ]

The home of Franklin Hart is located at 10431 Bellagio Road in Bel Air, Los Angeles. According to commentary included in the DVD release of the film, the home was, at the time, owned by the Chandler family, publishers of the Los Angeles Times . The Consolidated offices were presumably in the Pacific Financial Center located at 800 W 6th Street, at South Flower Street in Los Angeles. Although the story appears to be set in Los Angeles, the opening credit montage, set to the title song, is mostly composed of shots from downtown San Francisco. These shots include an electric MUNI bus fitted with a KFOG 104.5 FM advertisement, the Market Street clock, and a brief glimpse of the San Francisco twins, Marian and Vivian Brown.

Soundtrack[edit] [ ]

Main article: 9 to 5 (soundtrack)

Theme song[edit] [ ]

Main article: 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)

The film's theme song, "9 to 5", written and recorded by Parton, became one of her biggest hits of the decade. While filming the 9 to 5 movie, Parton found she could use her long acrylic fingernails to simulate the sound of a typewriter. She wrote the song on set by clicking her nails together and forming the beat. The song went to number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the U.S. country singles charts, and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It won the 1981 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Motion Picture Song", and two 1982 Grammy Awards: for "Country Song of the Year" and "Female Country Vocal of the Year" (it was nominated for four Grammys). Additionally, it was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Reception[edit] [ ]

Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and called it "pleasant entertainment, and I liked it, despite its uneven qualities and a plot that's almost too preposterous for the material." Ebert singled out Dolly Parton as "a natural-born movie star" who "contains so much energy, so much life and unstudied natural exuberance that watching her do anything in this movie is a pleasure." [11] Vincent Canby of The New York Times was less enthused, writing, "It's clearly a movie that began as someone's bright idea, which then went into production before anyone had time to give it a well-defined personality." [12]

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "The most pleasant surprise is the appearance of Dolly Parton, who with this one film establishes herself as a thoroughly engaging movie star. The biggest disappointment is that this Jane Fonda comedy about a trio of secretaries out to get their boss doesn't have more bite ... Instead of getting darker and darker, 'Nine to Five' gets lighter and lighter until it loses most of the energy it established so well early on." [13] Variety stated, "Although it can probably be argued that Patricia Resnick and director Colin Higgins' script at times borders on the inane, the bottom line is that this picture is a lot of fun." [14] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "appears to be an audience pleaser that never misses an intended laugh. However, it strays so far from reality for so long that it threatens to become mired in overly complicated silliness and to lose sight of the serious satirical points it wants to make. Happily, it does pull together for a finish that's as strong as it is funny." [15]

Gary Arnold of The Washington Post thought the film "runs a merely weak comic premise into the ground with coarse, laborious execution." Arnold thought that Dolly Parton was the film's "only reassuring aspect", as she seemed "an instantly likable natural on the movie screen, too." [16] David Ansen of Newsweek called the film "a disappointment ... It's not wild or dark enough to qualify as a truly disturbing farce and it's too fanciful and silly to succeed as realistic satire. Politically and esthetically, it's harmless—a mildly amusing romp that tends to get swallowed up by its own overly intricate plot." [17]

Ronald Reagan wrote in his presidential diary that he and his wife Nancy watched the film on Valentine's Day 1981. He wrote, "Funny—but one scene made me mad. A truly funny scene if the 3 gals had played getting drunk but no they had to get stoned on pot. It was an endorsement of Pot smoking for any young person who sees the picture." [18]

The film holds a score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews. [19] Metacritic gave the film a score of 58 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [20]

Television series[edit] [ ]

Main article: 9 to 5 (TV series)

The film inspired a sitcom version which aired from 1982 to 1983 and from 1986 to 1988. The show, which aired on ABC (1982–83) and in first-run syndication (1986–88), featured Parton's younger sister, Rachel Dennison, in Parton's role, and Rita Moreno and Valerie Curtin took over Tomlin and Fonda's roles, respectively. In the second version of the show, Sally Struthers replaced Moreno. A total of 85 episodes were filmed.

2009 Broadway musical[edit] [ ]

Main article: 9 to 5 (musical)

In an interview aired September 30, 2005 on Larry King Live , Parton revealed that she was writing the songs for a musical stage adaptation of the film. [21] A private reading of the musical took place on January 19, 2007. [22] Further private presentations were held in New York City in summer 2007.

In early March 2008, Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie announced that 9 to 5 would have its pre-Broadway run at the center's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles beginning September 21, 2008, with Allison Janney starring as Violet, joined by Stephanie J. Block as Judy, Megan Hilty as Doralee, and Marc Kudisch as Franklin Hart Jr. The book for 9 to 5: The Musical was written by Patricia Resnick, who co-authored the film. Andy Blankenbuehler choreographed the show, and Joe Mantello directed. [23]

According to playbill.com, the musical opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in previews on April 7, 2009, and officially on April 30, 2009. [24] However, due to low ticket sales and gross, the production closed on September 6, 2009. A national tour began in September 2010.

Possible sequel[edit] [ ]

Parton, Tomlin, and Fonda in 2000 In the 1980s, Universal developed a sequel with Colin Higgins. Tom Mankiewicz worked on it for a while and says that while Dolly Parton was enthusiastic, Jane Fonda was not and Higgins' heart was not in it. [25]

In a TV interview broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom in 2005, the movie's stars Fonda, Tomlin, and Dolly Parton all expressed interest in starring in a sequel. Fonda said if the right script was written she would definitely do it, suggesting a suitable name for a 21st-century sequel would be 24/7 . Parton suggested they had better hurry up before they reach retirement age. In the DVD commentary, the three reiterate their enthusiasm; Fonda suggests a sequel should cover outsourcing and they agree Hart would have to return as their nemesis.

In a 2018 interview, Dolly Parton announced that a sequel is in the works to bring the story into a modern-day setting. [26] In July 2018, Jane Fonda also confirmed that a sequel was in the works with herself, Tomlin and Parton returning to their roles as mentors to a new generation of women. Fonda revealed that she is also an executive producer on the project. [27] Rashida Jones and Pat Resnick have been attached to write a script. [28] On October 23, 2018, Fonda reiterated news about the development of a sequel on GMA Day .

On October 30, 2019, Parton announced the sequel had been dropped. [29]

Accolades[edit] [ ]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Nominations :

References [ ]

External links[edit] [ ].

Categories:

Great Movies

Collections, tv/streaming, movie reviews, chaz's journal, contributors, nine to five.

Now streaming on:

"Nine to Five" is a good-hearted, simple-minded comedy that will win a place in film history, I suspect, primarily because it contains the movie debut of Dolly Parton . She is, on the basis of this one film, a natural-born movie star, a performer who holds our attention so easily that it's hard to believe it's her first film.

There have been other debuts this unmistakable; you could name Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, John Travolta . And what you'd be talking about in each case would not necessarily be a great dramatic performance in an important movie. You'd be talking about a quality of presence, a personal life force that seems to take over the screen.

"Nine to Five" is only a fairly successful comedy. It has some very funny moments, and then it has some major ingredients that don't work, including some of its fantasy sequences. But then it also has Dolly Parton. And she contains so much energy, so much life and unstudied natural exuberance that watching her do anything in this movie is a pleasure. Because there have been so many Dolly Parton jokes (and doubtless will be so many more), I had better say that I'm not referring to her sex appeal or chest measurements. Indeed, she hardly seems to exist as a sexual being in this movie. She exists on another plane, as Monroe did: She is a center of life on the screen.

But excuse me for a moment while I regain my composure. "Nine to Five" itself is pleasant entertainment, and I liked it, despite its uneven qualities and a plot that's almost too preposterous for the material. The movie exists in the tradition of 1940s screwball comedies. It's about improbable events happening to people who are comic caricatures of their types, and, like those '40s movies, It also has a dash of social commentary.

The message in this case has, to do with women's liberation and, specifically, with the role of women in large corporate offices. Jane Fonda , Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton all work in the same office. Tomlin is the efficient office manager. Fonda is the newcomer, trying out her first job after a divorce. Parton is the boss's secretary, and everybody in the office thinks she's having an affair with the boss. So the other women won't speak to her.

The villain is the boss himself. Played by Dabney Coleman (of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"), he's a self-righteous prig with a great and sincere lust for Dolly Parton. She's having none of it. After the movie introduces a few social issues (day care, staggered work hours, equal pay, merit promotion), the movie develops into a bizarre plot to kidnap Coleman in an attempt to win equal rights. He winds up swinging from the ceiling of his bedroom, attached by wire to a garage-door opener. Serves him right, the M.C.P.

This whole kidnapping sequence moves so far toward unrestrained farce that it damages the movie's marginally plausible opening scenes. But perhaps we don't really care. We learn right away that this is deliberately a lightweight film, despite its superstructure of social significance. And, making the necessary concessions, we simply enjoy it.

What I enjoyed most, as you have already guessed, was Dolly Parton. Is she an actress? Yes, definitely, I'd say, although I am not at all sure how wide a range of roles she might be able to play. She's perfect for this one - which was, of course, custom-made for her. But watch her in the scenes where she's not speaking, where the action is elsewhere on the screen. She's always in character, always reacting, always generating so much energy we expect her to fly apart. There's a scene on a hospital bench, for example, where Tomlin is convinced she's poisoned the boss, and Fonda is consoling her. Watch Dolly. She's bouncing in and out, irrepressibly.

What is involved here is probably something other than "acting." It has to do with what Bernard Shaw called the "life force," that dynamo of energy that some people seem to possess so bountifully. Dolly Parton on the screen simply seems to be having a great time, ready to sweep everyone else up in her enthusiasm, her concern, her energy. It's some show.

Roger Ebert reviews movies on the Channel 5 news at 10 p.m. Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Pacifiction

Simon abrams.

Return to Seoul

Monica castillo.

Still the Water

Matt zoller seitz.

The Spirit of '45

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Brian tallerico, film credits.

Nine to Five (1980)

110 minutes

Sterling Hayden as Tinsworthy

Elizabeth Wilson as Roz

Lily Tomlin as Violet Newstead

Dolly Parton as Doralee Rhodes

Jane Fonda as Judy Bernly

Dabney Coleman as Franklin Hart Jr.

Directed by

Colin Higgins

Photographed by

Reynaldo Villalobos

Screenplay by

Patricia Resnick

Produced by

Latest blog posts

SXSW 2023: Blackberry, Problemista, The Long Game

SXSW 2023: Confessions of a Good Samaritan, Call Me Bill, Louder Than You Think

SXSW 2023: Citizen Sleuth, Last Stop Larrimah, The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution

Bob Odenkirk Stars in Another Promising AMC Show

Nine to Five

Photos & Videos

Film Details

Articles & Reviews

Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, colin higgins, dolly parton, lily tomlin, dabney coleman, sterling hayden, photos & videos, technical specs.

Recently divorced Judy Bernly takes an office job and soon becomes pals with fellow secretaries Violet Newstead and Doralee Rhodes. Their boss is male chauvinist Franklin Hart Jr. , who is trying to land Doralee in bed. While smoking pot one night the women hatch a plan to take revenge on their cruel boss.

Elizabeth Wilson

Henry Jones

Lawrence pressman, marian mercer, jessica badovinac, barbara chase, david price, peter hobbs, jeffrey douglas thomas, vicki velmonte, terry jackson house, helene heigh, gavin mooney, shirley anthony, esther sutherland, eric mansker, jerrold ziman, brad david stockton, raymond o'keefe, michael hehr, edward marshall, norma donaldson, roxanne bonilla-giannini, michael delano, terrence mcnally, alan haufrect, vanna salviati, richard stahl, bernadine anderson, james m arnett, aram betkijian, timothy board, andrew chulack, gary daigler, george eckert, nicholas eliopoulos, wayne fitzgerald, charles fox, chuck gaspar, susan germaine, bruce gilbert, richard hashimoto, pembroke j. herring, george jenson, terry liebling, anne mcculley, charles minsky, dean edward mitzner, kay molyneaux, ralph nelson, gregory pickrell, kaye pownall, mark reedall, patricia resnick, paul bruce richardson, richard rubin, marshall schlom, theodore soderberg, chris soldo, matt sweeney, jack g taylor, richard taylor, evelyn trimmer, reynaldo villalobos, jeffrey s wexler, douglas o. williams.

Hosted Intro

Award Nominations

9 to 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition on DVD

Miscellaneous notes.

Released in United States Winter December 19, 1980

IPC Films is Jane Fonda's production company.

Your Browser is Not Supported

To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers:

Safari v11+

Firefox Quantum

Microsoft Edge

Or browse by category:

The Best 22 Movies of 2022

Common Sense Selections for family entertainment

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

Growing Up Queer: Thoughtful Books About LGBTQ+ Youth

Check out new Common Sense Selections for games

Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Spring Break Activities for Families

Great Documentaries to Celebrate Women's History Month

Watch the series

Nine to five (9 to 5).

Common Sense says

Classic '80s comedy takes on sexual harassment.

Parents say

Based on 3 reviews

Based on 5 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

A lot or a little.

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that NINE TO FIVE (aka 9 TO 5) is a funny revenge story about three female office workers who take on their arrogant, sexist boss. Slapstick cartoon action (car chases, a corpse mix-up, a kidnapping, hog-tying, gunfire) moves the plot from one outrageous situation to another, all obviously make-believe with no injuries or deaths. Fighting sexual harassment in the workplace is the core story line, and with it comes sleazy seduction attempts and threats, breast ogling, references to infidelity, and a man who has no respect for the women who work for him. Language is salty throughout, including "s--t," "bastard," "ass," "screwing," "butt," "pee," "goddamn," "banging the boss," and "bitch." The blowhard male constantly demeans the women, leering and calling them "girls," "pretty face," and "nice package." There is some social drinking, and one female employee is portrayed as habitually drunk. A lengthy scene finds the three leading ladies sharing a marijuana cigarette; they eat, laugh hysterically, and bond. Given the subject matter and the situations, this movie is best for teens.

Community Reviews

Yes! All of this!

Report this review, still holds up, what's the story.

Consolidated Industries is a terrible place to work in NINE TO FIVE. Franklin M. Hart, Jr. ( Dabney Coleman ) is a nightmare masquerading as a boss. Sexually harassing Doralee (Dolly Parton ), his voluptuous, upright secretary; stealing ideas and credit from Violet ( Lily Tomlin ), the smartest woman in the office; and setting down rigid rules and ridiculous regulations for an entire staff filled with women who desperately need their jobs, the no-nothing Mr. Hart has all the power in the world ... plus a stoolie (Elizabeth Wilson) to spy on everyone. That's what Judy Bernly ( Jane Fonda ), a sweet, innocent divorcée, finds on her first day on the job. It must be serendipity that Judy's presence and a night of hilarious, marijuana-fueled fantasizing about what all three might do to get even with their shameless employer sets a devilish plot in motion. In classical farce mode, which involves poisoning, kidnapping, an errant corpse, and making extravagant changes to the office status quo, Doralee, Violet, and Judy want nothing less than payback on a monumental scale.

Is It Any Good?

The movie is outrageous and silly -- but oh, how satisfyingly to-the-point. When it was released in 1980, this farcical tale struck a chord with audiences in early stage awareness of office misbehavior of the sexual kind. Making fun of longstanding indignities and sexual blackmail heightened both consciousness and consciences. The actors, including the vanity-free Dabney Coleman, go all out, doubling down on the quirky characters and wacky situations. Decades later, it's still funny, miraculously off the wall, and relevant. Well-paced and directed with gusto, for the most part, it can be forgiven for a little sluggishness as the story winds down to a satisfying ending.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the ongoing issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. Since this film was released in 1980, how much has changed in both awareness and action? What resources do employees now have to help them?

Movies often inspire cultural and social change. Can comic movies such as this one be a part of this process? How does laughing at questionable behavior help alter our perceptions?

What is a "character arc"? Which of the three heroines has the most vivid and life-changing character arc? How do the filmmakers show this progression?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

Touching romantic comedy with a twist.

His Girl Friday

Sassy screwball classic with a feminist twist.

A League of Their Own

Terrific story of women's baseball has great messages.

Broadcast News

Witty TV newsroom tale for mature comedy fans.

Working Girl

Sexed-up '80s corporate tale with stellar cast.

For kids who love classic tales

Themes & Topics

Browse titles with similar subject matter.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

IMAGES

How To Write A Synopsis For A Movie
How to Write a Movie Synopsis That Sells (Free Template)
How to write Synopsis 101
How to Write a Film Synopsis: Useful and Expert Pointers
How to Write an Amazing Film Synopsis (Step-by-step Guide)
Nine to Five (1980) in 2020

VIDEO

【ID SUB】Sword of Destiny
【ENG】Wen Chao Rong
Venaa! Venaa! Vitrunga! Vitrunga! #shorts #ohmyghost #sunnyleone #yogibabu #dharshagupta
Gehra Daagh
PELAKOR PERUSAK PERNIKAHAN ‼️ SELURUH CERITA NOKTAH MERAH PERKAWINAN (2022)
5000 ஆண்டுகள் கழித்து மீண்டும் வந்த ஆடம்...இவன தடுக்க இந்த கிரகத்திலேயே எவனும் இல்ல

COMMENTS

9 to 5 (film)
It stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with and overthrowing the company's
9 to 5 (1980)
The film centers on the friendship between three women who work in the offices of a large corporation known as Consolidated Industries. Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda)
9 to 5 (1980)
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
9 to 5
Nine to Five still offers the best laughs of any movie this season. · Its farcical script wears a little thin at times, but director Colin Higgins scrambles
9 to 5 (1980) Movie Summary and Film Synopsis
Franklin Hart may be the most sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritically-bigoted boss on the planet. He constantly humiliates his female
9 to 5 (film)
The film concerns three working women living out their fantasies of getting even with, and their successful overthrow of, the company's autocratic, "sexist
9 to 5 (film)
Plot[edit] ... Reserved, prudish housewife Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is forced to find work after her husband, Dick (Lawrence Pressman), leaves her for his
Nine to Five movie review & film summary (1980)
"Nine to Five" is a good-hearted, simple-minded comedy that will win a place in film history, I suspect, primarily because it contains the
Nine to Five (1980)
Recently divorced Judy Bernly takes an office job and soon becomes pals with fellow secretaries Violet Newstead and Doralee Rhodes.
Nine to Five (9 to 5) Movie Review
Making fun of longstanding indignities and sexual blackmail heightened both consciousness and consciences. The actors, including the vanity-free