Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 13-February-05
Spoiler Rating: Medium

9 to 5 (1980)

Certain movie lines have become part of my family's vernacular, and one of them comes from "9 to 5:"

"You've got a nice package, you might as well show it off."

While you ponder what this says about my family, allow me to note that when "9 to 5" came out I was too young to appreciate the lampooning of corporate America, and that the type of breezy, irreverent, slightly naughty humor wrapped up in this line made it, for me, an instant classic. This is just a fun, fun movie for all the right reasons: interesting characters, off-center dilemmas, a mix of physical and situational comedy, and the titillating promise of justice triumphing in the end. The fact that it draws a bead on cultural mores crying out to be flouted only makes it more delicious — and, sad to say, enduringly relevant into the 21st century.

In addition to an excellent script, the success of the picture begins with one of the most unlikely examples of perfect casting in history. Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton are superb as cogs in the wheels of Consolidated, a morass of cubicles and corner offices in which male executives make as much money as possible from the labor of downtrodden and undervalued females. Violet (Tomlin) is a hardened veteran stuck in middle management due to her sex; Judy (Fonda) is a timid rookie forced into the workplace by divorce; and Doralee (Parton) is a cheery secretary with the patience of a saint. The diversity of this threesome represents all the unsung peons of the corporate world, and they fit so well together you can sense an undercurrent of hilarity even when their characters are in the midst of crisis.

Crisis comes, sure enough, after the ladies spend an alcohol- and pot-fueled evening fantasizing about bumping off their supervisor, Franklin Hart, Jr., a "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" with a hard-on for Doralee (played by the impeccably obnoxious Dabney Coleman). When Violet accidentally puts rat poison in his coffee the next day, the dynamic trio initiates a series of poorly laid (and hilarious) plans that result in their taking Hart hostage until they can blackmail him and secure their own freedom. With the boss tied up at home (literally), they also take the opportunity to change the office into a more accommodating and friendly environment.

Much has changed since "9 to 5" was released (who starts work at 9:00?), but some of the radical measures instituted by Violet, Judy, and Doralee are still far from the norm, like job sharing, flextime, and equal opportunity between genders. Their demand that the guys in charge respect and recognize a good employee despite her skirt must strike a chord in the hearts of cube-dwellers even today. But the movie is a comedy more than a call to arms, a wonderful farce chock full of joyous outrage, silliness, and wit. All this, plus great chemistry between the leads and Parton's delightful theme song: I'd say it's a nice package, indeed.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.