9 To 5

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Comedy is a hard genre to stay on top of, as it’s one of the fastest changing genres in film, television, stage, and literature. Because so much of comedy depends on what’s acceptable in everyday life, topics to poke fun at disappear and reappear faster than dishes on a jet-fueled lazy Susan. Having said that, there are some that stay relevant, simply because that area of society takes longer to change and while that’s not so great for human development, it’s nice for the longevity of little pocket classics, like 9 to 5.

The film follows three women who work in the same office and are each being mistreated by their boss. Violet (Lily Tomlin) has her promotion given to someone else and then her ideas to better efficiency passed off as his. Judy (Jane Fonda) gets verbally abused on her first day and then enraged when a fellow coworker is dismissed unfairly. Doralee (Dolly Parton) is being ostracized around the office thanks to rumours spread by the boss that she’s his mistress. After drunkenly musing how nice it would be with their boss out of the way, the girls inadvertently get their wish after a series of mishaps that include mistaken identity, rat poison, and the theft of a body. Whilst keeping him a prisoner in his own house, the girls try to find a way to save their jobs and skins, whilst also making some amazing changes around the office.

It's that classic comedic trope of a series of mistakes that just keeps adding to a problem and making it bigger coupled with the stupidity of corporate masculinity and the heartwarming payoff when everything ends up better in the end. Similar to The First Wives Club, these three women weather so much crap before they finally snap and decide that something needs to be done. What’s lovely about this movie is that it starts going in one direction, but then changes course and turns into something else entirely. The real revenge is happening in the background, almost on a whim, and that’s what makes this movie so funny and delightful.

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The performances are all great, with the central cast being so different from each other, that whole unlikely band of people coming together and becoming friends thing. But the real joy of this movie is the inadvertent revenge the girls get on their boss, by being so innovative and efficient that he reaps the ‘rewards’ and has a little change of heart at the same time.

It’s a fun little film about female camaraderie and support whilst at the same time playing with slapstick humour, sexual innuendoes, and the snowball effect of mishaps and miscommunications. And of course, your day will get lightened up by having the title track stuck in your head for a little while afterwards.

Director: Colin Higgins, 1980

Cast: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Sterling Hayden, & Elizabeth Wilson