Warum eigentlich... bringen wir den Chef nicht um?

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.

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.

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.

"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!

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.