With cities starting to reopen after months of pandemic-prescribed lockdown, people are talking about office life. The open-floor plan so beloved of managers is likely to be a thing of the past, replaced by Plexiglas barriers or work-from-home video links. These changes, combined with a spate of highly publicized worker revolts tied to diversity issues, suggest that the old office norms are under siege, which makes it seem like a good time to revisit “Nine to Five.”
When it was released in 1980, The New York Times dryly called it an “office comedy.” That’s true, though it’s more of a comedy about a female uprising. The story is a pip: Three beleaguered secretaries join forces to battle their bullying, sexist boss. Hilarity, implausible high jinks and bondage jokes ensue, but what matters is that the three oppressed workers are played by the glorious trio of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, in her screen debut. Parton also sang the catchy title song, which became a hit.
Workin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
Inspired by the women she met during one of her national tours, Fonda decided to make a movie about the discrimination facing female office workers. “We did not see it as a comedy at first,” she later wrote. “What’s funny about working 15-hour days and getting paid for 40 hours’ work a week?” But a comedy it became, with the director Colin Higgins writing the script with Patricia Resnick, and Tomlin and Parton stealing the show. The film was a hit and spawned a TV series and a Broadway musical. Not everyone was a fan, but as the 1980s became a decade known for testosterone-fueled action movies, the flickering feminist righteousness of “Nine to Five” was encouraging.
Forty years later, we’re curious: Do you see the film’s vision of workplace sisterhood as noble or pandering? Ahead of its time or, in the era of #MeToo and intersectional feminism, hopelessly dated? Do Tomlin, Fonda and Parton make you laugh? “Nine to Five” is widely available to rent or buy online; here’s a guide. Please watch it over the weekend and let us know what you think in the comments section below. The cutoff for feedback is 6 p.m. Eastern time, Monday. We’ll read what you have to say and share our ideas on both the film and your observations on Tuesday.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
