9 to 5 (1980)
82%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 8 nominations total
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
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you laugh, 9 to 5 is the perfect choice. With a cast that includes Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton, you know you’re in for a good time. Sure, the plot may be a bit predictable, but who cares when you’re having this much fun? And let’s be real, who hasn’t wanted to chain up their boss at some point? So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. You won’t regret it.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
10431 Bellagio Road, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1980
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2001
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman, Sterling Hayden, Elizabeth Wilson, directed by Colin Higgins, written by Colin Higgins, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Kevin Thomas, Tara Brady, Peter Bradshaw, Bruce McCabe, Patricia Resnick, MPAA rating PG, gender roles, workplace, revenge, drug-induced fantasies, sexism, promotion, slave-driving chauvinist, poison, 20th Century Fox, office satire, feminist, women’s rights, social commentary, empowerment, equality, Lily Tomlin’s Violet, Jane Fonda’s Judy Bernly, Dolly Parton’s Doralee Rhodes, Colin Higgins’ movie, Patricia Resnick, David Nusair, Jesús Fernández Santos, Ellen Slavitz, Tuesday Blue, Mattie Lucas, The Other Woman, socially relevant, outdated, Netflix watch, hospital sequence, effective office, fabulously cheesy, awesome 80’s movie, likable, horror movies, MCU movies, TV shows, streaming, renewed, cancelled, worst horror movies, best Netflix series
Worldwide gross: $103,300,686
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $388,239,008
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 394
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 42,337,951
US/Canada gross: $103,290,500
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $388,200,725
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 124
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,966,832
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,908,700
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 794
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $37,583,391
Production budget ranking: 1,000
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $20,238,656
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $330,416,961
ROI to date (est.): 571%
ROI ranking: 223
Lily Tomlin – Violet Newstead
Dolly Parton – Doralee Rhodes
Dabney Coleman – Franklin M. Hart Jr.
Sterling Hayden – Russell Tinsworthy
Elizabeth Wilson – Roz Keith
Director(s)
Colin Higgins
Writer(s)
Colin Higgins
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 8 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (8)
Colin Higgins’ movie is a disappointment. Not a fiasco, a disaster or a scandal. But not as funny as it should have been, and not the trenchant office satire one was led to expect.
June 17, 2022
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
In short, its stars are more satisfying than their material, as good as it so often is.
March 7, 2021
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
9 to 5 retains a barbed relevance beneath its capering and unflattering hairstyles, not to mention one of cinema’s most badass trios.
March 7, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
9 to 5 is tremendous fun.
November 15, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This is one of the most delightful films of the year. It’s an entertaining movie with a social and political point to make about office politics.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Although it can probably be argued that Patricia Resnick and director Colin Higgins’ script [from a story by Resnick] at times borders on the inane, the bottom line is that this picture is a lot of fun.
June 24, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
9 to 5’s strong cast … and appealing concept (who hasn’t wanted to chain up the boss at one point or another?), make it almost as relevant today as it was when it hit theaters in 1980.
January 15, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Betsy Bozdech
DVDJournal.com
…a fairly one-note premise that’s employed to far better and more complex effect than one might’ve initially anticipated…
February 15, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
This is a conventional comedy in the style of the films shot in the 1940s, with the same plot and identical characters, but, unfortunately, lesser actors. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 16, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
The three women shine together as co-stars, although I was partial to Lily Tomlin’s Violet.
August 15, 2019
Ellen Slavitz
Sojourner
9 to 5 has laughs from beginning to end, a catchy theme song, clever editing techniques, and inspirational characters who prove that we’re better united than divided. If you haven’t already seen 9 to 5 you’re missing out.
July 3, 2019
Tuesday Blue
Film Inquiry
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton make a fantastic team.
June 4, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row…
Plot
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?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dolly Parton’s performance in 9 to 5 is surprisingly good for her first major acting role.
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