Delayed Reaction: 9 to 5

The Pitch: There must be a way to make this feminist movie funny and profitable.

Three women capture and overthrow their autocratic, sexist boss.

First of all, that song. It's a real toe-tapper. The 80s were full of movies that were made by their music (Footloose, Flashdance, An Officer and a Gentleman). I'm pretty sure 9 to 5 would've been a major hit without the song, but it certainly helped to have it.

Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton strike a perfect balance of personalities (straight woman, joke-getter, wildcard, respectively). It's clear why they become fast friends and what attracts them to each other. They share the dislike of their boss, Dabney Coleman, but in different enough ways that they aren't then competing with each other. Coleman is so gleefully detestable that nothing they do to him is too harsh. I'm not sure that all the humor holds up, but I lightly chuckled through enough of the movie. More than anything, this movie is incredibly watchable.

I'm mostly intrigued by that ending. That wasn't what I expected it was all building toward. Years of Hollywood movie-watching prepared me for the moment when all of Coleman's lies are exposed and the women get the credit they deserve. That doesn't happen though. The movie ends with no one else any wiser to what they women have done. Instead, Coleman gets Peter Principled into a job in the Brazilian jungle entirely because the Chairman of the Board credits him with all of Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton's changes. That in and of itself is a fitting statement about the movie. Everything can't be changed all at once. Women getting more respect in the office happens slowly. Even a movie as in favor of it as this still recognizes that it's the small wins as much as the big ones that make a difference.

The text updates about everyone at the end is a mixed bag. When I like a character, it's nice to know more about their story. 9 times out of 10 though, these updates aren't needed or offer no information of worth. In particular, the one about Parton's character becoming a country singer was too cute by half.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend