Pink Asparagus

8/10

I have this image of [him] running for his life and the whole office is about to get him and hunt him down… 

Colin Higgins and Patricia Resnick’s 9 to 5 is a pleasant woman led screwball comedy about three women who have had enough of ugly men abusing them in the workplace! Antagonist Franklin is a dim-witted, manipulative boss baby, who makes his life easier by extracting as much labor (emotional and otherwise) from the women that work for him. He sits in his silly little office chair and asks Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda for coffee, respect and other things that he doesn’t deserve. After a while, these hot women have had enough! They gather round, light up some premium pot in the ladies room and begin plotting his demise. 

We could have ourselves an old fashioned ladies’ pot party. 

9 to 5 is lighthearted, satisfying and nearly timeless, with the exception of a few unacceptable lines. It has the essentials: several women-led revenge sequences, cartoonish violence towards men, and women taking the power they deserve… It’s an ideal flick for if you’re tired after work, you hate your job and you’re looking for a fantastical comedy that hits too close to home. The abuse depicted seems unrealistically mild in comparison to some administrative roles I’ve heard about in both Toronto and Montreal, but otherwise it is a movie that delivers an important message in an exciting and satisfying way.   

SPOILER BELOW! What you need to know about the ending…

…

…

…

…

…

…leaving scrolling room to ensure nothing is spoiled accidentally…

…

…

…

…

…

…keep scrolling…

…

…

…

…

…

… almost there…

…

…

…

…

…

…

While you were away, we managed to make a few changes. 

The ending is exciting and inspiring! Lily Tomlin’s character, Violet, accidentally poisons Hart’s coffee, landing him in the hospital and her in a panic. The three women restrain him to his bedroom ceiling with bondage equipment, and leave him there while they start running the office the way it should’ve been run all along. When Hart escapes, he escorts them to his office, repeatedly threatening to call the police. Suddenly, the board chairman for his company shows up unexpectedly to congratulate Hart on a 20% rise in productivity over 6 weeks. Hart stutters, and Violent confidently takes over, explaining to the chairman all the wonderful new policies her and the other women had put in place, including a better decorated office space, flexible working hours, job sharing, a daycare centre and an alcoholics rehabilitation program. The chairman is so impressed that he promotes Hart to managing a new project in Brazil. The movie ends with the three women standing over Hart’s empty desk and raising a glass to the beginning of workplace improvements. My only complaint is that it might’ve been nice to see the murder dream sequences actualized, rather than seeing him exiled to Brazil…