9 to 5
9 to 5 is a film about women in the work place being put down and treated without respect by supervisors. Each of the three main characters played a specific "type" of woman trying to climb the corporate ladder in the workplace in the eighties. I don't appreciate these pigeon-holes, but I suppose at the time this film was made, the only way to begin to address gender inequality in the workplace was through the use of humor and sterotyping. That isn't correct, but we see that now in films as it relates to racial sterotyping and inequalities. The types I noticed are as follows:
Dolly Parton - "Sexy secretary" who is not having an affair with the boss, but everyone thinks she is. This "type" of charater is not respected by authority because of her good looks, and other employees do not take her seriously. This woman is quirky and uses humor to deal with her sexist boss.
Lily Tomlin - "Management-wanna-be". This "type" wants to climb the corporate ladder, and wants to be respected for her hard work and dedication to the company that continues to put her down and promote men over her. This "type" of working woman is smart and efficient, and her boss often takes credit for her work.
Jane Fonda - "The never-worked-before-Divorcee". This "type" of woman in the workplace has often never worked before outside of the home. She often is easily overwhelmed by the stresses in the workplace, and is still sometimes pining for her ex-husband.
I appreciate the way this film showed the main characters taking over the business and being successful with it while Mr. Hart was "kidnapped". The main characters were validated by the chairman of the board who approved of their work but yet recognized Mr. Hart for it. So, in the end, the characters were personally validated but within the eyes of the company, Mr. Hart was responsible for all the positive change within the company.