9 to 5
Despite some strange fantasy storylines and 1980s camera work, I thought "9 to 5" was overall an interesting and funny movie. The three women's fantasies of how to kill the boss were odd, stealing a corpse is weird, and the way they kept him in chains was strange as well. I think that it is the over-the-top aspect of this film which keeps it funny, while still saying something about oppressive and inappropriate conditions that women in the workplace experience. I think that underneath the laughs there were also issues addressed such as the differences in pay and position that women recieved, as well as breaking down access issues by featuring women with children to take care of, or the situations of women who were widowed or divorced. The film dealt with women as being wielders of familial power, such as in the office when Violet Newstead appealed to Mr. Hart as to why she didn't get the promotion despite being better qualified, and he told her that the other man who did get the promotion had a family to support.
I think this film dealt with some issues which were (and are) troublesome and that women still face at their places of employ. The over-the-top aspect did seem strange and sometimes violent, but I think that it was done in a clearly tongue-in-cheek way. Probably my favorite part of this film is that in the end, Violet Newstead didn't live happily ever after because she found a man to take care of her and the family, but that she received the position that she wanted and accomplished a personal goal. Doralee became a country singer (go figure) and did something she wanted, and even though Judy did end up with a new husband, it is clear to the audience that she did so because she wanted to, and not because she felt she needed to.