9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

69% Tomatometer 101 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings

Office satire about three female secretaries who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss by abducting him and running the business themselves. The trio, one of whom has been passed over for promotion because she is a woman, spend a night together having drug-induced fantasies of killing the slave-driving chauvinist. One of them panics the following day when she suspects she really has poisoned the tyrant.

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9 to 5

9 to 5

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Kevin Maher Times (UK) Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are a formidably charismatic triumvirate. Dec 27, 2023 Full Review 9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Kathleen Carroll New York Daily News Nine to Five still offers the best laughs of any movie this season. Mar 3, 2023 Full Review 9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Perry Stewart Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Its farcical script wears a little thin at times, but director Colin Higgins scrambles adroitly. Rated: 3/4 Mar 3, 2023 Full Review 9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Joe Lipsett Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network While the lengthy fantasy sequences take up too much screen time, Fonda, Tomlin and Parton are delightful as three different types of women uniting to fight the patriarchy. The film's subtle racial and class critiques are most welcome. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 6, 2023 Full Review 9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Dennis Harvey 48 Hills It’s a pity Higgins didn’t survive to demonstrate what he could do beyond the confines of the very mainstream features he completed... Jun 12, 2023 Full Review 9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Constitution As for Dolly, well, she's just about the most pleasant surprise to hit the movies since popcorn. She's smart, sassy, Southern and just sensational And the camera loves her. Mar 4, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member One of the best classic cult comedies ever! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/25 Full Review Farah R Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton elevate this timeless comedy whose themes are still resonant today. With a witty script and fantastic performances, it's easy to lay back and enjoy the ride. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/25 Full Review William G I was 10 years old when this came out, and I thought it was great. Having seen it recently, I thought parts of it were kind of boring. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/07/25 Full Review Jeff M I think most of us have that small handful of ride-or-die movies, the cinematic equivalent of our best friends. They are the movies that are always there for us no matter what, and they consistently seem to have the knack to help us dust ourselves off, pick ourselves up and start all over again. This is one of those movies for me and has been for decades. And after my latest screening, it just keeps getting better and better. There's not a single thing I would change, and each viewing makes me appreciation certain aspects more. This time I marveled over the underrated comic performance of Fonda. Tomlin is the glue that holds it all together and Parton was the fresh comic find that caught our attention, but Fonda has a lot of really marvelous moments here and some truly classic line readings, particularly in a scene with her ex-husband where she talks about smoking pot and doing "M&Ms". And kudos also to Dabney Coleman who makes the smarmiest of bosses somehow likable. And his turnabout in Parton's dream sequence really illustrates his versatility. I could write pages and paragraphs about how I adore this film, but like our best friends, sometimes a simple "I love you" is all that is needed. (P.S. if you watch this on DVD, be sure and listen to the audio commentary track as well with all three ladies and producer Bruce Gilbert) Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Chris T Utterly hilarious, vastly head of its time female stoner office comedy from 1980. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/24 Full Review Alicia F One of my all time favourite films. Pitch perfect. Laugh out loud hilarious and a feminist trailblazer. Love those women, their witty take downs and camaraderie. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

9 to 5

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Cast & Crew

Colin Higgins Director Jane Fonda Judy Bernly Lily Tomlin Violet Newstead Dolly Parton Doralee Rhodes Dabney Coleman Franklin M. Hart Jr. Sterling Hayden Russell Tinsworthy
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Synopsis Office satire about three female secretaries who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss by abducting him and running the business themselves. The trio, one of whom has been passed over for promotion because she is a woman, spend a night together having drug-induced fantasies of killing the slave-driving chauvinist. One of them panics the following day when she suspects she really has poisoned the tyrant.

Director
Colin Higgins

Producer
Bruce Gilbert

Screenwriter
Colin Higgins, Patricia Resnick

Distributor
20th Century Fox

Production Co
IPC Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Rating
PG

Genre
Comedy

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 19, 1980, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015

Runtime
1h 50m
Most Popular at Home Now
9 to 5 | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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