9 TO 5

PLOT SUMMARY

Judy Bernly, recently divorced after her husband Dick had an affair with his secretary, has just found a job as a secretary at Consolidated. She quickly learns that her boss Franklin Hart is another dick, treating women on his staff as menial labor even as he comes on to them (as he does with Doralee) and passing off their work as his own (as he does with Violet.)

These three women become fast friends, bonded in part by their distaste for Hart. They take it as long as they can, but finally rebel. Taking off work early, they visit the neighborhood bar and then go to Doralee's house since her husband is away. They pass a joint around and hatch absurd schemes of revenge on Hart. Violet's involves a potent poison. This seems to become all too real the next day when she inadvertently puts rat poison into his coffee.

When Hart leans back to drink the coffee, his chair collapses and the cup goes flying. Hart is knocked out and rushed to the hospital. Violet, having just discovered her mistake, panics. The three friends rush to the hospital where Hart has recovered and walked out. But in the same room is an important witness in a trial who has unexpectedly died — apparently from poison. Seeing the police guarding the room, and hearing their talk, the three conclude they are suspected or soon will be. Violet resolves to hide the body and, during a moment when the gurney is unguarded and her friends are elsewhere, succeeds in doing so. She stuffs the body into the trunk of her car just as her friends reach her. They race off through the city. But they have an accident. When they open the trunk for a tire iron, they see the body is not Hart. So they return it to the hospital.

The next day, Hart shows up at work as usual. The three friends are greatly relieved. They talk about the mistake in the rest room, where Hart's snoop Roz takes notes, unnoticed by them. Hart resolves to turn them in to the police, but they kidnap him and imprison him in his own house. He's there six weeks, until they can get proof of his double dealing with some company inventory they've discovered.

They succeed in preventing anyone else from growing suspicious at Hart's absence. Meanwhile, using Doralee's ability to forge Hart's signature, they begin making changes. By the time Hart's wife comes home early from vacation and frees him, the office has flex time, equal pay for women, relaxed rules on decoration, even a day-care center. Productivity has gone up by 20 percent. Chairman of the board Tinsworthy notices and pays a visit to praise Hart for boldness and innovation. He offers Hart "the opportunity of a lifetime": a chance to head up the Brazil operation. Hart's disapproval goes unheeded, for Tinsworthy is not a man who takes "no" for an answer.

Capsule review: Despite a plot filled with absurd schemes and unlikely successes, 9 to 5 is an excellent comedy that deftly delivers important messages. Watch it.