Amazon.com

With a nod to Preston Sturges's classic dark comedy Unfaithfully Yours (about a man who fantasizes about murdering his possibly philandering wife), this 1980 cotton-candy-feminist-vendetta film concerns a monstrous boss (Dabney Coleman) whose more capable underlings dream of ways of punishing him. That much of the film is particularly fun, but the rest of it descends into silliness when the women stumble onto a real-life opportunity to teach him a lesson. Fonda, the biggest star in the film at the time, takes a back seat to Parton's and Tomlin's showier roles. Written and directed by the late Colin Higgins (who made a lot of people happy in the '70s with his script for the beloved Harold and Maude). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (53)

Before
"9 to 5" remains a favorite comedy of mine 24 years after its release. I first saw it in the movie theaters back in 1980. I thought it was hilarious then and I still think it is hilarious now. Dabney Coleman was the perfect evil boss. He was a sexist, bigoted jerk of a human being who treated his employees like dirt. Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton rounds out the cast as the disgruntled employees. Although we use computers now, office antics remains unchanged in the 21st century. Who hasn't dreamt of killing their boss? "9 to 5" really epitomized just how funny, if not torturous working in an office can be. I know from experience. Thankfully I never encountered a male supervisor who sexually harassed me like Dabney Coleman did to Dolly Parton in the movie. My personal favorite moment in the film was when the women were at Dolly's home kicking back on some wacky tobaccy. The fantasies were hysterical. They still crack me up to this very day. I personally loved Lily Tomlin's fantasy as Snow White. The longer I work in an office environment, the more I can relate to films like "9 to 5" and "Office Space". Talk about life imitating art.

Do you do M&M's?
I hope this is a fantasy movie. Dabney Colman plays Franklin Hart Jr. (...) Mr. Hart can not understand what is happening to him. It seems that everything he does backfires. Violet (Lily Tomlin) gets upset because he promotes someone that she trained, around her. After making overtures to the married Doralee (Dolly Parton), she threatens to turn him from a rooster to a hen with one shot. At one point Violet fantasizes about and may have put “Rid-a-Rat” in his coffee, which leads to a great hospital scene. Violet says, “I'm no fool. I've killed the boss, you think they're not gonna fire me for a thing like that?!” He eventually spends time literally hanging around Judy’s (Jane Fonda) house while the Trio of women get the goods on his side business of pilfering from their company. Dabney Coleman outdoes himself in the hunting scene. (...)

For Every Office Worker Who's Wanted to Bump Off the Boss...
Saw this movie over 15 times before it even hit video, let alone DVD - saw it in a theatre when I was younger, and it quickly became one of my favorite comedies.

The casting is brilliant. Lily Tomlin plays Violet, an office manager with a sexist-egotistical-lying-hypocritical-bigot of a boss, Mr. Hart (Dabney Coleman), who she is trying to put up with because she's in line for a promotion (even though she's had her share of seeing men SHE TRAINED promoted above and before her). Dolly Parton is Doralee, buxom secretary to the lecherous Mr. Hart, who put up with his advances and pinching and staring because she needs the job (little does she know, thanks to him and his mouth, she's also - behind her back - known as the office floozy). Jane Fonda is Judy, a newly divorced woman who's husband left her for his secretary - she's just started at Consolidated, and is having a hard time adjusting to office life.

In one bad -- really bad -- day, Mr. Hart manages to push all three of these women to the breaking point ... and that night, over good barbecue and an even better joint, the women fantasize about what it would be like to kill their boss; each woman has a unique and juicy way of doing him in that is both funny and suitable.

The plot changes drastically from here, when each woman systematically -- and accidentally -- puts a variation of her plan to action (or so she thinks), leading to all sort of misunderstandings, uncovering of big business schemes, kidnapping -- even a change in office decor!

The casting is ideal; this was Dolly Parton's first film, and she positively glows as Doralee. Jane Fonda, playing against type, is terrific as the mousy Judy, who finally finds her backbone after dealing with her husband's abandonment. And Lily Tomlin is awesome as Violet, a widow with four kids who's just trying to give her family a good life ... even if it means dumping her boss's body to do it (don't worry - this doesn't give the film away!).

It's rare to find someone who hasn't seen this great comedy -- anyone who's ever worked in an office can relate to it especially. It's funny, watching it now and seeing all the old typewriters and other office machinery that has now been replaced by computers in 2004 -- kind of dates the movie, in a way, but also adds to its charm. One of the best comedies of the 1980's, "Nine to Five" is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon - and a satisfying tale of justice served for every one of us who's had a hellacious boss.

Not your average working stiff movie.
It is no secret that there are many managers in this world who are nothing more than tokenheads of their departments. The real movers, shakers, and go-getters are the underlings that work for the manager.

And so is the case of Franklin M Hart, Jr., (perfectly played by Dabney Colemna) a vice-president at Consolidated. Oh sure, he was nice enough as he worked his way to the top of this male-dominated firm. But once he got there, he started stepping on everyone below him, including Violet Newstead (the ever funny Lily Tomlin), the office manager. As if that wasn't bad enough, Mr. Hart continously tries to seduce his unavailable, and equally unwilling, secretary, Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton, making her movie debut). And when the new girl, Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), accidentally makes a mess in the copier room, Mr. Hart tells her like it is.

After a while, the three put-upon women become friends, and after smoking a single joint together, start fantasizing about how they would put Mr. Hart in his place. Soon, however, fantasy becomes reality when Mr. Hart finds out that Violet accidentally put rat poison in his coffee.

In an attempt to stay out of jail, Violet, Doralee, and Judy take Mr. Hart hostage while they formulate a plan. Soon they discover that Mr. Hart has illegally made a profit at Consolidated's expense, and set out to get the evidence needed that will keep Mr. Hart from going to the police. But it will take nearly three weeks for the home office to send them the information. Will they be able to keep Mr. Hart under lock and key until then? Better yet, can they fool the office into thinking that Mr. Hart is still at work even though he's not?

"9 to 5" is one of those movies that you can't help but to enjoy. Funny, witty, and smart, anyone who has ever worked for a manager that didn't deserve to be a manager will enjoy watching fantasy become reality (at least, in the movie).

Released in 1980, this movie earned over $100 million (a relative rarity back then). It also earned Dolly Parton an Oscar nomination (Best Music - Original Song), three Golden Globes nominations (Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy; Best Original Song - Motion Picture; New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Female), and a Grammy nomination (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special). She also won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Song.

The success of the movie resulted in two short-lived TV series (first one from 1982-1983; second one from 1986 - 1988), both of which starred Dolly Parton's sister, Rachel Dennison.

If you've ever dreamed of watching your manager get his or her just desserts, then this movie will provide you with plenty of laughs (and possibly an idea or two).

The Sane Mutiny
What happens when a group of women working as secretaries for a big company get tired of their tyrannical, chauvinistic, not-very-competent boss? The answer is lots of laughs, if the women are Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda, and the boss is the deliciously despicable Dabney Coleman. At first, the women just daydream and chat about silly revenge plots. Then, a golden opprtunity for real revenge comes along, and they take their shot at realizing their daydreams.

Jane Fonda was the bigget name in the cast when the film came out, but she, while okay here, is outshone by Tomlin, Coleman, and Parton. The first half of the film is funnier and better than the second half, but it's a worthwhile watcher. To buy it? Only if you get a good price on a good used one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not short on murder, mayhem, or any other screwball '70s conventions, Foul Play is a wonderful vehicle for Goldie Hawn. She plays Gloria, a librarian "ready to take a chance again," who ends up the target of an assassination ring. Chevy Chase, fresh off of Saturday Night Live, does the closest thing to real acting he would ever achieve (okay, maybe Fletch) as Tony, the cop assigned to protect Gloria. Dudley Moore made an indelible impression on American audiences as Stanley Tibbets, a surprisingly kinky symphony conductor. But it's the quirky things that make this film: the grandmothers playing Scrabble with expletives, Burgess Meredith's snake Esme, the old Japanese couple in the back of the careening limo. From the opening credits with Barry Manilow crooning the title song, this is a fond trip down memory lane. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (29)

"...You've attacked an innocent dwarf!"

Director: Colin Higgins
Format: Color
Studio: Paramount Studio
Video Release Date: June 2, 1998

Cast:

Goldie Hawn ... Gloria Mundy
Chevy Chase ... Tony Carlson
Burgess Meredith ... Mr. Hennessey
Rachel Roberts ... Delia Darrow/Gerda Casswell
Eugene Roche ... Archbishop Thorncrest/Archbishop's brother
Dudley Moore ... Stanley Tibbets
Marilyn Sokol ... Stella
Brian Dennehy ... Fergie
Marc Lawrence ... Rupert Stiltskin
Chuck McCann ... Theatre manager
Billy Barty ... J.J. MacKuen
Don Calfa ... Scarface
Bruce Solomon ... Bob Scott
Cooper Huckabee ... Sandy
Pat Ast ... Mrs. Venus
Frances Bay ... Mrs. Russel
Lou Cutell ... House manager
William Frankfather ... Whitey Jackson
John Hancock ... Capt. Coleman
Barbara Sammeth ... Sally
Queenie Smith ... Elsie
Hope Summers ... Ethel
Irene Tedrow ... Mrs. Monk
Ion Teodorescu ... The Turk
Janet Wood ... Sylvia
David Cole ... Theatre Usher
Bill Gamble ... Dickinson
Cyril Magnin ... Pope Pius XIII
Michael David Lee ... Limo driver
Neno Russo ... Luigi
Rollin Moriyama ... Japanese man
Mitsu Yashima ... Japanese woman
M. James Arnett ... Truck driver
Jophery C. Brown ... Cop
John Hatfield ... Security guard
Joe Bellan ... Man in phone booth
Chuck Walsh ... Newscaster
Connie Sawyer ... Screaming lady
F. Jo Mohrbach ... Fat lady
Garry Goodrow ... Henpecked husband
Enrico Di Giuseppe ... Nanki-Pooh, the Son of the Mikado of Japan
Glenys Fowles ... Yum-Yum, a schoolgirl, betrothed to Ko-Ko
Kathleen Hegierski ... Peep-Bo, a Schoolgirl
Sandra Walker ... Pitti-Sing, a Schoolgirl
James Tomlinson ... Pish-Tush, a Noble Lord
Richard McKee ... Pooh-Bah, Lord High Everythingelse
Jane Shaulis ... Katisha, an Elderly Lady of the Mikado's Court
Shirley Python ... Esme

A newly divorced Gloria Mundy (Goldy Hawn) picks up a hitchkiker, Bob Scott (Bruse Solomon) on California's Highway One north of San Francisco. He is being followed. He makes a date with Gloria for the theater that evening, and gives her a pack of Marlboros into which he puts a roll of film without her knowledge to hold for her. He shows up at the theater, collapses in the seat beside her and dies, after telling her to "beware the dwarf" and that there would be a murder. When she goes for help, the body disappears.

Enter Detective Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase), whom she had met previously at a party. The bad guys try to kill her a couple of times, and to get the pack of smokes, unsuccessfully.

This is an excellent story with a great cast. Pity the dwarf Bible salesman, poor unlucky Stanley Tibbets (Dudley Moore) and the owners of all of the cars wrecked in the chase across town.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

San Francisco at its Best!
Once you see the lead in to the movie with Barry Manilow singing "Ready To Take a Chance Again" and sweet and pretty Goldie Hawn driving south on Highway 1 to downtown...you are hooked.
The view of the coast with the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge is so beautiful it can make you cry. Believe me, it is even more beautiful when you are there. Everything is here in one movie - action, comedy, satire, thrills, car chases, etc. Chevy Chase is young, dashing and handsome while a good supporting actress is Goldie's sidekick at the Library where they work. She advises Goldie to give it to them "right in the nuts" with a knuckle duster. Beware, her handbag has more weapons than cosmetics. Burgess Meredith is superb as a compact ex-US Marine turned anthropologist. He is old but a helluvaa tough guy and.. he's a Karate expert to boot. Dudley Moore is hilarious with his beaver trap apartment complete with piped in Bee Gees music. You'll never hear "Staying Alive" again without remembering this scene and Dudley's hilarious gyrations. Watch this movie and you'll be happy you did. I loved it.

Finally This Will be On DVD
I love this movie. Finally a dvd release date : Nov. 16, 2004. Thank you GOD

always a great film to see
I have always loved this movie. Its great from start to finish. I hear the DVD release date for this movie will be November 16, 2004. Too bad its even that far down the road, and not sooner. Oh well.

This Movie Needs To be Put on DVD!
Foul Play is a hilarious movie and I can't believe it hasn't been given the DVD treatment yet! Seems Like Old Times which Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase made after Foul Play is on DVD and that is also a funny movie but Foul Play is funnier and really should be on DVD. I would love to have either a Letterbox widescreen DVD or an anamorphic widescreen DVD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is an energetic, but ultimately mediocre adaptation of the play, directed on Broadway by Tommy Tune. Burt Reynolds is the town sheriff and a regular patron of a local bordello. He wages a public battle to keep it open after it is targeted as the devil's den by a television minister. Charles Durning was nominated for a Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and there are some lively song and dance numbers featuring Dolly Parton as the madame of the Chicken Ranch. However, this becomes bogged down in too many serious moments for it to be more than a lightweight musical comedy. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Ain't nothin' dirty goin' on.
The Best Little Whorehouse had a very bumpy transfer from stage to screen. The show itself was a Broadway success but the show failed miserably in overseas ventures. The main money behind the stage show was Universal Studios so it was only natural that they would bring it to the screen. They attached Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton to the cast, which seemed like a real score but, they also did an awful lot of reworking, enough to make the story lose its cohesion and heart. Most of the songs were cut and Ms Parton and Patrick Williams composed 2 new songs. The film was not well received, with only Charles Durning receiving positive notices.

Much of the fault lies in the new story ideas. Gone were subplots involving the girls at the Chicken ranch, which showed such promise on stage. That was arguably the heart of the show. Even Ed Earl and Miss Mona's personalities were softened as the story suddenly revolved solely around their relationship. They also went overboard to show Reynolds and Parton in a good light.

Many other shows have suffered a similar fate but have faired better by offering up new or expanded dance routines and musical numbers. But, we have no such luck here. The musical numbers are few and far between. A solo song with Burt Reynolds singing was cut making it even that much shorter. So, the film is not one of the best transfers but, like in most cases, it's all we got. Enjoy it the best you can. Ain't nothin' dirty goin' on.

The Best Little DVD One Could Wish For!
I have been waiting for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas to be released on DVD for a few years now and finally it has arrived! It sure was worth the wait! The picture transfer is fantastic. Great clear images and a remastered soundtrack. The widescreen opens the picture up and gives audiences glimpses of things that were never able to be seen on the video. But the most exciting part of the DVD are the great bonus features: a short behind the scenes documentry (featuring interviews with Parton, Reynolds, Higgins and even Edna Milton, whom the character of Mona is based upon), outakes (hilarious bloopers from the set), and the original theatrical trailer (using an original song sung by Dolly about the premise of the movie). I only wish that Burt Reynolds deleted musical number had been included but I guess we can't have everything! I consider this DVD a MUST HAVE for any of the following people: Theater lovers, Dolly fans, Texans, Whores.... EVERYONE! Do yourself a favor and buy, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas... Its a howling good time!

A Delight!!!
I was in college when this movie came out and I missed it back then. I didn't think it was going to be any good.

I ended up buying it, as I'm collecting every movie that's ever been nominated or has won an Oscar, that's available on DVD. I was reluctant to purchase this one, but the price was excellent, and grabbed it.

What made this movie such a treat is the quality of the photography by William Fraker, the musical numbers, especially "Hard Candy Christmas" (fabulous!)and "I'll Always Love You" (which I cannot understand why it wasn't nominated for an Oscar as best song, since Dolly Parton wrote it, to my knowledge, for this film and it is great!); the dancing, superb; the whole tongue-in-cheek approach (albeit for adults--this is not a movie for kids) works; and they way they got away with all the whole thing, is astonishing. Granted, it's based on a very popular Broadway musical, but they seldom translate well to the screen...and with Burt and Dolly in the leading roles? Well, they're fabulous! Dolly is simply magical, and everything about her is perfect for her role as the madam Miss Mona.

Charles Durning as the governor of Texas does a brief but smashing job--it's a brilliant sequence, and now I understand why he was nominated as best supporting actor for this movie.

Overall, if you want to have a good time, light fun, listen to some good tunes, and ultimately feel strangely satisfied and happy, I recommend this film. It's actually excellent and hasn't aged a bit in 20 years...it's more fresh today than probably back when I was in college and thought it was "trash".

Now I think it's a pleasure. Not for kids, however. But adults who aren't as snobbish as some college students can be at times, will get a kick out of this surprising delight!

i love this movie
the DVD is Fantastic - it's crisp and the songs sound great - this is one of those movies that you have to see, and once you do, you'll be hooked... I think this movie is so wonderful because the actors obviously are enjoying themselves...Plus, anyone think Charles Durning looks a little like Dubbya? hee hee hee - even the song fits!

Makes an excellent social commentary
This movie is incredibly entertaining from beginning to end and goes through a wide range of emotions and human trials and tribulations - humor & sadness, triumph and failure, loyalty and hypocrisy, etc.

I think that most people watching this movie miss, what is to me, the most important point of the entire movie.

You have a small town with a whorehouse that has been in existence for over 100 years. The people in the town have no problem whatsoever with the whorehouse. In fact, many of residents talk about why they support it.

It's the people elsewhere that have a problem with the whorehouse. It's something that they don't condone and they want to force their beliefs on the people in the town, disregarding completely how the people in the town itself feel.

It's a problem that exists in America and is one that I personally think is brought to light in this cleverly written musical. People are busy worrying about what their neighbors are doing rather than focusing on their own lives. Most of it comes from religious wackos like the one portrayed by Dom Deluise.

The serious commentary is cleverly hidden within the dancing, singing and action, but it's still there. Taking this into consideration adds a new dimension to the film and the viewing experience. ... Read more