I am a child of the 80’s, as such one of the movies which had the greatest impact on me was 9 to 5. 9 to 5 starred Dolly Parton as Doralee, Lily Tomlin as Violet, and Jane Fonda as Judy. I’m no Jane Fonda fan, but in this movie she actually played the role in the trio of women who most needed to learn self empowerment and personal identity.
9 to 5 is about the day to day office grind. Admittedly, it has some silly unrealistic scenes, especially when the women are high and are imagining doing terrible things to the boss they have come to know and hate, Mr. Hart.
Aside from that, this has been my favorite movie because of a few classic lines that have never escaped my mind. Although the women were unorthodox, perhaps 9 to 5 influenced a generation of young women not bent on feminism, but seeking equality. Whatever the movies purpose and effect, I enjoyed it for some of the following funny quotes.
I’ll admit up front, most of them are pure silliness, but laughter is good for the spirit. The context of some quotes is included in order for you to understand the humor. In such cases, I have placed an asterisk beside the line which I most enjoyed.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
When Violet is shunned by her sexist boss, as usual, she finally puts him in his place. I know as a working woman, in a male dominated environment I’ve wished I had the gumption to repeat Violets words to her boss. Fortunately, she didn’t lose her job. I bet most of us would if we repeated her lines.
Violet: Okay… okay, I’m gonna leave, but I’ll tell you one thing… don’t you ever refer to me as ‘your girl’ again
Mr. Hart: What in God’s name are you talking about? (Is that typical of a man, or what?)
Violet: I’ll tell you what I’m talking about; I’m no girl, I’m a woman. I’m not you wife… OR your mother.
With that, and a few more words she storms from the office. The sad thing is that even though she has said what is on her mind she proves talk is cheap. She is still required to do his bidding, as he is her boss and she has to have her job. She is a single parent who has to take care of her family.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
When Doralee, Mr. Harts’ secretary, finds out that Mr. Hart has been talking up an intimate relationship between the two of them around the office and his buddies she is appalled. Honest people usually get angry when faced with outrageous accusations. Doralee doesn’t hesitate a moment to confront Mr. Hart. She explains why she has put up with his sexist moves and remarks, because she needs the job. She also puts him in his place.
Doralee: this is the last straw! Look, I’ve got a gun out there in my purse. Up until now I’ve been forgivin’ and forgettin’ because of the way I was brought up, but I’ll tell you one thing. If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, * I’m gonna get that gun of mine, and I’m gonna change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot!
The best part is “I’m gonna change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot!” Not that I would ever do that, but is that the best line to shoot back at a man who comes on indecently or inappropriately to you. I’ve used it kidding a couple of times. You’d have to understand my family, the openness, love and humor we share to understand that it wasn’t taken offensively. It was also a way to diffuse the “sex talk” with my son when we addressed the issue of chastity. I wasn’t serious and he knew it, but that line holds some punch.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
Lest you get the idea that I’m a flaming feminist, which I’m not. There were other lines in that movie that have become classic exchanges between my sister and me. We repeat the line often, it’s an inside joke, and few people know where the line originated.
We never share this line without sharing a chuckle, and often it can diffuse a situation of misunderstanding or miscommunication.
Thinking they have killed Mr. Hart, which they didn’t, Violet lost her mind and wheeled the dead body to the car in a wheel chair. Upon looking in the trunk, Doralee realizes the women have stolen the wrong cadaver from the hospital.
Doralee (peeking around the open trunk of the car): Uh, Judy, would you come back here for a minute?
Judy : What ? (She looks into the trunk.) Who’s that?
Doralee: I don’t know.
Violet: Where’s Hart?
Doralee: I don’t know.
Judy: Oh my god, you mean she…..Oh, my god!
Doralee (once again peeking around the open trunk) Violet honey would you come over here for a second?
Violet: I’ve got to get the…who is that?
Doralee and Judy: We don’t know.
Violet: Where’s Hart?
Doralee: We don’t know.
*Violet: I must have made a mistake.
Doralee: You must have made a mistake? (with vehemence).
Judy: What are we going to do?
Violet: (taking a long draw from a cigarette) We’ll take him back.
Judy: Take him back?
Doralee: That’s just great we’ll go waltzing into the hospital and say, “We’re sorry, we made a mistake.” Well, maybe they’ll give us Hart’s body in exchange.
Talk about the ultimate faux pas. They stole the wrong body and all Violet can say is, “I must have made a mistake.” I love to use that line when I have messed up.
Whether the other party knows the meaning or not, I get a chuckle inside my mind. I can’t help but thing of Doralee’s follow-up. Twenty-eight years later it still makes me laugh.
At least my sister understands!
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
There is, as in real life, one office suck-up. She is Mr. Hart’s eyes and ears. Anything that goes on in the office gets back to him through her. When Violet sees her coming she says the following with dread in her voice.
Violet: Uh oh…here comes General Patton.
Ever had someone constantly peering over your shoulder, evaluating your work, reporting to the boss? Sometimes they are called supervisors. Perhaps General Patton is a better code name, just don’t get caught using it.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
The following is another line I often use that is not understood by many. I’ve received many notes and memos that either a) didn’t apply to me, b) didn’t interest me, or c) irritated me. Some people put them in file 13, the trash can. Others follow Violet’s cue.
Roz (aka General Patton): Did you get my memo?
Violet: I did Roz. I tore right through it.
In a similar incident Violet ambiguously gives Roz the same meaning.
Roz: Here, Violet, you can put this up on the bulletin board.
Violet: Thanks, Roz, I know just where to stick it.
Violet’s comment is lost on Roz, who thinks Violet means she read it. What she means is she literally tore it. So, if there is mail, memos, or other material I haven’t read, but get called to account for I feed them Violet’s vague line, “I tore right through it.” I can say it with confidence and truth. Is that lying?
I have used the second line and the first place I stuck the memo was in the trash.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
Empowerment is a big word, a lofty goal, but a difficult reality to achieve for some people. My empowerment comes from God. Judy, in the movie, however, had lost sense of self, her voice, and her complete identity to her ex-husband.
When he returns hat in hand she has an unexpected retort for him.
Judy: Hit the road buster. This is where you get off!
This is an effective way to get rid of someone you don’t want around. Again, I have only used the line playfully. It is, however, another powerful line of sarcasm and wit.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
There is not much point to the following line, but it is funny. When Judy comes to work at the office where Violet and Doralee work she is wearing a dowdy, traditional woman’s dress. It looks like something a great, great grandmother might wear. She has accessorized with a large hat, accented with flowers.
Almost imperceptibly, in a line delivered with perfect timing and tempo Violet makes the following comment just before introducing herself to Judy with a big smile.
Violet: We’re gonna need a special locker for that hat.
Not much point in it, but a witty punch of humor. It does work as a line when someone lugs something to work or a meeting that is cumbersome, too big for the workspace, or without a place to be stored.
Only 9 to 5 fans would ever understand the implication. It’s something I’d have to mumble under my breath, too, for my own amusement.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
If you ever feel out of place, you can understand Doralee’s next line, I’ve included in my quotes. Her feelings are legitimate, and the reasons unfold in the story. It is the way she explains her feelings that have such an impact.
Doralee: I’m as nice as I know how to be to every single person in that office. Everyone treats me like (she pauses momentarily searching for the right words)…a bastard at a family reunion.
Well, you can’t be more alienated than that. Again, I suppose I use this movie’s sarcasm within my own mind more than anything. Humorous lines such as this keep me sane in the most stressful of circumstances. I don’t guess I’ve ever quoted it, but it is the most accurate description of being segregated from a group that I have ever heard.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
The girls, Judy, Doralee, and Violet all find their way to friendship and camaraderie in the movie. One night when they are sitting around drinking and smoking pot, they all have fantasies about giving back to Hart the misery, subjugation, and humiliation they have all experienced with him as their boss.
The fantasies are hokey, but one line is repeated at least three times once by Judy, once by an announcer in Doralee’s fantasy, and once by Hart himself. The line is a description of him as a boss and a man.
He is called “a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.”
Ouch, what a mouthful and what a dig. Obviously the movie was trying to make its own feminist point. That’s easy to see considering the time and Fonda’s feminist involvement at the time.
I don’t think it applies to all men. It can apply to a man or a woman. It is too mean and powerful a statement for me, but it’s repetition in the movie has stuck with me. If I ever find someone that low-down and have to pull out the phrase, I’ll let you know.
My favorite movie quotes from 9 to 5:
I mentioned Roz as Hart’s corporate spy. One comical scene in the movie features the three women in the restroom talking about their close call the night before, when they thought they had killed Hart. Roz is not in the bathroom, as far as they know. Violet had warned Judy earlier.
Violet: “If you want to gossip in the ladies’ room, I’d check under the stalls first for her shoes.”
When the women finish gossiping, there is a shot of Roz. There is no sign of her shoes because she is crouched on a toilet seat making notes on toilet paper as fast as she can. It is also humorous later when she reports to Hart that this is the best she can make of her notes because they “were a bit fuzzy.”
Ever since, if I want to talk in the ladies’ room. I check under the stalls. If I suspect someone crouching on a toilet, I even open all the doors.
9 to 5 carried a qsocial message for its day, but for an adolescent it was just crazy fun. It still is.
I guess I love 9 to 5 because it is so full of sarcasm. It makes me laugh. No one may understand it, but it makes me laugh. Sometimes, that mental sarcasm is how I make it through another day!
