Wednesday, April 22, 2015

We're in this together...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

This week the film chosen was Nine to Five starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and, in her film debut, Dolly Parton. It's a film I had always wanted to see, but I just never got around to seeing it until a couple days ago.


From the opening sequence, I was hooked. Parton's popular song playing to a montage of women getting ready and going to work put me in the right mood to enjoy this wonderful tale of three women working together to put their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss in his place. From his first scene, it's quite evident how awful their boss is condescendingly telling Violet (Tomlin) and Judy (Fonda) how important teamwork is in the workplace and how unfortunate it is that "as girls" never got the chance via sports to experience this evidently manly (and thus essential) thing that would help them succeed in life. Little does he know, teamwork will be his downfall as the three seemingly different ladies end up bonding together over their mutual frustrations with their boss and eventually teaming up to make his life hell. Their initial moments of bonding are delightful as we see all three commiserating over some cocktails in a bar and then having a "ladies pot party" at Doralee's (Parton) place. Both scenes gave me two runner-up best shots, the first in the bar because I love its composition and the second in Doralee's house because I enjoyed how happy they all looked.



My eventual pick for best shot still features all three ladies, because I do love all of the shots with all three of them in the frame...

Best Shot

All three are in a power position, standing straight and confident with their arms crossed, like how men are encouraged to stand and how women are discouraged in the same manner. Plot-wise this is the point in the film where they find their ace in the hole to deal with their despicable boss. Granted, the film then takes its various twists and turns since this isn't even halfway through the film, but for this one moment they're on top and it's fabulous. Fast-forward to the very end of the film where expectantly they do come out on top and (again filmed in the same frame) decked in red, white, and blue, they celebrate their hard-fought win... as a team.

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