At the premiere of 9 to 5, Roger Ebert was given 30 minutes with Dolly Parton, and left a changed man.
“As we spoke, I found myself enveloped by her presence. This had nothing to do with sex appeal. Far from it. It was as if I were being mesmerized by a benevolent power. I left the room in a cloud of good feeling. Next day, Siskel and I were sitting next to each other on an airplane. “This will sound crazy,” he said, “but when I was interviewing Dolly Parton, I almost felt like she had healing powers.”
This film remains hysterical and does not work without Dolly Parton’s presence and goodness. There are pacing issues, and significant leaps of logic in the third act - but the iconic performances, and physical comedy make it an absolute classic.
Also not winning the Academy Award for Best Song has to be one of the great Oscar cheats.