On this week’s Movies vs. Capitalism, hosts Rivka Rivera and Frank Cappello are joined by Patricia Resnick, screenwriter of the iconic 1980 dark comedy 9 to 5, for a deep-dive conversation about the radical pro-labor film.
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A rough transcript of the episode is available here.
Fifty years ago, the original 9 to 5 movement (a facet of the women’s liberation movement) was attempting to secure basic workplace protections and equal pay for female workers that had joined the workforce in the preceding decades. Around the same time, film star Jane Fonda had the forward-thinking idea to make a movie about that struggle, and tasked the up-and-coming screenwriter Patricia Resnick with telling the story.
During today’s interview, Patricia describes the history of 9 to 5, including the lived experiences of female office workers with whom she spent time, and how studio executives were afraid to make a movie about three women kidnapping their boss.
Rivka and Frank also dig into 9 to 5’s brilliant depiction of the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy, and its recent cultural resurgence as one of the most popular anti-capitalist films of all time.
For next week’s movie, MVC will be watching Dreamworks’ 1998 animated film Antz.
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