The 1970s saw a rise in women in the workplace, with female employment levels in America reaching their highest point since World War II. But while women were making inroads into the job market, they often found themselves frustrated at the treatment they received from the men they worked with, and for. By the end of the decade, this issue was getting too big to ignore, and Hollywood decided it was time to place it front and center in a major motion picture. The result was Nine to Five.

What made Nine to Five a hit?: To begin with, the film’s premise was timely. However, topicality doesn’t guarantee box office, as anyone who’s been following the grosses for Iraq War films can tell you. Say what you want about issues, but most audiences just want to have a good time, and Fox and director Colin Higgins made the wise decision to package their message in the form of a spunky, crowd-pleasing comedy, and a wish-fulfillment fantasy in which three intelligent women get revenge on their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss. Audiences, especially women, ate it up.

Of course, the filmmakers were aided by their three leading ladies, an unexpected but inspired combination: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. Fonda had spent most of the seventies in serious roles- and running afoul of the conservative element with her opinions on Vietnam- and Nine to Five gave her a chance to have fun onscreen. Tomlin, in only her fourth big-screen role, was well-known to television audiences for her beloved characters like Ernestine the Telephone Operator and Edith Ann. But the real casting coup was Parton, then best known as a popular country singer, making her acting debut opposite these two established veterans. Whether they were Dolly fans or simply curious to see whether she could actually act, Parton’s presence in the film contributed as much to its box office take as any other factor, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1980, trailing only The Empire Strikes Back.

What happened?: Part of the problem with topicality is that there’s always a risk that a once-relevant message will eventually become dated. While women still have a way to go before they achieve equality in the workplace, there have nonetheless been great strides made in that direction in the past quarter century. As a result, Nine to Five feels pretty quaint by today’s standards. And while the film’s three stars proved an irresistible draw for audiences, the subsequent years did little to capitalize on their big-screen popularity.

Fonda’s eighties work was far less memorable than the roles she played in the seventies, and by the end of the decade she was better-known for her popular 20 Minute Workout series than she was for her acting. Tomlin, who was more a character actress than a leading lady anyway, made only a handful of movies during the 1980s. And despite several attempts, Parton never found another role that utilized her unique talents. Nowadays, many younger viewers know the film primarily from Parton’s still-famous title song.

Does Nine to Five still work?: Sort of. The film begins promisingly, as hyper-competent veteran Tomlin shows new employee Fonda the ropes, and the film gives us a feel for the dynamic around the office. Higgins also establishes Parton’s role nicely, making her a dutiful employee whose looks and position lead her female coworkers to believe that she’s sleeping with the boss (Dabney Coleman).

But halfway through, the plot becomes bogged down in gimmickry, beginning when Tomlin begins to think she may have killed the boss. Following a long sequence in a hospital and a misunderstanding involving a corpse, Coleman re-enters the scene and comes to believe the women wanted to kill him. So rather than risking arrest, the trio holds him hostage in his home until they can find a way to blackmail him into not turning them in. I liked that the women’s taking control of the office in his absence ends up making the boss more popular than ever with the staff, but unfortunately there’s too much tortured schtick involving Coleman being suspended from the ceiling while wearing makeshift bondage gear to wave through before you get to the big climax.

That said, there’s still a lot to like about Nine to Five, especially its lead actresses, each of whom is at the top of her game. In her prime, Fonda always made for a strong, sympathetic protagonist, and she’s very good here as the audience surrogate. The ever-dependable Tomlin once again proved to be an ace verbal comedian (she gets most of the best one-liners) while showing a real vulnerability. But Parton is best of all, proving she had real movie star stuff. Her outsize persona made her tricky for casting directors, but it’s still a shame that she never again found a role that was half as good as this one. Nine to Five isn’t close to perfect, but it’s still fun to see its three stars working together and clearly having a ball. Observing their undeniable comedic chemistry, is it any wonder that, almost thirty years later, they say they’re still open to the possibility of making a sequel?