Six Iconic Films Worth Watching in Memory of Dolly Parton.
There are so few people we can all agree on, and that list has dwindled with Dolly Parton’s passing. Though she had hinted at health problems for some time, Dolly’s death always seemed impossible—or perhaps simply too cruel an outcome in a world already filled with enough grief. But here we are, and while there will be many tears, there are many reasons to rejoice.
Sure, her music will live on forever, but her image wasn’t built solely on her songs. A vibrant personality with an flamboyant presence (largely due to her design), her film presence is unforgettable, despite a relatively short filmography. Her roles in two of the best films of the 1980s are so central to our cultural memory of that decade—and so good—that it’s hard to remember that she made such an impact with just a handful of films (and a few cameos) during her career. Dolly may have excelled in character roles and cameos, but she won and broke our hearts in films like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias . It’s easy to wish she had acted more, but instead, we’ll simply be grateful for the absolute masterpieces she left us.
9 to 5 (1980)
The title song almost eclipses the film itself in cultural significance, but the film itself opened the 1980s on a high note, promising a better decade than we actually got. The juxtaposition of two generations—Dolly, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin—three women with wildly different screen personas who complemented each other beautifully—softens the film’s uneven absurdity with real heart and soul. Three office workers unwittingly poison their sexist, selfish, lying, and hypocritical boss (played very convincingly by Dabney Coleman) and, in the process, destroy the office patriarchy and create a paradise for working women. Dolly, as sexy secretary Doralee Rhodes, is initially perceived by the other women as a pushover, sleeping with her boss to get her way, before they discover she’s just as smart, capable, and mean as they are, despite her breasts and bouffant hair. The accompanying album is equally engaging, a rare instance of Dolly revealing her political views, offering songs about workers’ rights and immigration. This is where Dolly’s film career began, and it’s something special. Watch “9 to 5” on Prime Video .
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
This film might not seem like an awards contender, and it didn’t win any, but Dolly still earned her second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. In this musical, Dolly plays the owner of a Texas brothel where she develops a relationship with the local sheriff (Burt Reynolds, who else?), while a local newscaster (played by Dom DeLuise) plots an expose that will lead to the downfall of Miss Mona’s Chicken Ranch. Dolly mostly plays her usual role here, but it’s all humorous and not entirely without substance: the hypocritical and puritanical reporter foreshadows the increasingly loud and puritanical reporting style that will soon overwhelm the news. Rent The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas on Prime Video.
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Nearly a decade after 9 to 5, Dolly joins another great female ensemble cast, this time alongside Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. Unassuming Annelle Dupuis, new to town, introduces us to Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana, and the daily lives of some of its residents. Dolly plays hairstylist (sorry: glamour specialist ) Truvy Jones, and there’s a striking contrast between her physical performance (this is the same Dolly with the big hair we know and love) and her character, who is the calm center of the film’s various storms. She’s the cheerful town gossip, but also a rock for everyone during difficult times. Watch Steel Magnolias on Paramount+.
Straight Talk (1992)
As a romantic comedy, Straight Talk is quite good, though the pairing of Dolly and James Woods is hardly outstanding. But the film shines when we’re not dealing with such things and focusing on Dolly as a straight-talking radio host who, as one song on the haunting soundtrack reminds us, is “living a lie.” She’s a Shirley Kenyon dance instructor, divorced and fired from her job for talking when she should be teaching. On her first day at her new job as a secretary, she walks into the studio and is mistaken for a doctor there to offer advice—which she eventually does on an increasingly popular talk show, even though her credentials are completely fake (Woods is a reporter trying to expose her, who later becomes her lover). Dolly’s straightforward advice is so appealing that it’s hard to criticize the film even where it fails. Rent Straight Talk on Prime Video .
Joyful Noise (2012)
Two women struggle and ultimately team up to save a small church choir in Pacashaw, Georgia. Dolly plays G.G. Sparrow, the widow of longtime choir director Bernard (Kris Kristofferson), who sees herself as his natural successor—at least until she’s upstaged by Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah). But when the choir is excluded from the annual Joyful Noise competition, funding begins to dry up, and the two women must put their differences aside and combine their styles to save the day. The film relies almost entirely on the music and the chemistry between the leads—but when we’re talking Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah (and Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan), that’s almost enough. Watch Joyful Noise on Prime Video .
Christmas on the Square (2020)
Dolly plays a key, albeit completely minor, role in this Christmas film. The holidays have arrived, and Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski) returns home to evict a group of people and sell the land they live on to a shopping center developer. Naturally, she has a few lessons to learn this season, enlisting the help of her best friend Margelina (Jennifer Lewis) and Dolly herself, who, as usual, plays the role of a singing angel. Dolly wrote all the musical numbers, Debbie Allen choreographed them, and the result is simply delightful, especially during the chilly holiday months.Watch “Christmas on the Square” online .