The Dolly Parton movie marathon: 5 films you need to watch

The internet is in collective mourning today. Dolly Parton, country music legend, songwriter, actress and philanthropist, has died aged 80. Her family announced her death on August 25 after a brief battle with cancer. 

Much of the world will, quite rightly, be revisiting the songs that made Dolly the icon she is. But Dolly also had a rather wonderful film career, one that deserves its own little movie marathon. So, put the kettle on, find something sparkly to wear and start here.

If you watch only one Dolly Parton film, make it this one. Her feature-film debut puts her alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as three working women plotting revenge against their sexist boss. It is funny, furious and remarkably sharp about workplace inequality. 

The film's theme song, written and performed by Dolly herself, became one of her biggest hits and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

Starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, this Texas-set musical comedy is packed with big songs and outrageous costumes. Dolly plays Mona Stangley, the proprietor of the Chicken Ranch, and the film is essentially a glorious showcase for her charisma. She also re-recorded I Will Always Love You for the soundtrack, nearly a decade after writing it in 1973.

Here is Dolly proving she could hold her own in a star-studded cast that included Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis. She plays Truvy Jones, the warm-hearted owner of a Louisiana beauty shop where the women gather, gossip, laugh and survive life's harder turns. It is tender, funny and devastating in precisely the way you hope it will be.

This made-for-TV musical drama is a deeper cut. Dolly plays Leanna Taylor, a Nashville singer confronting a troubled past and controlling manager. She also served as executive producer, and the film was inspired by her song of the same name.

Based on Dolly's childhood, this television film turns one of her most beloved songs into a story about family, poverty, faith and dignity. Dolly narrates the film, while Alyvia Alyn Lind plays young Dolly.

Dolly became more than a star somewhere along the way. She became a beloved presence, always brightly dressed, endlessly warm and somehow always making room for somebody else. We hope she rests in love and power.

Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com

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