Must-see comedies, dramas and docs about the workplace that you can’t believe you’ve never seen or forgot you loved
Topics:
9 to 5,
American Job,
bad boss,
Bartleby,
Canned Dreams,
Cheap & Out of Control,
Clerks,
Comedy,
documentary film,
Entertainment,
equity,
Fast,
Film,
In the Company of Men,
In the Pit,
Modern Times,
Movies,
office space,
Putney Swope,
Swimming with Sharks,
The Boss of It All,
The Devil Wears Prada,
Up in the Air,
Working Girl,
workplace, Entertainment News
For most folks, Labor Day is a day off of work. And while most folks who go to the movies often don’ t want to be reminded of their jobs, there are some great features and documentaries that depict working environments.
Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” may be the most classic film about work, but in contemporary times, “Office Space” rivals “Clerks” for the best comedy about the daily grind. In the category of “bad boss” movies, “The Devil Wears Prada, ” “Swimming with Sharks, ” “Working Girl” and “9 to 5” all feature employees getting the best of their superiors.
So here are ten lesser-known films about work and workplace environments that deserve the extra effort to be seen. From quirky comedies to fascinating documentaries, these films are entertaining and informative.
“American Job” Chris Smith’s terrific deadpan film (that plays like a documentary) has Randy Scott (Randy Russell) taking a lousy minimum-wage job in a plastics factory (Recall that line from “The Graduate”?) . However, after he gets fired, he takes a series of jobs including a dishwasher at a fast food restaurant to motel housekeeper and telemarketer. Each employment opportunity provides mind numbing repetitive but skilled work for low pay, as well as a series of restless co-workers that are both amusing and irritating. “American Job” was made years before Barbara Ehrenreich’s landmark book, “Nickel and Dimed, ” and Mike Rowe’s TV show “Dirty Jobs, ” but like those far more famous works, it shows the incredible efforts required to do menial tasks and the mindset of the people who do them.
“Bartleby” Adapted from Herman Melville’s story, “Bartleby the Scrivener, ” this offbeat comedy has the title character (a terrific Crispin Glover) answering, “I would prefer not to” when the Boss (David Paymer) asks him for help with something. Bartleby further explains that he has given up working. I could tell you more about this film, which is very good, and darkly comic, but I would prefer not to.
“The Boss of It All” Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier’s corporate comedy has vain Danish actor Kristoffer (Jens Albinus) posing as Svend, a non-existent IT company president, just so the business can be sold to Finnur (Fridrik Thor Fridriksson) , a frosty Icelander. However, a series of reversals delay the deal, allowing the staff to finally meet and interact with their “boss, ” who has been unseen until now. Many of these encounters are funny; one employee punches Svend, others have sex with him, some have miscommunications. Nevertheless, when Kristoffer’s ex-wife (Sofie Grabol) is introduced as Finnur’s lawyer, this enjoyable film takes off with some fun twists involving who exactly is conning whom.
“Canned Dreams” This remarkable documentary takes viewers around the world to show ordinary people doing various jobs that ultimately produce a single product. There are Brazilian miners, Romanian men who work in a slaughterhouse, French workers on an assembly line, Italians and Portuguese working in fields, and more. What emerges is a shrewd commentary on globalization and how each country contributes to the product’s end result. But more importantly, it is why these workers do these often-unpleasant jobs (the worst involve animal slaughter) : it is usually so their children can have a better life. As they recount their hopes and dreams, viewers will be empathetic. As the final shot reveals what everyone is working to create, viewers will reevaluate their thoughts about what is contained in that particular can.
“Fast, Cheap & Out of Control” Errol Morris’ documentary is about four men who all love what they do. Dave Hoover is a wild animal trainer; George Mendonça is a topiary gardener; Ray Mendez is a mole rat specialist; and Rodney Brooks is a robot scientist. These men talk passionately about their work, the challenges of it, how they problem solve, and what they discover and have learned about human and animal natures, behaviors and rules. They have all found the best way to do what they do, but more importantly, they each find themselves in another social animal. Viewers can’ t help but identify with one of the men, which is what makes “Fast, Cheap & Out of Control” so universal.
