November 2, 2001

8:40 AM

It's Friday and I hate my job!Man, my job sucks! If it weren't for movie's like office space I don't know what I would do. Can anyone suggest another good "anti-work" movie such as Office Space?
posted by aj100 (60 comments total)

posted by swift at 8:46 AM on November 2, 2001

One Word.

'Clerks'
posted by Frasermoo at 8:49 AM on November 2, 2001

glengary glenross, depends on what the job is though
posted by destro at 8:53 AM on November 2, 2001

Does anyone else love "Office Space as much as I do? Umm... yeah...
posted by aj100 at 8:55 AM on November 2, 2001

Haiku Tunnel
posted by jgilliam at 9:03 AM on November 2, 2001

Swimming with Sharks, featuring a pre-KPAX Kevin Spacey
posted by donovan at 9:08 AM on November 2, 2001

clockwatchers was pretty good, oh and in the company of men :)
posted by kliuless at 9:08 AM on November 2, 2001

I don't know how many times I wanted to go "Office Space" on our freakin' fax machine.
posted by Localemperor at 9:17 AM on November 2, 2001

Swift, I'm so sorry your cat died. aj100, you too.
posted by bryanboyer at 9:30 AM on November 2, 2001

Was Haiku Tunnel good? I did not get to see when it was out in the theater.
posted by aj100 at 9:32 AM on November 2, 2001

Just in case you're having a _REALLY_ bad day, how about some good old Fight Club?
posted by almostcool at 9:38 AM on November 2, 2001

Aaaaugh!
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:38 AM on November 2, 2001

The offices of the company depicted in the first part of "Joe versus the Volcano" is the best depiction of Office Hell I think I've ever seen on film. The first half of this film is great, although it tanked in the second half.

The office in the film "Kafka" was the stuff of Office Nightmares.
posted by groundhog at 9:47 AM on November 2, 2001

aj100, my sentiments exactly. In fact, Office Space reminds me too much of why I don't like my job. Especially that bit about humans not meant to live like this...wasting the best years of our youth in a cubicle/office staring at computer screens. That hits home. It's almost painful to watch the movie, as much as I love it.
posted by msacheson at 9:54 AM on November 2, 2001

point a web cam at me during work. better yet, my nasty ex boss, who is a diseased nerd (not that that's bad), but she has scabs all over her body, picks her nose and scratches her feet (while editing my reports), wears pajamas to the office, farts UNCONTROLLABLY, LOUD, and without any regard for flatulence etiquette. She is a DISASTER of a woman, who listens in on my phone conversations, and interrupts them, joining in the conversation (which prompted me to call my buddies and say: "No, no no! Put the Vaseline on the hamster BEFORE putting him in the tube!!!"

She got demoted (thank GOD) but still sits and stinks in front of me. I hate her. she is my nemesis. I couldn't write a long enough post to adequately describe her horrors. Not even her announced "dysentery attacks", in which she will clutch her gut, and run to the bathroom, from which we can hear clanging noises emanating, only to have her come out and announce to the office: "Just a little dysentery, I'm ok." Then to have her complain of having "vertigo" and lay on the couch (high blood pressure, she says). That says nothing about the stink, the audible belching she does in the lunch room, and the general rubbing of her feet with her socks and shoes off and sores all over her feet.

Damn, I feel better. Got a cigarette?
posted by adampsyche at 10:03 AM on November 2, 2001

Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Forgot the post topic ::slaps forehead in agony ::

Anyone see Hudsucker Proxy? And I own Office Space. Every time we have a birthday here, I lament the ration of cake to people.
posted by adampsyche at 10:04 AM on November 2, 2001

pushing tin isn't anti work but its a close to my work situation as you'll get in a movie (signalman, i think you call us tower men in America).
posted by Burgatron at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2001

adam, I'm LMAO at your comment! For comedy's sake, I hope it's true, but I feel for ya, bud, if it is true. (And I'm sure it is) BTW, are you a Yankees fan? Go Yanks!
posted by msacheson at 10:15 AM on November 2, 2001

aj100: Was Haiku Tunnel good? I did not get to see when it was out in the theater.

No, it was not good. It was one of the most unbearably tedious, uninspired pieces of screen-dreck I have sat through in recent years.
posted by pudders at 10:17 AM on November 2, 2001

Thanks for the update pudder. It looked like it had promise. Oh well.
posted by aj100 at 10:21 AM on November 2, 2001

I am a Yankees fan as far as I can be a baseball fan. Hockey is my bag, baby. But, if anyone has to win it, let it be the Yanks! And yes, it is true. Did I mention that she doesn't comb her hair, and that it is a rat's nest of grease?

She is picking the sores on her hands today, and they are bleeding extra profusely.
posted by adampsyche at 10:36 AM on November 2, 2001

The Office is a very funny fly-on-the-wall style comedy series in the UK. Check it out if you ever get a chance to see it.
posted by Summer at 10:37 AM on November 2, 2001

My boyfriend finally got Office Space on DVD and has been watching it regularly for about two weeks. I agree with msacheson about the painfulness of the movie, cuz it reminds me of how much I disagree with so much of corporate culture.

Work in itself usually isn't so bad, it's everything else that makes life as an office drone suck.

I am not my job. My job does not define who I am.
posted by melissa at 10:37 AM on November 2, 2001

Melissa, does the DVD have any cool add-ons?
posted by aj100 at 10:40 AM on November 2, 2001

It's all about Clerks for me. I'm more Randall than I am Dante. My job would be fine if it wasn't for the damn customers.

Once, my boyfriend was calling an airline customer service line to confirm a flight, and the guy who picked up the line answered it, "American Airlines, Tyler Durden speaking, how may I help you?" Since then, I've harbored secret fantasies of answering my phone similarly.
posted by kittyb at 10:41 AM on November 2, 2001

Sadly aj100, nothing beyond the trailer. No actor profiles or anything. Still worth it though.
posted by melissa at 10:47 AM on November 2, 2001

Yes, Clockwatchers. The shout out to us temps. My favorite line is when Parker Posey is ranting about how corporations don't care about temps and she says "We're orphans; we're corporate call girls!" Since then I've always preferred the term "corporate call girl" to "temp."
posted by witchstone at 10:57 AM on November 2, 2001

There's always Falling Down.
posted by darukaru at 11:14 AM on November 2, 2001

Office Space is an all time classic. Not perfect by a long shot, but hilariously insightful all the same. There's nothing quite like requesting the assistance of a coworker with a "If you could just go ahead and do that for me, that would be great. Mmmkay."
posted by dlewis at 11:18 AM on November 2, 2001

How 'bout A Shock to the System, the dark, dark (!) comedy about perennially passed-over employee Michael Caine's technique for "eliminating the competition" (among others) from his climb up the corporate ladder? (Ditto the props to Office Space and Clerks, BTW.)
posted by verdezza at 11:20 AM on November 2, 2001

I made a mix tape for people like us. Here's the track list:

01_elvis costello - welcome to the working week.mp3
02_the clash - career opportunities.mp3
03_xtc - earn enough for us.mp3
04_the beat - work-a-day world.mp3
05_ani difranco - pixie.mp3
06_harry nilsson - good old desk.mp3
07_office space - i hate my job (dialogue).mp3
08_bobby conn - never get ahead (by giving head to the man).mp3
09_the vogues - five o clock world.mp3
10_patti smith - piss factory.mp3
11_jimmy reed - big boss man.mp3
12_nina simone - work song.mp3
13_sam cooke - working in a coal mine.mp3
14_merle haggard - working man blues.mp3
15_the platters - sixteen tons.mp3
16_roy orbison - working for the man.mp3
17_jim croce - working at the car wash blues.mp3
18_ghetto boys - die mother fuckers die.mp3
19_ween - pumping 4 the man.mp3
20_apples in stereo - go.mp3
21_flaming lips - bad days.mp3
22_animals - we've got to get out of this place.mp3
23_steely dan - dirty work.mp3
24_patsy cline - leavin' on your mind.mp3
25_david allan coe - take this job and shove it.mp3
26_flatt and scruggs - ain't gonna work tomorrow.mp3
27_harry nilsson - (thursday) here's why i did not come to work today.mp3
28_the replacements - god damn job.mp3
29_jimmy smith - dot com blues.mp3
posted by waxpancake at 11:35 AM on November 2, 2001

Another pic with Dabney Coleman, from the same year as 9-to-5:

How to Beat the High Cost of Living

Not an "office" film per se, but still a fun comedy about surviving the dollar chase.
posted by skyboy at 11:36 AM on November 2, 2001

How to Get Ahead in Advertising. I think the boil almost disturbs me more than the head. Yech.
posted by kittyloop at 11:39 AM on November 2, 2001

You forgot Dead Kennedys: Take this Job and Shove It.

Sick of it All: The Grind
posted by adampsyche at 11:57 AM on November 2, 2001

kittyloop -- Yes. That movie is worth it just for the Hamlet parody at the end.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Fight Club, Brazil!, and of course Joe Vs. The Volcano (they've got a critical analysis of the symbolism, which is always nice for a movie like that), and the classic Office Space outburst which I have tried, unsuccessfully, to integrate into my rotation: "ass-clown."
posted by j.edwards at 11:57 AM on November 2, 2001

wax: clash "magnificent seven" has some good work references.
posted by msacheson at 12:07 PM on November 2, 2001

Willard Grant Conspiracy: Work Song. Every Friday afternoon, that's a staple.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:20 PM on November 2, 2001

work plays a good role in these movies, all worth checking out:

Salt of the Earth
Harlen County, USA
Head Office
The Coca-Cola Kid
Metropolis
Modern Times
Breaking Away
Convoy
posted by gluechunk at 12:28 PM on November 2, 2001

Office Space is the best ever. My friends and I quote it all the time.

"PC load letter? What the fuck does that mean?"

"Seems like somebody has a case of the Mondays."
posted by ktheory at 12:43 PM on November 2, 2001

i work in an office environment, but i love my job. it's a paradox of mind bending massiveness. the funny thing is, compared to all the other departments here, the IT department (my department) is incredibly laid back and delicious. come in when we want, take breaks when we want, as long as we get the job done it's all gravy. outside our wall, the others are stuck in their rigid 8-5 slots.
posted by physics at 12:49 PM on November 2, 2001

Got to second Summer on UK BBC series "The Office". There's some clips here but not sure they'll come across out of context - the series relies on a very subtly judged level of parody, very uncomfortably close to reality.
posted by elliot100 at 1:53 PM on November 2, 2001

awesome tunes waxpancake. I would add The Smiths - Frankly Mr. Shankley.

("Frankly, Mr. Shankley, this postion I hold, it paves my way and it corrodes my soul ...").

Oh man, I just checked out Office Space yesterday too. I wish I could leave my cubicle behind, listen to a few of those tunes and then kick back with a beer and watch away.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:55 PM on November 2, 2001

waxpancake: you forgot the dynamic duo (of performers and songs) of TMBG's "Hearing Aid" and "Minimum Wage"!
posted by sonofsamiam at 2:05 PM on November 2, 2001

in the company of men is THE. WORST. EVER. so bad. i swear, jane campion should strap on a dildo and fuck neil labute, that no-talent ass clown with visual skill rivalled only by a naked mole rat.

i'm sorry, the topic was...?
posted by pxe2000 at 2:07 PM on November 2, 2001

American Beauty
Three Seasons
posted by klint at 2:11 PM on November 2, 2001

..although for me the fact that I work within a large chunk of office America - complete with a shop where you can buy company-branded golf gear, and in-house Starbucks - and haven't heard an fellow English accent in days, despite being right in the centre of the Olde East End of London, is pretty amusing anyway.
posted by elliot100 at 2:13 PM on November 2, 2001

... Just Another Girl on the IRT
posted by feelinglistless at 2:27 PM on November 2, 2001

T.R. Baskin (1971), with Candice Bergen. Angst. Long empty halls. Rows and rows of typists.
posted by signal at 2:50 PM on November 2, 2001

Oh, and The Jam - Smithers Jones:

"I'm some news to tell you
There's no longer
A position for you
Sorry Smithers-Jones"
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:39 PM on November 2, 2001

...Coma
posted by feelinglistless at 3:52 PM on November 2, 2001

awesome tunes waxpancake. I would add The Smiths - Frankly Mr. Shankley
Even better: "Work is a Four Letter Word"by morrisey.
posted by sixdifferentways at 3:56 PM on November 2, 2001

One of my all-time favorite bits of movie dialogue is from the beginning of "Joe Versus the Volcano." As Joe enters the office at the start of the workday, we can hear Mr. Waturi (played by Dan "Nick Tortelli" Hedaya) on the phone...

Yeah, Harry, but can he do the job? I know he can get the job, but can he do the job? I'm not arguing that with you. I'm not arguing that with you. I'm not arguing that with you

So I'm easily amused.
posted by judomadonna at 4:01 PM on November 2, 2001

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career.

I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.

You know, as a career, I don't want to do that." - Lloyd Dobler
posted by skyboy at 5:05 PM on November 2, 2001

Dancer In The Dark: daydreaming in the factory.
posted by culberjo at 5:30 PM on November 2, 2001

The beginning of Being John Malkovich. Definitely Office Space and Clockwatchers. Sadly I haven't seen Clerks.
posted by rushmc at 6:02 PM on November 2, 2001

Hey, be glad you have a job.. I just got laid off.

Clerks is a good one.. have that and the animated series on dvd.
posted by krux at 6:50 PM on November 2, 2001

Hey waxy, don't forget Wesley Willis ;)
posted by samsara at 7:21 PM on November 2, 2001

A little off topic... but has anyone in the UK seen Office Space, because I've been trying to find the video to rent/buy and had no luck - was it perhaps released under a different name?
posted by LauraVW at 6:10 AM on November 3, 2001

Laura, you can only buy a rental copy (for about £70!) in the UK. Your only other option is buying the region 1 dvd, but you'll need a region free player for that.
posted by MarkC at 5:05 AM on November 5, 2001

Thanks MarkC - sounds like it's going to cost a little more than I was planning on... still, with Christmas on the way, who knows what Santa might bring?!
posted by LauraVW at 1:37 PM on November 6, 2001