MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 9 to 5
20th Century Studios
Recent ‘Hall of Fame’ inductee Dolly Parton stars alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the empowering workplace comedy 9 to 5, in which three working women live out their dreams of getting revenge on the company’s ‘sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot’ boss and getting into the positions of power they deserve. Behind the frenetic energy and humor lies a strong message that remains just as important today, if not more, than it did at the time. The movie was a huge commercial and critical hit and thrust Parton, already a successful country singer, into the mainstream as a pop culture icon, where she has remained to this day.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Big
20th Century Fox
Big was the movie that really proved to the world that Tom Hanks was a force to be reckoned with and set the stage for his world domination. It was his most successful movie till that point, becoming a huge box office and critical hit, ultimately earning him his first Oscar nomination. Most will remember it as a king of body-swap fantasy comedy about the exploits of young boy who ends up in the body of an adult, but at the heart of it, it’s definitely just as much a workplace comedy in that. As an adult, still with the naivety and innocence of a child, Hanks’ character Josh is a data entry clerk for a toy company. It cleverly satirizes the corporate world and gives the viewers food for thought as they witness Josh’s unique and ‘youthful’ approach to business do wonders for the corporation.
5 High Fidelity
Buena Vista Pictures
A smart, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name, High Fidelity is arguably the movie that provided Jack Black with his breakthrough role. Yes, he’d been in many films beforehand, and yes, it’s John Cusack playing the lead role, but this was the first time the world was really treated to the Black we’ve come to know and love. His role was substantial enough to leave a lasting impression in this critically acclaimed cult classic. Both he and Cusack shine in this romantic, coming-of-(middle?)-age comedy, focused on the life of a record store owner (Cusack) as he looks back at his top five break-ups (including one in progress). Considered to be an extremely realistic portrayal of work life at a record store amongst those who’ve had the job, the movie is not mean-spirited and, like several others on this list, has managed to achieve somewhat of a cult status.
4 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Apatow Productions
It quickly became apparent that the outrageous and irreverent humor of Anchorman was more than just another frat boy party flick. The movie gradually won over critics and is now considered an all-time comedy classic and still remains one of the most quoted movies to this day. The film follows the exploits and shenanigans of an eccentric and eclectic news team led by anchorman Ron Burgundy (played hilariously with utter conviction by Will Ferrell turning in a career high) as they struggle to adapt and evolve with the times. It also happens to feature one of the greatest casts assembled in a comedy film, including Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate, and cameos from Vince Vaugh, Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Seth Rogen among others.
3 Office Space
Photo Credit - Judgemental Films
Immortalized thanks to the countless memes and references in popular culture, Office Space has become a bonafide cult classic. Directed by Mike Judge, the creator of everyone’s favorite music critics Beavis and Butt-head, the movie acts as the perfect satire of office life around the turn of the century. It captures all the quirks and frustrations of office life — that one incompetent boss, that employee with the questionable mental stability, the one who’s just annoyingly optimistic, and that darn jamming printer! Judge played on these real-life experiences and allowed viewers to live out certain fantasies that most would never muster up the courage (or have the downright audacity) to act on in real-life.
2 The Apartment
United Artists
This 1960 romantic comedy is considered by many as one of the greatest movies of all time, winning multiple Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture award, appearing in numerous critics’ top film lists, and being selected for inclusion to the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry. It’s an all-star cast including Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray and Jack Kruschen. The film follows an insurance clerk (Lemmon) who, in the hope of climbing the corporate ladder, gets into the habit of offering up his personal apartment to senior co-workers. What follows is a hilarious and, at the time, fairly controversial tale of hopeless love triangles and sordid sex secrets. As far as workplace comedies go, The Apartment really set the standard and perfectly conveys the lengths those stuck in the corporate rat race will go to in order to further their careers.
1 Clerks
Miramax Films
Kevin Smith is arguably one of the most influential directors of recent times. Following the success of his ultra-low budget directorial debut Clerks, Smith became a poster boy along with the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez for the independent movie boom that took place during the early 90s. Clerks was shot in black and white for a mere $27,575 in the actual shop where Smith worked in real life. The premise was simple: it follows the day of a couple of store clerks and the antics and encounters that occur. It was Smith’s unique sense of humor and his knack for pulpy dialogue that really brought these weird and wonderful characters to life, many of whom played recurring roles throughout the legacy of movies spawned as a result of the critical and commercial success of Clerks, including Dante and Randall and, of course, Jay and Silent Bob.
