While many of us may find the day-to-day grind of our jobs to be unsatisfying, we certainly seem to enjoy watching others doing theirs. Workplace-based movies are perfect comedy fodder; they often offer the opportunity to live vicariously through characters as they live out the viewers' wildest fantasies, behaving in a manner many could only dream of. Moreover, the potential for hilarious situations to arise in a workplace is huge, with the constant underlying tension that could explode into an all-out war between colleagues or management (or inanimate objects in some cases).
The best workplace comedies highlight the relationships that help get us through our days as well as, on the flip side, the annoying co-workers we have to put up with. While we may not want to work with these zany employees and horrible and incompetent bosses, we sure do like watching them. Here are the best workplace movies of all time.
Updated on August 24th, 2023 by Soniya Hinduja: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
12 Trading Places (1983)
Featuring the iconic duo of Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, Trading Places is the quintessential buddy comedy from the 1980s. Mortimer and Randolph Duke are the owners of a brokerage firm. Both are very opinionated, they hold distinct views on social hierarchy and how an upbringing impacts a person.
To prove a point, they make a hilarious bet and somehow manage to swap the entire lives of an investment broker and a street con artist. What follows is a blissful romp of hijinks and absurdities as the unwitting pawns act out in their respective workplaces. John Landis makes sure to satirize the class divide in the most delicious ways as Aykroyd becomes a technocrat drag and Murphy a straight-laced commodities big-shot.
11 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada takes its audience straight into the frenzied and overwhelming heart of haute chaos. Andrea Sachs is a young graduate with big dreams of becoming a journalist. When she lands the position of an assistant at Miranda Priestley’s magazine office, she understands that the woman isn’t branded as a fashion mogul for nothing.
Her Vogue kingdom (read: office) is a sacred space for hustling taking notes and making sure everything is perfect. Emily Blunt’s overly perky associate shows her the ropes, but it’s up to Andy to truly win the boss’s heart. Which she does eventually. The most entertaining part of the movie is the clash created by Andy’s realistic approach towards fashion and Miranda’s determination to hold on to idealism.
10 Horrible Bosses (2011)
Starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis, this riotous film will have you guffawing and clutching your stomach from start to finish. Horrible Bosses flips the bird at the dreary, energy-sucking nine-to-five culture with the help of three pals – Nick, Dale, and Kurt – who carry a mountain of rage within them, waiting to be directed at their bosses.
They plot to off their tyrannical overlords using an intricate scheme where they would orchestrate natural accidents and rid themselves of the slavery that is their job. The dark comedy leads to extremes as the film showcases just how desperately the guys want to revolt against white-collar repression. Kevin Spacey is a true sociopath of a boss and will be remembered for being one for decades to come. Overall, a great workplace revenge comedy.
9 Super Troopers (2001)
Directed by and starring Jay Chandrasekhar, Super Troopers stole the crown for giving the industry a bunch of idiotic officers who gave zero fecks. As the Vermont State Boys, these five state troopers are used to pranking people and getting into trouble for their bizarre adventures – all in the name of proving themselves as better than a rival city police force.
But when one of their pranks goes in unexpected directions, it threatens their job, leading them to give their all in solving a complicated case. The offbeat humor of these lovable characters sends fans into total hysterics. The film blends slapstick comedy and witty comebacks as the cops fumble around pushing conspiracies and having fun. Needless to say, the movie is a cult classic that led to enjoyable sequels.
8 Tommy Boy (1995)
Chris Farley and David Spade appear as an unlikely duo in this comical ‘90s classic that lit up cinemas with its buddy trope. Tommy Callahan is a bumbling, underachieving boy, whose auto-parts owner father has just passed away. While the relatives make haste and try to sell the business, as the rightful heir, Tommy works against them to save what’s left. He teams up with Richard, his reluctant colleague and accountant, and together, they go on a road trip.
The mismatched duo cranks up their slapstick humor and loosens up their dynamics to deliver jokes on the minute. Farley and Spade are incredible together on screen, and their vehicular mayhem only gives them room to shine as actors. Moreover, Tommy Boy is also about friendship and family. Its heartwarming ending leaves you laughing and crying at the same time.
7 9 to 5 (1980)
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 was 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.
6 Big (1988)
Big was the movie that 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 a young boy who ends up in the body of an adult, but at the heart of it, it’s 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 (2000)
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 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 (2004)
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 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 (1999)
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 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 (1960)
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 in 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 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 sets 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 (1994)
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 were 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 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.