10 movies that will make you want to quit your job
Ever had the feeling of packing it all in, telling your employers what you really think of them, and skipping off into the sunset, unemployed but happy? So have we, and throughout the course of cinema history, there have been several characters who have had that very same idea, although they have experienced drastically different outcomes.
If the world were as just as we would all like it to be, then nobody would ever have to work again. There’s a great irony these days in the fact that while artificial intelligence programs are memorising the complete works of William Shakespeare, generating stunning artworks and photographs and writing moving poetry, we are toiling to the bone in dead-end jobs.
Of course, there’s a danger to just quitting your job out of the blue because it’s often the case that you quickly find yourself sat at home on the sofa, bored and skint, wishing that you were at least mowing a few lawns or flipping the odd burger to pass the time and bring a bit of fatness back to your flimsy wallet.
We’ve compiled a list of ten movies that will undoubtedly make you consider quitting your job, packing your bags and heading out the door in search of a new lifestyle. So, from instances of corporate rejection to adventures of the wildest nature, prepare to write that notice email for the very last time.
10 films to convince you to quit your job:
Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
With its brutal critique of corporate money grabbing and the exploitative effects of a sensationalist media outlook, Sidney Lumet’s 1976 film Network would make anyone with half a mind consider packing in their jobs and taking up arms against the onslaught of modern capitalism. In an age of grasping for ratings and likes, Lumet’s work shows that there is something worth living for beyond the constant grind.
Peter Finch made one of his most iconic roles as an angry news anchor who is exploited to boost his network’s ratings through vitriolic rants. Defined by Howard Beale’s eternally iconic line, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore,” Network riles an audience up to the point of handing in their notice for good.
The Beach (Danny Boyle, 2000)
Danny Boyle’s The Beach, based on Alex Garland’s novel of the same name and starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role, lives and breathes a sense of escapism and the search for an island paradise. When Richard learns of a Thai idyllic haven away from the pressures of urban dominance, he sets out in search of a better life.
Sure, Boyle’s effort largely took away from the social commentary that was present in Garland’s novel, but the truth is that it still managed to capture the kind of heavenly lifestyle that “getting away from it all” can provide. Lush scenes of Thailand are married with a chilled-out soundtrack that might just make you pack your bags and tell your boss to do one.
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
Whatever became of the American dream? Defined by a sense of hard work and overshadowed by a lack of actual meritocracy, the good life simply does not come to those who deserve it. Dennis Hopper’s legendary counterculture movie Easy Rider is a brilliant embodiment of the rejection of social norms and values that occurred in the hippie movement in the 1960s.
As he and Peter Fonda rebelliously make their way across America for the Mardi Gras festival on their Harley Davidsons, loaded with weed, cocaine and LSD, the wind blowing in their hair and the open road before them, we can really begin to understand what freedom just might be. Employers had better be warned, though, because over-exposure to this classic film might leave a few empty office chairs the following morning.
Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)
In 2007, Sean Penn delivered a stunning portrait of what it would mean to sell all of your possessions and head out into the wilderness in search of a lifestyle beyond the constraints of regular society. Based on Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction book, Into the Wild tells the true story of a man who abandons his middle-class life and sets off on a journey to live in the Alaskan wilderness.
Naturally, Christopher McCandless’ new life is filled with peril, but for as much danger as he faces, he is met with a sense of freedom and happiness that no job or amount of money could ever provide him. Self-reliance and personal growth are put way ahead of financial security and material possessions, so much so that it might just be worth trying out Christopher’s methods for oneself.
Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
Satire runs amok in David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club, but for all the wry, dark humour, there is a serious approach to the dehumanising effect of working a monotonous job. The film follows the Narrator, played by Edward Norton, a wildly depressed corporate worker who spends his earnings buying just about everything there is to buy from IKEA without feeling a remote bit of joy.
Eventually, he meets an enigmatic man by the name of Tyler Durden, who shows him that there is more to life than just slaving away in an office. Before long, the Narrator rejects his former materialistic life and begins doing as the film’s title suggests, joining an underground Fight Club. Sure, the Narrator’s new life doesn’t look pretty, but it seems a damn sight less soul-destroying than his mindless desk job, meaning that Fincher’s film might lead to a P45 arriving in the post pretty damn soon.
The Beaches of Agnés (Agnés Varda, 2008)
Despite her limited knowledge of cinema, Agnés Varda made her first feature, La Pointe Courte, in the ‘50s. That started her on a path towards greatness, becoming one of the film industry’s most influential figures. She was the only female director working within the French New Wave, approaching topics such as female liberation, reproductive rights, war, and patriarchal beauty standards within her work, making it stand out among her contemporaries.
Varda celebrates her unique career as a maker of fictional films, documentaries, photographs and art installations, as well as her love of her family and friends in The Beaches of Agnés. The joyous documentary is a hugely inspiring work that’ll make you want to abandon your 9 to 5 and dedicate yourself to your artistic passions.
Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
Cinema has frequently shown us vast American landscapes, gas stations and motels, associating them with a sense of liberation and freedom that most of us can only dream of truly achieving. In Thelma and Louise, there’s a sense of reckless freedom present as the two encounter people, both good and bad, and experience life away from the confines of a boss.
The movie follows the titular characters as they escape their mundane lives, with Thelma desperately wanting time away from her abusive boyfriend. Although criminal encounters and violence mar the pair’s road trip, there are moments when the duo are riding along wide expanses, totally dedicated to each other, which makes you want to quit everything and live a life on the edge of danger.
Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)
People often feel trapped in their 9 to 5 jobs because there’s a decisive lack of spontaneity, with the same tasks expected to be completed every day. Yet, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise relies on spontaneity as its driving force, with Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and Julie Delpy’s Celine meeting by chance on a train. After hitting it off, they make a spur-of-the-moment decision to get off in Vienna and spend the evening visiting shops, restaurants, parks, graveyards and streets.
The pair fall in love with each other, with Linklater suggesting that if you act impulsively every so often, the results might actually pay off. If Jesse and Celine hadn’t struck up a conversation, they might have carried on with their lives and never experienced the great joys of being together. Before Sunrise makes you want to quit your job and hop on the next train to a European city, relying on chance and fate to guide you.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller, 2013)
Sometimes, the only thing that feels like an escape from the mundanities of working every day is daydreaming. Imagining the most unrealistic scenarios or simply picturing a gorgeous holiday abroad keeps us going. For the titular character in Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, also played by the director, his daydreams keep him afloat. However, when he begins his search for Sean, a photojournalist, and his missing negative, his quest frees him from the shackles of his boring and lonely life.
His determination to find the photo takes him across the world. Walter ends up in Iceland and does lots of crazy and funny activities during the journey that teaches him the joys of living. It’s a heartwarming film that will surely inspire even the biggest homebird to get out into the world and start living, because you never know what each day will bring.
True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)
It seems as though the Scott brothers have a knack for wanting their audiences to indulge in a thrilling world of crime and whirlwind romance. Two years after Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise, Tony Scott made True Romance, based on a story by Quentin Tarantino. The film stars Christian Slater as Clarence, an Elvis-lover who meets Alabama, played by Patricia Arquette, a call girl. They soon fall in love and embark on a road trip after Clarence shoots Alabama’s abusive pimp, Drexl.
The film follows the pair as they try to escape a terrifying mob – Clarence has accidentally stolen a bag full of Drexl’s stolen cocaine. Despite the violence at the heart of the film, the relationship between Clarence and Alabama is hopelessly romantic, and you can’t help but admire their disregard for normality. Everything in their lives, no matter how chaotic, is also exciting and thrilling, and as they flee to Mexico and start a new life, the film seems to suggest that anything is possible.
