Here is one of the most thought-provoking articles I have read in several years, written by Dave Kerpen for LinkedIn. He lists his “Top 10 Workplace Movies of All Time” while duly acknowledging that there will be disagreements about inclusions, exclusions, and order of rank. Fair enough. However, I have seen all of his ten (several more than once) and appreciate the clips provided. Also, to varying degree, these films address some of the most significant business issues. Here is a brief excerpt. To read the complete article and watch all of the clips, please click here.
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Movies are a timeless tradition – whether out at the theater, snuggled up at home, or increasingly, while on the move (when was the last time you took a plane ride or train ride and didn’t see someone watching a movie?) Movies allow us to escape from our lives and become involved in someone else’s story, if only for two hours.
I was talking with fellow LinkedIn influencer Dr. Marla Gottschalk about workplace movies, and we both thought it would be fun to showcase the best workplace and business-related American movies of all time here on LinkedIn, the online home for all things workplace and career-related. Now I’m no movie critic – I’m just an entrepreneur, writer, and, like so many of us, a movie lover. But here are my top 10 – with a clip, quote, and few words about each:
[Here are three: #10-#8]
10. 9 to 5 (1980)
This hysterical comedy stars Dabney Coleman as, well, a very bad boss, and Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton as his employees who exact revenge. The movie is a sobering reminder of how women were treated at many companies (and perhaps how some still are).
“I am your employee and as such I expect to be treated equally with a little dignity and a little respect!”
9. Working Girl (1988)
This romantic comedy tells the story of a Staten Island commuter secretary (Melanie Griffith, nominated for an Academy Award) who seizes an opportunity to put together her own deal at the Wall Street investment bank where she works.
“You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you’re trying to get there. And if you’re someone like me, you can’t get there without bending the rules.”
8. Up In The Air (2009)
George Clooney stars as a consultant whose job is to travel around the country firing people on behalf of his corporate clients. This movie also introduced me to Anna Kendrick, who plays a younger, bottom-line focused woman who wants to fire people remotely via webcams (and incidentally, with whom my whole family is now obsessed, as the world’s biggest Pitch Perfect fans- but that’s for another article.)
“The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks.”
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Now it’s your turn:
With every Top 10 list, there are many missing. What excellent workplace movies do youthink are missing from this list? What movies do you think made the list that shouldn’t have? Please share your favorite workplace movies of all time in the Comments section below!
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Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local. He is also the cofounder and Chairman of Likeable Media, and the New York Times bestselling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business.To read more from Dave on LinkedIn, please click here.