Best Workplace Movies of All Time - Based on 19 Published Rankings

Scene from Office Space (1999) ranked number one work place movie.

Welcome to our Reel Fives pre-launch movie rankings for the best workplace films of all time. Our Reel Fives team has found 19 published ranked lists of the top workplace movies published online and ended up with 38 movies that made the list. For each ranked list of greatest movies for the workplace genre, we have taken the top five ranked films. The movie rankings on top workplace movies that we aggregated are included at the bottom of this post and include rankings of the best workplace movies created by movie experts as well as rankings from polling sites.

Workplace based films, frequently through a comedy, capture the mundane lives led by ordinary people to create an interesting story. The films critique several elements of society and work. Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) and two of his coworkers decide to steal money from the soulless corporation they work for in Office Space (1999), the all-time best workplace film. The film critiques the paper pushing and Saturday workdays. The Devil Wears Prada (2006), ranked second, tackles the fashion industry’s need for perfection. Starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, the film critiques demanding bosses and shows how jobs alter behavior. The fashion industry demands precision, not leaving much room for error while addressing the desire for young people to break into their field of choice. From this we got a comical boss that was hypersensitive to even the smallest imperfections. Charles Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936), ranked fourth, delves into the life of one man who does not find modern times all that enticing. Much like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), the silent film critiques the roll of machinery in modern life. Workplace films critique some aspect of society and leave it to moviegoers to grapple with those questions in their own lives. Can people escape the 9 to 5 lifestyle? What would that look like? Do machines take humanity away from humans? How much should a young person sacrifice for their dream job? The films seek to contemplate those types of questions.

Workplace films showcase how the relationships built while working can impact life outside the workplace. Clerks (1994), ranked third, follows two men who both dislike their jobs as clerks and commiserate in their collective misery. Apathy would be too generous to describe the clerks, as their jobs are thankless and mundane, but they have each other to lean on and that makes their workday better. Aaron’s Sorkin’s Oscar winning screenplay adaption for The Social Network (2010), tied for fifth, looks at the dark side of workplace relationships. Based on founding of Facebook, the film captures how relations soured between co-founders and creator Mark Zukerberg. Not all workplace relationships can be harmonious. Up in the Air (2009), tied for ninth, focuses on work travel relationships and how those relationships can complicate things. Frequent flyer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) meets another frequent flyer in Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) and while they enjoy each other’s company in their travels, it was not possible to extend this into their personal lives. Work and home have a place, and in this film, it shows how work travel affects home life. Relationships are important for workers to have to get through the day and they impact other areas of life.

The workplace genre rankings show the different directions the genre can take and we enjoy that. Not all the workplace films take place inside an office. Our rankings show that audiences like the variety of industries that are critiqued. While a traditional office can look boring, the film industry has made them interesting. The films are unique in that they can critique aspects of working life and of modern times. Older movies still matter because the problems do not go away. The genre still has room to grow as new industries begin to pop up.

Top 40 Work Place Movies based on 19 published rankings
Percent of online top fives movies appear in shown
1 . Office Space (1999): 73.6%
2 . The Devil Wears Prada (2006): 47.3%
3 . Clerks (1994): 47.3%
4 . Modern Times (1936): 26.3%
5 (tied). The Social Network (2010): 21.0%
5 (tied). His Girl Friday (1940): 21.0%
7 . Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992): 21.0%
8 . Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004): 15.7%
9 (tied). Up in the Air (2009): 15.7%
9 (tied). Nine to Five (1980): 15.7%
11 (tied). The Apartment (1960): 10.5%
11 (tied). Network (1976): 10.5%
11 (tied). Waiting... (2005): 10.5%
14 . High Fidelity (2000): 10.5%
15 . Fight Club (1999): 10.5%
16 . The Help (2011): 10.5%
17 (tied). Wall Street (1987): 10.5%
17 (tied). Working Girl (1988): 10.5%
19 . The Shop Around the Corner (1940): 10.5%
20 (tied). Baby Boom (1987): 5.26%
20 (tied). The Lives of Others (2006): 5.26%
20 (tied). Thank You for Smoking (2005): 5.26%
20 (tied). The Wolf of Wall Street (2013): 5.26%
24 (tied). In Good Company (2004): 5.26%
24 (tied). The Grapes of Wrath (1940): 5.26%
24 (tied). The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): 5.26%
27 (tied). The Princess Bride (1987): 5.26%
27 (tied). Boiler Room (2000): 5.26%
27 (tied). Sweet Smell of Success (1957): 5.26%
27 (tied). The Internship (2013): 5.26%
27 (tied). American Beauty (1999): 5.26%
27 (tied). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013): 5.26%
33 (tied). Broadcast News (1987): 5.26%
33 (tied). Horrible Bosses (2011): 5.26%
33 (tied). The Secret of My Success (1987): 5.26%
33 (tied). Jerry Maguire (1996): 5.26%
37 (tied). Trading Places (1983): 5.26%
37 (tied). Monsters, Inc (2001): 5.26%
Workplace Movie Ranking Sources
Movie Review Query Engine (MRQE)	List of top 56 (link)
flickchart	List of top 180 (link)
Azcentral	List of top 10 (link)
Cheat Sheet	List of top 5 (link)
Ranker	List of top 31 (link)
Sky	List of top 5 (link)
Screen Crave	List of top 5 (link)
IMDb	List of top 25 (link)
CNN	List of top 5 (link)
Ragan	List of top 10 (link)
Cinema Sauce	List of top 10 (link)
Salary	List of top 10 (link)
Brazen	List of top 8 (link)
Landmark PLC	List of top 5 (link)
Bring The Noise	List of top 10 (link)
USA Today	List of top 10 (link)
The Workplace Depot	List of top 10 (link)
Sundance TV	List of top 10 (link)
Workflow Max	List of top 7 (link)