The other day on Facebook, one of my friends posted an update about walking off his job after a fight with a co-worker. Not surprisingly, he got scores of comments about what a great feeling it must have been. Others chimed in with their own stories of gloriously quitting their jobs. Let’s face it, “Sticking it to the man” and boldly quitting your job is truly some kind of fantasy for a plethora of Americans.
How has Hollywood captured this fantasy on film? Here are ten great examples:
1. Fight Club
Technically, the Narrator really doesn’t quit in this famous scene, as he actually blackmails his boss to keep him on the payroll as an outside consultant and gets a stack of airline flight coupons. Still, this scene just had to be included on this list as the ultimate way to mortify your boss.
2. American Beauty
Another hero that is not only able to quit his job, but is also able to blackmail his former boss. Just watch the above scene.
3. Reality Bites
Ever work for a boss that was a complete idiot who completely relied on his/her staff to do avoid being exposed? In Reality Bites, Lelaina Pierce works for the Good Morning Grant Show and has do prepare everything in advance for the host. When Lelaina finally has enough of his crap, she changes his cue cards so that he utters such phrases like “Personally, I’ve always had an odd preference… for very, very young girls”
4. The Devil Wears Prada
Miranda Priestly is truly the boss from hell. However, Andrea Sachs gets her revenge by throwing her work-issued cellphone into a fountain in Paris and literally walks off the job.
5. Stripes
John the cab driver has a passenger that keeps on complaining about his driving. As a result, he decides on the middle a bridge that he no longer wants to take her to the airport. He simply pulls over, exits the cab, and walks home–leaving the complainer alone in the cab.
6. Office Space
Joanna expresses her flair by flicking off her boss.
7. The Truman Show
Truman gets sick of his job/manufactured life so he manages to escape, overcoming many obstacles. His parting words to his boss were not obscene but just simply, “In case I don’t see you — good afternoon, good evening and good night.
8. Showgirls
James Smith (the guy pictured above) gets to tell off his boss with the added bonus of walking into the sunset with Nomi.
9. Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
Sue Ellen doesn’t want to smile while cleaning the fat vats at Clown Dog, so she walks off the job and leaves the job for poor Bryan to complete.
10. Jerry Maguire
Dorothy Boyd and the goldfish get the added bonus of quitting in front of the entire office–certainly worth some extra style points!!!
Now I’m sure I missed some great quitting scenes. Leave me a comment to let me know what other movies should have made this list.
I like the Truman Show way to quit. Very classy!
Joe vs. The Volcano. Joe has a miserable job, working for a miserable boss. He learns he is going to die, so he decides to start living, and one of the first things he does is quit his job, with one of the best “I quit” speeches I’ve ever seen in a movie. 300 freaking bucks a week….
you should include the quitting scene from “Tumbleweeds”. Janet McTeer plays a Southern woman who quits her job by telling her boss to get high off his paperwork and commenting on enemas….pretty funny stuff!
I would have to say the best one for me was the American Beauty one. There is nothing like a good blackmail!
nike
you should include the scene from Half Baked when Scarface quits his job:
It’s classic!