Ultimate Work Movie List
An aggregate, unranked list of the 100 best movies about Working for a Living. Ever. Period.
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104 titles
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJennifer BealsMichael NouriLilia SkalaAn 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.
- DirectorRowdy HerringtonStarsPatrick SwayzeKelly LynchSam ElliottA bouncer hired to clean up the baddest honkytonk in a Missouri town. Armed with a black belt in karate and a degree in philosophy, Patrick Swayze sets out to tame the Double Deuce for its owner.
- DirectorColin HigginsStarsJane FondaLily TomlinDolly PartonThree female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
- DirectorGus TrikonisStarsRobert HaysArt CarneyBarbara HersheyFrank is sent to his native town, Millsborough, to increase the local brewery production. He meets old school mates and his former girlfriend, Jane. They quickly fall in love again. Frank is torn between his job.
- DirectorStan DragotiStarsMichael KeatonTeri GarrFrederick KoehlerAfter he's suddenly laid off, a husband switches roles with his wife. She returns to the workforce, and he becomes a stay-at-home dad, and he has to take care of three young children, a job he has no clue how to do.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsMichael KeatonGedde WatanabeGeorge WendtWhen a Japanese automobile company buys an American plant, the American liaison must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsHenry WinklerMichael KeatonShelley LongA mild-mannered morgue attendant is assigned to the night shift, and his new coworker, along with his prostitute neighbor, convince him of running a prostitution ring out of the morgue.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMelanie GriffithHarrison FordSigourney WeaverWhen a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsMichael J. FoxJulie WarnerBarnard HughesA young doctor on his way across the country to a job interview crashes his car in a small town and is sentenced to work for several days at the town hospital.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsMichael J. FoxHelen SlaterRichard JordanA talented young man can't get an executive position without rising through the ranks, so he comes up with a shortcut, which also benefits his love life.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsMichael J. FoxGabrielle AnwarAnthony HigginsDoug, a concierge at a luxury Manhattan hotel, saves all his tips toward his plan for a hotel. A potential investor seduces the girl Doug loves with false promises of leaving his wife. Doug's dilemma: hotel project or girl?
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsRichard PryorHarvey KeitelYaphet KottoWhen three automotive factory workers who're struggling financially try to steal from their own labor union, they discover corruption, and reluctantly decide to use this information for blackmail.
- DirectorOz ScottMichael SchultzStarsRichard PryorCicely TysonAngel Ramirez Jr.Failed parolee Joe Braxton has one last shot at redemption: by driving school kids from Philadelphia to Washington State.
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsRichard PryorLonette McKeeMargaret AveryOrange picker Leroy Jones inadvertently becomes a union leader and is forced out of town, leaving behind his wife Annie Mae and his sexually-obsessed father Rufus.
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsRichard PryorFranklyn AjayeSully BoyarA comedic take on the daily life of car-wash employees, chronicling their hopes, fears, joys, dreams, and tribulations, and meeting some eccentric customers along the way.
- DirectorJohn BerryStarsDiahann CarrollJames Earl JonesLawrence Hilton-JacobsIn the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop feels intimidated by the idea of dating Claudine who is a single mother of six on welfare.
- DirectorBen StillerStarsWinona RyderEthan HawkeJaneane GarofaloA documentary filmmaker and her fellow Generation X graduates face life after college, looking for work and love in Houston.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsShirley MacLaineOlympia DukakisSally FieldA young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship, and welcome her into the fold.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsDustin HoffmanJessica LangeTeri GarrMichael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap.
- DirectorBruce RobinsonStarsRichard E. GrantRachel WardRichard WilsonA cynical advertising exec has a block at work leading to a meltdown. He's hilariously out of control. Getting a big, talking boil on his shoulder doesn't help.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsCary GrantRosalind RussellRalph BellamyA newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsCary GrantJean ArthurRita HayworthAt a remote South American trading port, the manager of an air-freight company is forced to risk his pilots' lives in order to win an important contract as a traveling American showgirl stops in town.
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsBrian O'HalloranJeff AndersonMarilyn GhigliottiA day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
- DirectorBryan GordonStarsFrank WhaleyJennifer ConnellyDermot MulroneyJim is the dorky son of a local cement contractor who lives at home and has no direction. Josie is the gorgeous daughter of a wealthy businessman who dreams of leaving town. They find they have a lot in common.
- DirectorPaul WeitzStarsDennis QuaidTopher GraceScarlett JohanssonA middle-aged ad exec is faced with a new boss who's nearly half his age... and who also happens to be sleeping with his daughter.
- DirectorMike JudgeStarsRon LivingstonJennifer AnistonDavid HermanThree company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsJason BatemanCharlie DayJason SudeikisThree friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.
- DirectorDavid FrankelStarsAnne HathawayMeryl StreepAdrian GrenierA smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyPaul BatesGarcelle BeauvaisAn extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsAaron EckhartCameron BrightMaria BelloSatirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year old son.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsTheresa RandleIsaiah WashingtonSpike LeeAn aspiring actress disappointed by her treatment in the movie industry turns to phone sex to make a living.
- DirectorAllan MoyleStarsAnthony LaPagliaDebi MazarMaxwell CaulfieldTwenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults thanks to each other and the manager. They all face the store joining a chain store with strict rules.
- DirectorJody HillStarsSeth RogenAnna FarisRay LiottaBi-polar mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper's paradise into his personal peep show. But when Barnhardt can't bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective is recruited to close the case.
- DirectorSteve CarrStarsKevin JamesKeir O'DonnellJayma MaysWhen a shopping mall is taken over by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsChiwetel EjioforAudrey TautouSophie OkonedoIrregular migrants Okwe and Senay work at a posh London hotel and live in constant fear of deportation. One night Okwe stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder, setting off a series of events that could lead to disaster or freedom.
- DirectorNunnally JohnsonStarsGregory PeckJennifer JonesFredric MarchAn ex-soldier faces ethical questions as he tries to earn enough to support his wife and children well.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsAl PacinoJack LemmonAlec BaldwinAn examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenMichael DouglasTamara TunieAn impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.
- DirectorEmilio EstevezStarsCharlie SheenEmilio EstevezLeslie HopeTwo garbage men uncover a conspiracy involving illegal toxic waste dumping and decide to bring the whole operation down.
- DirectorBen YoungerStarsGiovanni RibisiVin DieselNia LongA college dropout, attempting to live up to his father's high standards, gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm which puts him on the fast track to success. But the job might not be as legitimate as it first appeared to be.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldBeau BridgesRon LeibmanA young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThe story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
- DirectorRob McKittrickStarsRyan ReynoldsAnna FarisJohn Francis DaleyYoung employees at ShenaniganZ restaurant collectively stave off boredom and adulthood with their antics.
- DirectorAdrienne ShellyStarsKeri RussellNathan FillionJeremy SistoJenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness.
- DirectorMiguel ArtetaStarsJennifer AnistonJake GyllenhaalDeborah RushA discount store clerk strikes up an affair with a stock boy who considers himself the incarnation of Holden Caulfield.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonWalter MatthauSusan SarandonA ruthless editor tries to get his top reporter to cover one more crime story before retirement.
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsRobert De NiroAnne HathawayRene RussoSeventy-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsTom HanksMeg RyanGreg KinnearBook superstore magnate Joe Fox and independent book shop owner Kathleen Kelly fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet, both blissfully unaware that he's trying to put her out of business.
- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsWilliam HurtAlbert BrooksHolly HunterTake two rival television reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one producer, female. Mix well, and watch the sparks fly.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsFaye DunawayWilliam HoldenPeter FinchA television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsBen AffleckChris CooperTommy Lee JonesThe story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company - and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.
- DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsMatthew McConaugheyAl PacinoRene RussoAfter suffering a career-ending knee injury, a former college football star aligns himself with one of the most renowned touts in the sports-gambling business.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKeanu ReevesAl PacinoCharlize TheronAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsTom CruiseJeanne TripplehornGene HackmanA young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsWilliam HoldenBarbara StanwyckJune AllysonWhen the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsTim RobbinsPaul NewmanJennifer Jason LeighA naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.
- DirectorShawn LevyStarsVince VaughnOwen WilsonRose ByrneTwo salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.
- DirectorJames PonsoldtStarsEmma WatsonTom HanksJohn BoyegaA woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover an agenda that will affect the lives of all of humanity.
- DirectorAllan MillerStarsJohn DalleyDavid SoyerArnold SteinhardtRelationships, rehearsals, performances, hobbies, family life of the members of the Guarneri string quartet
- DirectorPeter SegalStarsChris FarleyDavid SpadeBrian DennehyAfter his auto-parts tycoon father dies, the overweight, underachieving son teams up with a snide accountant to try and save the family business.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardHenry BergmanThe Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMeryl StreepKurt RussellCherA worker at a plutonium processing plant is purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing worker safety violations at the plant.
- DirectorPaul WeitzStarsTina FeyPaul RuddNat WolffA Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruiseCuba Gooding Jr.Renée ZellwegerWhen a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsTom CruiseBryan BrownElisabeth ShueA talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.
- DirectorDavid McNallyStarsPiper PeraboAdam GarciaJohn GoodmanAspiring songwriter Violet Sanford, after getting a job at a women-run NYC bar that teases its male patrons, comes out of her shell.
- DirectorCharles ShyerStarsDiane KeatonSam ShepardHarold RamisThe life of super-yuppie J.C. is thrown into turmoil when she inherits a baby from a distant relative.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsAmy AdamsMeryl StreepChris MessinaJulia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.
- DirectorThomas Michael DonnellyStarsKevin BaconJami GertzPaul RodriguezJack was doing great trading shares until he wasn't. He gets a job on a bike at Quicksilver speed delivery. There he befriends Hector and the cute Terri. Jack gets an enemy in the criminal Gypsy.
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsRachel McAdamsHarrison FordDiane KeatonAn upstart television producer accepts the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program with warring co-hosts.
- DirectorRobert LuketicStarsReese WitherspoonLuke WilsonSelma BlairElle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.
- DirectorReginald HudlinStarsEddie MurphyRobin GivensHalle BerryA successful executive and womanizer finds his lifestyle choices have turned back on him when his new female boss turns out to be an even bigger deviant than he is.
- DirectorDennis DuganStarsMartin LawrenceSteve ZahnColm FeoreTwo mismatched security guards are thrown together to bust a smuggling operation.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAli MacGrawAlan KingMyrna LoyA married, egotistical, middle-aged head of a corporate empire man and his mistress and protegee, who wants a more serious commitment and ends up dating a younger man, are in a casual love/hate relationship and engage in a battle of wits.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsRichard GereJulie ChristieGene HackmanAfter a close friend drops out of politics, a political consultant helping to find a replacement finds a web of corruption and deceit as well.
- DirectorDonald PetrieStarsAnnabeth GishJulia RobertsLili TaylorThree teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
- DirectorAnthony DrazanStarsSean PennKevin SpaceyChazz PalminteriHollywood movers and shakers dissect their own personal lives when everything seems to clash together.
- DirectorJohn SwanbeckStarsKevin SpaceyDanny DeVitoPeter FacinelliTwo veteran salesmen dissect a sales pitch to a particular client, through their young protégé.
- DirectorAnne FletcherStarsSandra BullockRyan ReynoldsMary SteenburgenA pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.
- DirectorWayne WangStarsJennifer LopezRalph FiennesNatasha RichardsonA Senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid, thinking she is a socialite, when he sees her trying on a wealthy woman's dress.
- DirectorGlenn Gordon CaronStarsJennifer AnistonJay MohrKevin BaconA young advertising executive's life becomes increasingly complicated when, in order to impress her boss, she pretends to be engaged to a man she has just met.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsJens AlbinusPeter GantzlerFriðrik Þór FriðrikssonAn IT company hires an actor to serve as the company's president in order to help the business get sold to a cranky Icelander.
- DirectorGeorge HuangStarsKevin SpaceyFrank WhaleyMichelle ForbesA young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
- DirectorJill SprecherStarsToni ColletteParker PoseyLisa KudrowThe relationship between four female temps all working for the same credit company is threatened with the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for.
- DirectorSteve ConradStarsSeann William ScottJohn C. ReillyChris ConradTwo assistant managers of a corporate grocery store vie for a coveted promotion.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsJack BlackYasiin BeyDanny GloverTwo bumbling store clerks inadvertently erase the footage from all of the tapes in their video rental store. In order to keep the business running, they re-shoot every film in the store with their own camera, with a budget of zero dollars.
- DirectorReb BraddockStarsWilliam BaldwinAngela JonesBruce RamsayAfter getting interested in murder as a kid in Colombia, Gabriela now has a scrapbook on murders including clippings on "The Blue Blood Killer". While cleaning his latest murder scene in Miami, she comes across a clue missed by the cops.
- DirectorTim StoryStarsIce CubeCedric The EntertainerEveA day in the life of a South Side Chicago barbershop.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyDan AykroydRalph BellamyA snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsTim RobbinsGreta ScacchiFred WardA Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?
- DirectorPaul NewmanStarsPaul NewmanHenry FondaLee RemickA family of fiercely independent Oregon loggers struggle to keep the family business alive amidst changing times.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsMichael CaineCarol BurnettDenholm ElliottA travelling theater group find so much action going on behind-the-scenes, they almost ruin the performances.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsJon FavreauRobert Downey Jr.Scarlett JohanssonA head chef quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsRichard PryorJackie GleasonNed BeattyAn underemployed reporter finds himself literally purchased as a toy for a rich spoiled brat.