The 7 Best Workplace Comedies Of All Time

In an ideal world, most people would probably choose to avoid working if they could help it.

Whether you’re a stockbroker on Wall Street, a cashier at Dunkin, or a long-suffering mail carrier staying one step ahead of the neighborhood Saint Bernard, every job has its fair share of drawbacks and professional headaches, causing us all untold stress as we await our next paycheck. Yet even with all the anxiety that comes with our jobs, most workplaces tend to come with more rewarding aspects as well, be it in the form of friendships between coworkers or a well-deserved promotion up the professional ladder.

Capturing the daily minutiae that makes up life in the workplace, these comedy films perfectly sum up the mind-numbing boredom, nauseating frustration, and occasionally satisfying camaraderie that comes with most individual jobs. From satirical dark comedies to profanity-laden cult classics, here are some of our absolute favorite workplace comedies, ranked in order from worst to best.

Good Burger (1997)

Admittedly, Good Burger more directly appeals to younger audience members or nostalgic adults who fell in love with the movie way back in the late 1990s. Featuring one of the earliest cinematic performances of Kenan Thompson and his recurring collaborator Kel Mitchell, Good Burger maintains all the foremost aspects of a vintage Nickelodeon film: the absurdist humor, the harebrained plot line, the cartoonish characterization, etc. While that combination may not win over older viewers intent on seeing a thoughtful workplace comedy, Good Burger serves up a satisfying enough teen comedy that feels almost like a junior version of Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy.

Horrible Bosses (2011)

It’s safe to say most people have wondered how much better their lives would be without a boss ordering them around all the time. Taking that simple premise and expanding to comically drastic lengths, Horrible Bosses finds three overworked, underappreciated, and chronically unhappy best friends plotting out ways to dispose of their tyrannical employers – permanently. Though it features a darker-sounding premise, Horrible Bosses never tips its hand when it comes to its comedic subject matter and hilarious performances, as demonstrated by the rowdier antics of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell.

Up in the Air (2009)

Up in the Air is that rare film that remains largely undefinable in terms of clear-cut genre classifications. Operating smoothly as both a cathartic comedy and a bittersweet drama, director Jason Reitman’s breakout hit traces the unlikely journey of George Clooney and Anna Kendrick’s HR experts: a professional duo who specialize in terminating office employees. Analyzing the delicate balance between one’s work and their personal life, Up in the Air illustrates just how easy it is to fall headfirst into our professional endeavors, providing a straightforward but impactful message in the course of its hour and 40-minute runtime: I.E., we are not our jobs.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Nowadays, most people tend to more readily recognize The Shop Around the Corner’s central plotline for its 1998 remake, You’ve Got Mail. While it’s impossible to take anything away from Nora Ephron’s crowd-pleasing adaptation, it’s also worth pointing out how singularly terrific the original The Shop Around the Corner is in and of itself. Featuring a lightning-fast script and plenty of flirtatious banter between Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan’s bickering lead characters, The Shop Around the Corner is a meet-cute workplace comedy more than deserving of audiences’ time and attention.

9 to 5 (1980)

Deep down, many of us have a deep-seated fear that we’ll one day work for a self-serving, ignorant, wholly inappropriate narcissist. Taking this relatable fear for its central premise, 9 to 5 showcases the humorous storytelling potential when three women take an unexpected stand against their bigoted, self-centered employer. Coasting off the natural chemistry between Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, 9 to 5 is a riotous workplace comedy ideal for the whole family. (Although be warned: you will have Parton’s infectious title song stuck in your head for the remainder of the day.)

Clerks (1994)

Back in the mid ‘90s, nobody had ever seen a film quite like Kevin Smith’s self-financed debut, Clerks. Focusing on the minute-by-minute life of ordinary New Jersey retail workers, Clerks’ simplistic story, agreeable characters, and complete lack of a foreseeable plot made it a film well and truly ahead of its time. Relying on a sharp-edged script that prioritizes dialogue and characterization over a feasible narrative, Smith provides one of the most revolutionary comedy films of the ‘90s with Clerks, influencing audiences’ larger appreciation for indie cinema throughout the remainder of the decade.

Office Space (1999)

Just as anyone who has worked a minimum-wage job can relate to Clerks, most people who have worked in a corporate setting can almost certainly relate to Office Space. A well-loved cult classic whose reputation has only improved over time, Office Space provides a far more cynical depiction of the average workplace than NBC’s The Office. As much a thought-provoking satire as it is an uproarious comedy, Office Space meticulously captures the most grating aspects of a corporate environment, from passive-aggressive, micromanaging employers to the oppressive gray cubicles employees toil away in for 40+ hours a week.