Top 10 Movies That Make You Want to Quit Your Job

This comedy-drama follows a respected chef who was experimental at one time, but has fallen into a rut where he can’t recall the last culinary risk he took. After a particularly harsh critique, Chef Carl Casper loses his cool and then walks off the job. He then buys a food truck, travels the country with his neglected son, and rediscovers his passion. It’s a film where a man cooks, drinks beer, and reacquaints himself with his ex-wife - who just so happens to be the gorgeous Sofia Vergara. Yeah, you could say audiences are more than a little envious.

For the single men and women among us, the fantasy of travelling to a far off land and finding true love may sound implausible. However “Before Sunrise” paints a great picture of it. When a couple of beautiful people meet in Budapest, they walk and talk endlessly all the way to Vienna and throughout the city as well. A case study on co-star chemistry, this romantic drama has an intoxicating feel that could easily inspire you to drop everything and travel the world. It may not be realistic, but it is absolutely appealing.

If there’s a movie that will inspire you to stop putting up with BS of any kind, “Falling Down” will get the job done. Let’s be honest, a majority of the BS in our lives stems from our work environment… so when William Foster gets laid off from his job, it’s the last straw. Okay, so freaking out at a fast food joint and firing a Rocket Launcher are a tad extreme, but damn did Foster ever let off some steam! That sure would be nice once in awhile, no?

Lester Burnham is just not a happy man. Married to a woman he no longer recognizes, father to a daughter who resents him, and working a job that is on the precipice of disappearing in a wave of layoffs, he wants – nay, needs - something to change. Why not everything? Blackmailing his boss and taking the power back in his marriage, Lester’s new freedom allows him to get in shape, buy a badass car, and get high if he wants to. In short, Lester does what he wants, when he wants, and who doesn’t desire that?

“Into the Wild” takes things even further than most of the other movies on our list. Not only might it inspire people to leave their work, but to leave society all together. Although that doesn’t earn it extra consideration here, it is remarkable that a film where everything may not work out in the end still speaks to something in us. A recent graduate who abandons his friends and family for a trek to Alaska, Chris McCandless finds himself and is truly impacted by strangers who get as much in return. Pretty wild stuff. Especially when you find out the movie was based on a guy who actually existed.

If you’ve ever felt like you were toiling away without recognition, sufficient reward, or even appreciation, this film may have you cheering and working out yourresignation. Jerry Maguire’s life is turned upside down when he is unceremoniously fired and forced to go it alone, but in the process finds love and true satisfaction in his job. The desire to strike out on your own and be your own boss is likely to take up residence in many a viewer’s gut and take a while to dissipate.

“Fight Club” is a movie about people finding their inner warriors and letting the pretense of civilization drop. The idea of no longer punching a time clock, accumulating goods, and needing other people’s approval is a powerful one… Almost as powerful as a punch to the face! On top of all that, who didn’t want to either be or be with Tyler Durden when this film ended? Sure, he caused mass anarchy and destruction, but the character was totally badass, right?

The Dude has become a cult figure like no other since this film was released and for very good reason. A man of few worries and even fewer responsibilities, he spends his days travelling this world, drinking and bowling. All he wants is that rug that really tied the room together. When the credits roll, we’re left reflecting on that work project we need to complete or the shift we don’t really want to show up for, yearning for the Dude’s lifestyle. That’s when you know a movie really spoke to you.

When his job is on the line, Walter Mitty must either take a risk or be fired by his douchebag of a boss. Thus, our title character sets out on the adventure he’s always aspired to take. Gaining confidence and a bevy of life experience, Walter ends the film as a man without a job. He doesn’t need it anymore, though. He can finally make his fantasies a reality and gets the girl of his dreams.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- “Eat Pray Love” (2010)
- “The Beach” (2000)
- “Network” (1976)
- “Horrible Bosses” (2011)
- “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)

If there is a more hilariously infuriating boss in all movie history than Bill Lumbergh, we sure can’t think of one. Peter Gibbons is a man working in an office cubicle located near a woman with an annoyingly cheerful voice. Upon realizing that every day is the worst of his life, he utterly stops caring and actually smiles. When he finds satisfaction after he stops showing up to work, we can’t help but wonder why we put ourselves through such crap. You know what? Screw it! End the video! We quit!

Do you agree with our list? What movie made you want to quit your job? For more career changing top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.