# Movies with 'Quitting a Job' as the Main Theme **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003 "2019-04-24T17:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MDfive21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@MDfive21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MDfive21)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/1 "2019-04-24T17:25:31Z")
I’m going to have some time to watch a bunch of movies in the near future and I’d like to compile a playlist of movies that are about characters who lose their shit and/or give an epic FU speech when leaving a job. Suggestions in the vein of Falling Down, Office Space, etc. please! ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/2 "2019-04-24T17:32:01Z")
Lost In America ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/3 "2019-04-24T17:38:15Z")
_Network_, although Howard Beale’s original threat to commit suicide on air actually gets his bosses to rehire him after his ratings spike. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/4 "2019-04-24T17:48:51Z")
_Take This Job And Shove It_ immediately springs to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/5 "2019-04-24T18:32:49Z")
[I have always wanted to quit a job this way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTOKJTRHMdw) Fight Club qualifies ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/6 "2019-04-24T18:40:21Z")
While subsequent events have made it a bit creepy, Kevin Spacey quitting his job in _American Beauty_ would fit. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/7 "2019-04-24T18:42:38Z")
_Jerry Maguire_ had a good quitting scene. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/8 "2019-04-24T18:45:44Z")
> [@MDfive21](#): > > I’d like to compile a playlist of movies that are about characters who lose their shit and/or give an epic FU speech when leaving a job. If getting fired counts, there were a bunch of reactions to getting laid off in [Up in the Air](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_43). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/9 "2019-04-24T18:51:49Z")
You don’t know it’s about quitting his job in style until the end but The In-Laws is an elaborate scheme of Peter Falk’s character to retire with an extra $10 million. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/10 "2019-04-24T18:57:51Z")
[Half Baked](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTOKJTRHMdw) a fun movie for lots of reasons but I still think about the quitting scene whenever I want to leave a job. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/11 "2019-04-24T18:59:15Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > [I have always wanted to quit a job this way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTOKJTRHMdw) > > Fight Club qualifies Damn it. That’s what I get for not clicking random youtube links at work. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/12 "2019-04-24T19:45:55Z")
Bill Murray quits his job as a cab driver (in fairly dramatic fashion) at the beginning of Stripes, which leads to him and Harold Ramis joining the Army. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/13 "2019-04-24T19:59:51Z")
Wanted has a pretty great “quitting my job” scene. You’ll never look at keyboards the same way again ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/14 "2019-04-24T20:55:58Z")
FWIW, IMDb has a pretty powerful keyword search: > **[Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword...](https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=quitting-a-job&ref_=fn_kw_kw_2)** > > IMDb's advanced search allows you to run extremely powerful queries over all people and titles in the database. Find exactly what you're looking for! (For the record, I discovered the “quitting-a-job” keyword after looking to see what descriptors applied to _The Blues Brothers_, namely: [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLbPv6yIvBU).) ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/15 "2019-04-24T21:00:15Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > FWIW, IMDb has a pretty powerful keyword search: > > [Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "quitting-a-job" - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword?keywords=quitting-a-job&ref_=fn_kw_kw_2) That search seems busted to me. It has La La Land as the 7th best quitting a job movie and I don’t even remember a scene where one of the main characters quit their job. Maybe the dude quit the bar? Mary Poppins is there at 3 and its been years since I’ve seen it but does Mr. Banks quit his job at the end? Otherwise I can’t think of any quitting possibilities in the story I remember. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/16 "2019-04-24T21:02:04Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > the 7th best Not best, most popular. The default results order seems to be based on IMDb popularity. You can change it to date, title, etc. And I meant to say, it’s only a starting point. Those keywords are assigned by idiots no smarter than me. I say that because I provide some IMDb content from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/17 "2019-04-24T22:04:48Z")
> [@MDfive21](#): > > Suggestions in the vein of Falling Down! Quibble, but as I remember (and I just searched to confirm), the main, well, “protagonist” former defense worker (played by Michael Douglas) had been laid off (and his wife had left) before he got stuck in the traffic jam which then led to his eventful trek across Los Angeles… ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/18 "2019-04-24T22:22:40Z")
_The Social Network_’s big crescendo is basically a executive firing/fuck you speech. _The Wolf of Wall Street_ has some pretty crazy firing scenes if I remember it right, but I can’t remember if any of the leads go through one off the top of my head. It’s probably not the catharsis you’re looking for, but _The Devil Wears Prada_ has a quitting scene as it’s finale. _Good Will Hunting_ sorta does too. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/19 "2019-04-24T23:22:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > While subsequent events have made it a bit creepy, Kevin Spacey quitting his job in _American Beauty_ would fit. [Yep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psNuJuaYqVU). It’s also one of my favorite movies, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003/20 "2019-04-24T23:56:59Z")
Another one, although it’s a little obscure. [Big Trouble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_(2002_film)), which starred Tim Allen (and a bunch of other people) and was based on a novel by Dave Barry, the humor writer. It had the bad luck to be scheduled for release right after September 11, 2001 but that had to be postponed as the plot involves an atomic bomb on a (small) commercial airliner. Anyhow, Tim Allen’s character (who was basically a stand-in for Dave Barry) quits his job at a newspaper in dramatic fashion. I like the movie quite a bit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-quitting-a-job-as-the-main-theme/833003.md?page=2)