Support NeoGAF

[AlteredForms]

There's always been something fascinating to me about the corporate sector, especially the area devoted purely to financial transactions and trading. On the outside it may appear to be a glamorous existence, full of handsome men adorned in custom suits with matching Parker pens, making big-time transactions and then going home in an expensive BMW to their plastic wives. But like all things in life, appearances can indeed be deceptive. It's an area dominated by greed, competition and dishonesty. A place where employees would slit their own coworker's throats to advance their personal position and have no problem with kissing ass to make it to the top.

Whilst movies in recent time haven't portrayed these individuals in the most favourable light, it's no doubt entertaining hating on the people everybody loves to hate. So mention your favourite corporate movies below and note these aren't strictly devoted to number-crunching and Wall Street. Any film with the hallmarks of office spaces, overworked employees and Rexel staplers are allowed. A good example would be American Psycho, which doesn't have finance as a focus, but is set against the backdrop of investment banking. Movies and documentaries, but associated material such as TV shows and books can be mentioned as honourable mentions.

Mine:

3 - The Company Men (2010)

Focusing on recession for a change with Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones.

3 - The Big Short (2015)

Great movie detailing the events leading up to the 2007/08 financial crisis. Excellent cast with stellar acting and humour throughout.

1 - Wall Street (1987)

Greed is gooood.

 

[edbrat]

I'd bin The Company Men (mainly bc I haven't seen it and replace with Office Space.

 

[K1Expwy]

The Insider (1999) was a good drama showing the old days of the MSM gatekeepers. There's also Network (1976) which is a still-relevant satire of mass media. It's another 70s movie that Joker 2019 copied I mean took inspiration from

 

[StreetsofBeige]

- Boiler Room
- Glengarry Glen Ross (beware first 15 minutes are really boring)
- Enron Smartest Guys in the Room

Honourable mention: Any Michael Moore having to do with business. Ya, it's always edited in a fake way to be anti-corporate but still fun to watch

 

[Cravis]

 

[MaestroMike]

the big short was bomb.com loved it especially knowing it was based on a true story !! Hahaha

But I guess social network was my favorite seeing all the drama unfold as it got big. zuckerberg is one sneaky as$ dude haha

also even though steve jobs was part biopic it was definitely cool seeing how he and apple's fate were so intertwined how both rose to the top and then fell after the firing and then both returned to prominence after the king jobs returned to his rightful throne at apple !!

Another movie that I had low expectations for becuz Matt damon was in it that surprisingly entertained me was the informant ! Remember it being very funny !

Also want to mention the aviator watched that movie several times. Very interesting seeing all the struggles howard hughes had in trying to break into the Hollywood and aviation business and seeing all the gambles he made to break new ground definitely an innovator !!

 

[Threeshotgamer]

Wolf of wall street obviously

 

[Night.Ninja]

Margin call was amazing

 

[Gp1]

Since you guys already mentioned my favorites (social network, Big short, Wolf of wallstreet, Aviator, Margin call etc). I'll go with some curve ball underdogs...

 

[West Texas CEO]

 

[EverydayBeast]

Honestly Breaking Bad and how they developed characters obviously not set in a corporate building but Walt, Gustovo are just as aggressive as the suits in making money, some corporate atmosphere in that show.

 

[DigitalScars]

- Boiler Room
- Glengarry Glen Ross (beware first 15 minutes are really boring)

Came to post these exact two. Excellent picks!

 

[T8SC]

42 million in adjusted dollars, that's minus payload of course.


Does that count?

 

[Prison Mike]

 

[12Goblins]

The insider
Glengarry Glen Ross
American psycho

In recent memory Too Big To Fail and Wizard of Lies, both HBO films about Henry Paulson and Bernie Maddoff, respectively, are also excellent

 

[diffusionx]

Arbitrage with Richard Gere is a good one that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[GreyHorace]

Of the one's I've seen?

 

[drganon]

42 million in adjusted dollars, that's minus payload of course.


Does that count?

I can see you're a man of refined tastes as well.

 

[MrS]

Margin Call #1 no cap

 

[AlteredForms]

Good movies mentioned thus far, but I was expecting this thread to take off as there's tonnes of professional working people on GAF. I'm pleased to see people talking about Office Space and Trading Places, as corporate business can indeed be a place for comedy.

 

[Hudo]

I like Micro Men. It's about Sinclair and Acorn going head to head.

 

[AlteredForms]

I like Micro Men. It's about Sinclair and Acorn going head to head.

I remember watching this when it was aired. That scene where Martin Freeman makes fun of the Sinclair C5 still makes me laugh.

 

[Hudo]

I remember watching this when it was aired. That scene where Martin Freeman makes fun of the Sinclair C5 still makes me laugh.

Yeah, I kinda catch myself rewatching it every couple of years. It's well made (but it's dramatized, of course). I kinda wish we've gotten a similar movie about the US home computer wars. I know that Pirates of Silicon Valley exists but it's a bit "over the top" for me and also essentially leaves out Commodore and Atari.

The Pentagon Wars was/is also pretty good. (Both movies have already been mentioned here).

I can also recommend a documentary about the He-Man toy line by Mattel. Also provides how corporate influenced/"meddled" with stuff. But it's less of a competitive view:

 

[Gp1]

Another one. Even if it's not a top notch movie, it's well worth of your time. (go for the directors cut)

 

[TheContact]

fucking love this movie

 

[Slings and Arrows]

No love for glengarry glenross?

 

[DragoonWalker]

A movie about a play-to-win corporate scheme where the finalists get mutilated and the winner is sent into space in a glass capsule with a lunatic:

Spoiler

Straight corporate/financial movies are not really my thing, so how about some genre films that use it as a backdrop instead?

Michael Clayton - A corporate fixer gets embroiled in a mess too hot for him to mop up as the hunter becomes the hunted:



A Company Man - Shallow but fun Korean action movie about a league of assassins who masquerade as a legit corporation, until one of them rebels:



The Accountant - Overlooked thriller about a freelance accountant who keeps the books for the world's most dangerous organizations:

 

[BigBooper]

I think the best ones have already been mentioned, but nobody's mentioned How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying yet.


Gung Ho


One, Two, Three. In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.

 

[Nico_D]

Oh nice, all my choices have already been said by other users.

Mine would be:

1. Wall Street
2. Glengarry Glen Ross
3. Trading Places

 

[epicnemesis]

Big short
Wolf of wall street

If documentaries count then Enron:Smartest Guys in the Room

If documentaries don’t count then Trading places.

 

[MisterFalcon]

The movie Conspiracy about the Wannsee Conference where the Holocaust was planned out is essentially every major business meeting.



-The meeting organizer arrives late, the waiting underlings mingle, gossip and try to get info on what's coming
-The boss make a splashy entrance
-A grand new project is announced which will require massive resources
-Everyone jockeys for position and wants to make sure their department gets to benefit first and most
-Legal makes a big fuss on how it's never going to work
-Little cliques forms between the smaller guys to try and stand up to the big ones
-Some toadies go out of their way to pledge support
-One guy makes a principled stand on how this project goes directly against earlier assurances
-Principled stand guy is made very clear by the boss this is how things will go
-The big guys get their way and the little guys are to do as they are told

 

[jufonuk]

Trading places

Brewster millions

American Psycho

 

[AlteredForms]

Brewster millions

American Psycho

Brewster's Millions?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Of the one's I've seen?

 

[jufonuk]

Brewster's Millions?

Yes

 

[Pagusas]

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Nice thread. I watched Wall Street a couple months ago and like it a lot. I'll jot down some recommended movies on my notes.