There are just days when going to work is just “meh”.
You wish you could just stay home longer, curl up in your bed, instead of taking that long ride to the office just to stare at your computer screen.
But hey, all of us have to work. It pays the rent and other bills. It’s part of adulting.
When you’re just feeling down and don’t feel like a trooper to do your work, here are some films that may help re-ignite that flame in being passionate on your job again.
These films are a few I watch whenever I feel demotivated to work. Feel free to share your own favorites!
If you haven’t watched these films and you plan to, DO NOT READ the descriptions as they may contain SPOILERS.
10. The Devil Wears Prada
Andy (Anne Hathaway) is an aspiring journalist who just landed one of the most sought after jobs in the industry, as a junior personal assistant to powerful fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). She puts up with almost everything in her work including the humiliation, unreasonable requests, and long hours, thinking that it’s her stepping stone to her dream job. She even sacrificed her love life for the job.
In the end, she quit and applied for newspaper job, which Priestly gave a personal sarcastic yet stellar recommendation.
My favorite line: (from Nigel) “Andy, be serious. You are not trying. You are whining. What is it that you want me to say to you, huh? Do you want me to say, “Poor you. Miranda’s picking on you. Poor you. Poor Andy”? Hmm? Wake up, six. She’s just doing her job. Don’t you know that you are working at the place that published some of the greatest artists of the century? Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta. And what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it. Well, not you, obviously, but some people. You think this is just a magazine, hmm? This is not just a magazine. This is a shining beacon of hope for… oh, I don’t know… let’s say a young boy growing up in Rhode Island with six brothers pretending to go to soccer practice when he was really going to sewing class and reading Runway under the covers at night with a flashlight. You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls. And what’s worse, you don’t care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn’t kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up, sweetheart.”
9. The Internship
Watch salesmen Billy McMahon (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Owen Wilson) were laid off when their company decided to go out of business. To get themselves back on their feet, they applied for an internship at Google alongside younger 20-something applicants. At the internship, they get teamed up with the leftovers (other kids who didn’t get picked to be part of a team). Only one team will win the internship competition and eventually be hired at Google.
My favorite line: (from Nick) “Life is like a station wagon. Sometimes it’s going to throw you through the windshield and crack your skull open and maybe even break your heart. But every once in a while, it drops a Sally Moran in your back seat.”
8. Chef
Highly-acclaimed chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) loses his big-time restaurant gig over an Internet mishap with a food critic. After quitting the restaurant business, he decided to start his own food-truck while he tries to reconnect with his son.
The movie is fun and it gives a peek at starting over in life. It also shows the joys of truly following your passion.
My favorite line: (from Chef Carl) “I may not do everything great in my life, but I’m good at this. I manage to touch people’s lives with what I do and I want to share this with you.”
7. Burnt
This is a story of London stellar chef, Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), trying to get back on his feet after a severe drug abuse that cost the restaurant and a number of his friends’ careers with him. While sobering up, he punished himself by shucking a million oysters before going back to London to regain his honor and go for his third Michelin star.
It tells about the love of food, the love between two people, and the power of second chances.
My favorite line: (from Dr. Rosshilde, Adam’s psychiatrist)Â “There’s strength in needing others, not weakness.”
6. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
This is one of my favorite documentaries and it is about Japanese sushi master, Jiro Ono. It shows passion and discipline to attain excellence in work. Jiro is the epitome of man’s quest to improve upon the self. He does it so well and not for the money or for the fame, but for the satisfaction of doing your job well.
My favorite line: (from Jiro) “You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success… and is the key to being regarded honorably. I’ve never once hated this job. I fell in love with my work and gave my life to it. Even though I’m eighty five years old, I don’t feel like retiring. That’s how I feel.”
