Offices and the movies don’t always go hand-in-hand, yet on occasions the two have met head on to create some memorable cinema. Typically office lies is portrayed as strikingly dull, or crushingly bureaucratic, and films lampoon the scenario with a great sense of fun. Office Kitten takes a look at all of this with some of the best office based movie antics the world has ever seen.

1. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) bags a job on the seven-and-a-half floor due to his nimble auditing abilities. He soon finds that a secret passage in the office allows a “user” full access to movie star John Malkovich’s brain. If things weren’t bizarre enough the office soon becomes a hit, and access to Malkovich’s mind is seen as a spiritual experience.

2. All The President’s Men (1976)

This Oscar winner starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redfood is set in the offices of The Washington Post. The duo play Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, two journalists who helped expose the infamous Watergate scandal. Cue lots of heated debate amongst the perpetual clicking of type writers in action.

3. Liar Liar (1997)

Jim Carrey put his comedic acting chops to the test in this amusing film. Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a dedicated lawyer who places his family behind his work. Once his son makes a birthday wish forcing Reede to tell the truth the usual slapstick chaos associated with Carrey begins. One notable scene sees Carrey wrestling with his wayward arm and destroying his office in the process.

4. Office Space (1999)

Jennifer Aniston and Ron Livingston liven up this entertaining take on the daily office grind. Includes a witty script and plenty of quoteable dialogue. Anyone who has ever worked in an office will also be able to thoroughly relate to see of the hairbrained antics.

5. About Schmidt (2002)

At the start of the film Jack Nicolson’s Schmidt bids farewell to his office life and contemplates what to do with himself in retirement. He soon begins to pine for his office and makes an unsuccessful return to help out his replacement – a university graduate far more skilled then he ever was.

6. Fight Club (1999)

In a famous scene Edward Norton beats himself up in his boss’ office as a blackmail tactic. It works, too! Fight Club attacks the sterile nature of the daily grind throrought the film. Unless you want to enter into a daily life of illegal bare-knuckle fights in basements it’s probably best you stick to your normal daily duties.

7. Brazil (1985)

Hilarious and witty office scenes are littered throughout Terry Gilliam’s brilliant film. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is an auditor in a future which greatly resembles an Orwellian, dystopian nightmare. Government red-tape, crushing routine, and bizarre bureaucracy rule over working life; in one scene Lowry must fight for his half of a shared office table. On other occasions senior managers wander through a perpetual maze of office pylons pursued by hard working employees. All very amusing.

8. Tropic Thunder

Profane Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) runs riot in his office. A top movie executive, when fading movie star Tug Speedman (Ben Stiller) is kidnapped on the set of a vietnam war movie he “negotiates” with Speedman’s kidnappers with wild outburts and savage threats. All of this is played out in his state of the art office.

Seen all the film offices you need? Then head back to Office Kitten!