“Insomnia is awful. But on the plus side – only three more sleeps till Christmas.”
– Robert Garnham
Get it?
We thought it was one of the best one-liners from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival – the world’s largest arts festival. Aside from the weird and wacky circus, cabaret and opera that make up the festival, most of the programme is dominated by comedy. In fact many of the nation’s best comedians first made names for themselves at the Fringe. So we thought we would get into the spirit and list the 6 best office comedies ever made for film and TV!
Want your own comedy? Start with finding an office space.
The Office (US/UK TV Series)
When The Office first ran on BBC Two, it was almost cancelled due to poor ratings, but has since gone on to be syndicated in over 80 countries. Without getting into a debate over whether the US or UK version is better (we think Ricky Gervais’ UK performance can’t be beat of course!), the series really touches a nerve for those of us who are accustomed to office banter and its daily trivialities. Some reports suggest people even stopped watching it as it was just too close to home! We loved it.
Hubble rating: 9/10
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Definitely one of the finest black comedies in recent years. Scorsese’s testosterone-fuelled office caper was a masterclass in filmmaking as well as an outrageous take on the incredible story of sleazy trader Jordan Belfort. This film had it all – money, sex, drugs, violence, and some ridiculous scenes involving a Lamborghini. But perhaps some of the most memorable scenes involve Belfort’s office space where quite literally everything was no holds barred!
Hubble rating: 8/10
Missed our Glastonbury office playlist? Find it here.
Office Space (1999)
The first film showing a real tech company (before they became cool!) with a handful of employees who are fed up with their office jobs. Despite the fact it was a relative dud at the box office, it was well received by critics and eventually garnered a cult like following – especially in our own office. One particular scene involving three employees smashing a printer in a field probably resonated the world over!
Hubble rating: 10/10
Speaking of office space – browse office space to rent in London and Manchester.
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Another black comedy which lived out perhaps many people’s guilty fantasies of finally getting rid of their terrible bosses! The film wasn’t supposed to do that well, but ended up becoming the highest grossing dark comedy of all time with $209 million worldwide. It’s worth watching even just to see the ensemble A-list cast dealing with everyday office politics (including Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx).
Hubble rating: 6/10
The Internship (2013)
Ok perhaps we are being a bit biased with this, working at a tech company. But something certainly resonated with us watching Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughan competing for a job at Google. Perhaps it was their determination to defeat the odds against younger interns given their age or maybe it was their belief in the ways that technology could revolutionise the world. Either way, it’s the only movie of its type based around working at new tech companies so extra brownie points from us.
Hubble rating: 5/10
Silicon Valley (TV series in the US)
Finally a TV series that shows our life! Well, sort of. This show really resonates with us and so many others, showing the weird intricacies of startup life as well as a comical satire of startup stereotypes. Even Elon Musk and Bill Gates have stepped in to talk about how similar the show is to their own experiences. Hats off to the team for this punchy but also extremely accurate commentary on scrappy startup life.
Hubble rating: 9/10
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs from 4th August to the 28th August in Scotland’s capital.
Hit by the summer slump? Liven things up with our tips for hosting a summer office party.
