{
  "id": 5841699,
  "title": "Take this job and…: 17 films that extol the virtues of anti-work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/take-this-job-and-17-films-that-extol-the-virtues-of-anti-work",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-05T11:00:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/inventory-labor-day-17-anti-work-movies"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Here are 17 films that extol the virtues of anti-work, without reusing more than three consecutive words from the source:\n\n1. Blue Collar (1978) features Yaphet Kotto, Harvey Keitel, and Richard Pryor working together to resist oppressive conditions in an auto plant. The film highlights solidarity among workers, even as it depicts the oppressive power of corporations and unions.\n\n2. Alien (1979) and its sequel Aliens (1986) portray workers trapped in oppressive corporate structures, with little regard for proper equipment or safety. The films explore the dehumanizing effects of industrial work in both space and a post-apocalyptic world.\n\n3. 9 to 5 (1980) follows three women, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin, who band together to fight sexism and mistreatment in the workplace. Their comedic revenge fantasies offer a hopeful vision of solidarity and empowerment.\n\n4. Brazil (1985) envisions a bleak future where oppressive bureaucracy consumes even the most mundane aspects of life. Jonathan Pryce's character ultimately finds solace in the sanctuary of his own mind, rejecting the dehumanizing effects of a corporate machine.\n\n5. Club Paradise (1986) follows a Chicago firefighter's escape to a tropical island paradise, where he learns to reject the constraints of work in favor of a carefree lifestyle. The film explores the allure of tropical fantasies as a means of rebelling against the drudgery of daily work.\n\n6. Slacker (1990) captures a day in the lives of an assortment of characters, each struggling to find meaning and freedom in their oppressive jobs. The film's protagonist grapples with the inherent exploitation of labor, ultimately rejecting the need to conform to the \"kind of work\" that exploits and dehumanizes.",
  "summary": "This Labor Day, celebrate with 17 movies that remind us that we work to live, not the other way around.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}