15 Movies That Made Ordinary Jobs Look Way More Exciting Than They Are

Rob Gordon spends most of his workday arguing about records in High Fidelity. Andy Sachs gets sent to Paris Fashion Week in The Devil Wears Prada, and the kids in School of Rock spend their school days rehearsing with a teacher who isn’t even qualified for the job. None of them seem particularly worried about ordinary things like paperwork or getting through a shift without something going wrong. Movie characters have a habit of finding excitement in jobs that usually involve long hours, repetitive tasks, and difficult customers. Even a position as an office intern can turn into a surprisingly busy adventure. Here are 15 movies that gave everyday jobs a little more excitement than most people experience.

Magazine Assistant, The Devil Wears Prada

Andy Sachs starts out answering phones and fetching coffee, but her job at Runway soon involves designer clothes, impossible demands, and a trip to Paris Fashion Week.

Museum Security Guard, Night at the Museum

Larry Daley takes a night security job expecting empty galleries and quiet hallways, only to discover that the museum’s exhibits come alive after closing.

Record Store Owner, High Fidelity

Rob Gordon spends his workdays discussing music, making obsessive top-five lists, and arguing with his employees at Championship Vinyl instead of selling many records.

Café Waitress, Amélie

Amélie works at a Paris café filled with eccentric regulars, then turns her spare time into an elaborate series of secret missions to improve their lives.

Hotel Concierge, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Monsieur Gustave’s hospitality career includes pampering wealthy guests, mentoring a young lobby boy, and getting tangled up in a stolen painting and a family fortune.

Photo Archive Manager, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Walter spends his days managing photographic negatives at Life magazine until one missing image sends him on an unexpected journey far beyond his office.

Amusement Park Attendant, Adventureland

James Brennan takes a summer job running games at an amusement park, where cheap prizes, eccentric coworkers, and complicated romances make every shift unexpectedly eventful.

Office Secretary, Working Girl

Tess McGill refuses to stay behind her desk after discovering that her boss stole her business idea, eventually pursuing a major corporate deal herself.

Kitchen Assistant, Ratatouille

Linguini starts as the garbage boy at a Paris restaurant before accidentally becoming a culinary sensation with help from a rat hiding beneath his chef’s hat.

Television News Producer, Broadcast News

Jane Craig handles newsroom emergencies, demanding anchors, and live broadcasts with the intensity of someone whose entire life depends on getting the next segment on air.

Publishing Assistant, The Proposal

Andrew Paxton’s job involves serving an intimidating book editor, until she suddenly demands that he pretend to be her fiancé to avoid deportation.

Food Truck Chef, Chef

Carl Casper trades his restaurant kitchen for a food truck, traveling across the country with his son and a friend while serving Cuban sandwiches.

Substitute Teacher, School of Rock

Dewey Finn impersonates a substitute teacher and turns his classroom into a rock band, complete with rehearsals, instruments, and preparations for a music competition.

IRS Auditor, Stranger Than Fiction

Harold Crick’s routine job inspecting tax returns becomes considerably stranger when he starts hearing a narrator describing his actions and predicting his death.

Senior Intern, The Intern

Seventy-year-old Ben Whittaker joins an online fashion company as an intern and becomes an unlikely confidant to its busy founder, Jules Ostin.