Eight Hollywood-Approved Ways to Quit Your Job

By Moviefone Editors Posted Aug 12th 2010 01:58PM

That awesome JetBlue flight attendant's awesome quitting story ... was awesome. But whether Steven Slater is your new hero or not, he got you thinking about how you'd like to leave the workplace in style. Seriously -- who hasn't wanted to tell off a cruel boss, get back at a jerky co-worker or tell those ungrateful customers just where they can shove it?

To help us cope with the unpleasant reality that most of us can't just walk out on our lousy jobs, here are eight of the most memorable methods the movies have given us of saying, "I quit!" >>See 'em all after the jump!

1. The "Mad as Hell" method

'Network' (1976)
Even if you've never seen this cynical '70s flick, you definitely know this famous rant: "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" It's actually not a scene in which anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) quits his job, but it is one where he completely loses it and urges everyone watching at home to do the same thing. He orders the audience, "I want you to get up right now, open it, stick your head out the window and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!'" and sure enough, people everywhere are just as mad as he is.

'Breaking Away' (1979)
Who doesn't love Jackie Earle Haley? He's not large, but he's definitely someone to reckon with, as we saw in 'Watchmen,' where he handily takes out a shank-carrying prisoner with just a lunch tray and a basket of fries. He was always a tough guy, as evidenced in this classic scene from 'Breaking Away.' (Go to 1:35 in this fan tribute video), where his boss at the car wash unwisely calls him "Shorty," just before ordering him to punch the clock. His hot-headed character takes the suggestion literally.

2. The "No, I won't play ball" method

'The Apartment' (1960)
Put-upon nice guy C. C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) has gotten ahead by letting all the execs at work use his apartment for their rendezvous, but when he falls for the boss's girl, he decides to put an end to the arrangement, even if it means losing his job. The key he hands over isn't to his apartment, but to the executive washroom, in a very subtle "I quit."

'Mr. Mom' (1983)
When Michael Keaton's weaselly boss (Jeffrey Tambor) tells him to "be a stand-up guy" and to lie to their superiors that he's been "covering" for him, we cheer when Keaton boldy says, "You're lying" and proceeds to rip him a new one. Then he threatens Tambor for chewing out his child. Yeah!

'That Thing You Do!' (1996)
Here's one creative way to walk out of a record contract: Turn "I quit" into a song. Works for The Wonders' egocentric lead singer Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech), who decides he's had it with Playtone Records' demands.

3. The "Finally telling you what I think of you" method

'Office Space' (1999)
Watching beleaguered waitress Joanna (Jennifer Aniston) tell off her tyrannically upbeat boss at a cheesy chain restaurant feels sooooo good. Now that's the way to express your flair!
Warning: Flagrant use of the finger

4. The "Don't get mad, get even" method

'Working Girl' (1988)
When your boss sets you up with someone who offers you inappropriate come-ons instead of the job you were expecting, here's what you do: Spray champagne all over the horndog, then march back to the office and broadcast the message that your backstabbing boss is a "sleazoid pimp." Then walk out, head held high.

'Reality Bites' (1994)
Fed up? Why not expose your sleazy boss on the air by writing him cue cards that read, "I've always had a preference for very young girls" and "I'm a total p***k" as Winona Ryder memorably does?

5. The "blackmail your boss" method

'American Beauty' (1999)
"I'm just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose," Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) says after blackmailing his boss into giving him a year's salary with benefits and threatening him with a sexual harassment suit. Excellent negotiating skills, Lester.

Warning: Clip is NSFW

'Fight Club' (1999)
If you start beating yourself to a bloody pulp in your boss's office, he really has no choice but to let you walk out with whatever money and office equipment you want. The residual pain and swelling are totally worth it.

6. The "F-- you" method

'Lost in America' (1985)
Oh, this is so not the way to react when you learn that you didn't get that long-awaited promotion. You have to cringe when Albert Brooks refuses to accept a job transfer and instead launches into a tirade against his boss and the guy who did get the position.

Warning: Clip is NSFW

'Half Baked' (1998)
When you're doing a lousy job for lousy pay, who doesn't dream of the day you get to tell everyone off, then walk out, as disgruntled burger flipper Julio (Guillermo Diaz) does in a short but very unforgettable scene?

Warning: Clip is NSFW

'Out of Sight' (1998)
What's George Clooney's reward for saving rich weakling Albert Brooks from thugs in prison? He's offered a lowly job as a guard. Clooney tells him what he can do with his job, then is hauled out by security. He tears off his tie in disgust, then goes back to doing what he does best: robbing banks, which buys him a ticket right back to the joint.

Warning: Clip is NSFW

'Burn After Reading' (2008)
CIA agent John Malkovich doesn't want to hear that he's being demoted -- or admit that he has a drinking problem. Instead of taking the reprimand in stride, he curses out his bosses (in the first part of this clip) and quits on the spot.

Warning: Clip is NSFW

7. The "Who's coming with me?" method

'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
Has anyone ever quit quite like this before (or since) in the movies? Sports agent Jerry Maguire lectures the office on manners, takes the fish that are rightly his and asks "Who's coming with me?" If you're a '90s-era Tom Cruise, then yes, you will get at least one lovestruck employee to follow you. Everyone else, take the fish and quit while you're ahead.

8. The "Take what's yours" method

'Two Weeks Notice' (2002)
Sandra Bullock very politely quits to her needy boss (Hugh Grant), but when it comes time to leave, she fights tooth and nail to keep the stapler she's earned after years of 18-hour days. Don't ever get between a woman and her stapler!

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