We all have that one dream where we work for a boss who waltzes in everyday with a smile beaming from his face and a chocolate eclair for everyone in the room. Unfortunately, your boss only brings in humbugs and as you sit behind your desk, contemplating whether or not your boss is secretly a villain, you can always pray that your next job will come with a manager like one of these – the best bosses movies have to offer.
Captain James Kirk – Star Trek
James Kirk is known for his cockiness and playing fast and loose with the rules. Whilst his methods may be unconventional, he always keeps the survival of the Enterprise crew in his best interests (unless you’re wearing a red shirt).
Capable of inspiring his crew to pull through even during the bleakest of times, his mixture of rousing speeches and a can do attitude keeps his crew’s morale high as they continue their five year exploration mission.
If only other bosses would take a page out of Kirk’s unwritten management gospel and deliver a rousing speech as you prepare for a five week sales plan. The office would be a much more motivated place.
Jordan Belfort – The Wolf of Wall Street
The movie version of Jordan Belfort may have had an explosive lifestyle filled with the more illegal things in life, but he did make sure those who worked for him were looked after. Whether it was ensuring that his new employees would be financially stable before they’d even started, or organising lucrative parties to celebrate the company’s financial success, ‘The Wolf’ always made sure that the good workers had a good time.
You won’t find a lion, a naked marching band and a monkey in a suit in many workplaces, but at Stratton Oakmont you’ll find all three.
Maybe those celebrations are a bit too extravagant for normal office life, but surely your boss must realise that a nice tin of Quality Street is always welcome.
Charles Xavier – X-Men
Having first hand experience at how hard it is for mutants who are discovering their powers and growing up on their own, Charles Xavier turned his mansion home into a school for mutants (and secret headquarters for the X-Men).
Not only does this boss provide shelter for his often persecuted workforce, he also supplies the uniforms and constant training opportunities.
Whilst you could probably pass on the skin tight matching uniforms, having a boss as supportive as Professor X would ensure you could do your job to the best of your new found abilities.
Willy Wonka – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Before we start, lets ignore the fact that Willy Wonka may have created a sadistic game of survival for the five ‘lucky’ kids who found the golden tickets. One was lost through a tube of chocolate, one was shrunk, one was turned into a blueberry and one was sent towards an incinerator.
However, disregarding his lucrative policies on finding a successor to his chocolate factory, one can not overlook how he saved the Umpa Lumpas. By inviting them to come and work in his factory, Willy Wonka saved them from their natural enemies: Whangdoodles, Hornswogglers and Snozzwangers.
Whilst it’s unknown if an Umpa Lumpa gets any further benefits other than shelter and payment through cocoa beans, one thing is for certain – Willy Wonka prevented extinction.
Gru – Despicable Me
Although villainous, Gru treats his minions with respect and in turn, they treat him with the same respect – which is more than can be said for most evil doctors. The minions have assisted Gru through various heists including stealing the Statue of Liberty (from Vegas) and stealing the Eiffel Tower (also, from Vegas).
The minions go through a lot, from being shrunk to being turned into purple monsters filled with rage. Nonetheless they still trust their boss enough to form a tribute band to cover All 4 One’s I swear at his wedding.
Sometimes you can relate to feeling like a minion; you help with the hard work, the heavy lifting and the planning and the hierarchy takes the credit. At least under a Gru-like boss, you’d receive some recognition.
Okay, so not all bosses can come straight out of a script for the silver screen, but there’s always time for the protagonist to change their ways after experiencing that classic epiphany in the penultimate scene. After all, nothing’s over until we hear the sound of the end credits.