6 Best Layoffs and Unemployment Movies

By Vlad Zakh · May 29, 2026

Sudden unemployment brings an identity crisis, dark comedy and a lot of anxiety. The Pursuit of Happyness has a struggling father battling homelessness while chasing an unpaid internship, The Company Men follows three executives through massive layoffs, and Up in the Air has a downsizing consultant questioning his own life. The Full Monty, Office Space and American Beauty round out the six.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

TMDB ★ 8.0

Earns its ending through everything that comes before it.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino · 1h 57m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Angel Studios · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Company Men (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Three corporate executives at different career stages deal with the devastating effect of massive layoffs.

Directed by John Wells · 1h 44m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Up in the Air (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A corporate downsizer who lives entirely out of a suitcase is forced to confront how empty that life really is.

Directed by Jason Reitman · 1h 50m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Full Monty (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A group of unemployed steelworkers plan a striptease act to earn some badly needed money.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo · 1h 31m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Office Space (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A disillusioned software engineer stops caring about his soul-crushing job, with unexpectedly liberating results.

Directed by Mike Judge · 1h 30m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Beauty (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 87% Metacritic 84

A suburban father's midlife crisis upends his family when he becomes infatuated with his daughter's friend.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars112 wins & 102 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Layoffs and Unemployment Movies

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The Company Men (2010)

Up in the Air (2009)

The Full Monty (1997)

Office Space (1999)

American Beauty (1999)

You might also like

250 Best Movies of All Time

6 Best Single Father Movies

6 Best TIFF People's Choice Award Winners

6 Best Midlife Crisis Movies of All Time

50 Movies to Watch Before You Turn 30

8 Best Movies of 1999