Labor Day, the swan song of summer, the last extra day off work that affords you one more long weekend before the days start to become shorter as autumn begins to arrive. While you could spend your extra day off dealing with some kind of crowded outdoor activity, you could opt for a little air-conditioned comfort and enjoying any of these movies that celebrate the joys of work that just so happen to be available on HBO NOW. After all, it’s your holiday weekend.
Blade Runner
Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 sci-fi/noir stars Harrison Ford as Agent Deckard, a retired Blade Runner brought back into the fold and tasked with finding a quartet of Replicants, a type of fugitive android led by Rutger Hauer’s enigmatic (and terrifying) Roy Batty. It’s worth noting that this is the Theatrical Release of the film, which includes Ford’s narration.
Working Girl
Melanie Griffith stars as Tess McGill, a secretary for a big-name Wall Street investment bank, who proves her untapped potential by putting her own merger in place after her boss, Sigourney Weaver, suffers a broken leg . The film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards in 1988, including Best Picture, winning Best Song for Carly Simon’s “Let The River Run,” which played out during the opening credits. Harrison Ford also stars, but does not narrate.
Hot Shots
A 1991 satire from the co-director of Airplane!, Jim Abrahams, the film stars Charlie Sheen as Topper Harley, a U.S. Navy pilot who’s lured back into active duty at the request of his Lt. Commander. While drawing heavily on films like Top Gun and Rambo in terms of its parody, it also introduced the world to the on-screen chemistry between Sheen and co-star Jon Cryer, who’d later work together in the mega-popular sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Career Opportunities
The John Hughes-scripted romantic comedy stars Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly, two former high school classmates who, despite being “aisles apart,” find themselves falling in love with one another while locked in a Target store overnight.
Mystery Men
Based loosely on the comic book Flaming Carrot Comics by cartoonist Bob Burden, who co-wrote the screenplay, Mystery Men follows the exploits of a team of lesser-known superheroes determined to save the day. Despite the talented ensemble cast, the film never managed to find an audience in theaters. While it’s never been proven, it has been suggested (by co-star Tom Waits) that the film was actually directed by Tim Burton, not Kinka Usher, who is credited.
Idiocracy
Director/co-writer Mike Judge lays out his vision for the future and it is not optimistic. The 2006 film managed to claw its way to cult status despite a limited theatrical release, it stars Luke Wilson, as Joe Bauers, a profoundly average man who, thanks to a misguided Army experiment, wakes up after 500 years and suddenly finds himself the smartest man in the world.
The Devil Wears Prada
Based on the Lauren Weisberger novel, Anne Hathaway plays Andrea Sachs, an eager young college graduate who lands an incredibly demanding job as co-assistant to fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. The character is thought to be based on Anna Wintour, the editor for U.S. Vogue, and Streep’s portrayal earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Horrible Bosses 2
The 2014 sequel reunites stars Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day as three hapless buddies trying to live out the American dream by going into business for themselves. Their old hijinks ensue when their investor, Christoph Waltz, tries to pull out of their deal at the last minute and take their invention for himself.
