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5 Worst Bosses in Movie History

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Everyone’s had a bad boss — the manager that never seemed to remember our names, the supervisor who dumped all the worst work in our inbox. But some bosses are so bad, they could only the invention of Hollywood’s greatest screenwriters. Let’s hope these horrible bosses were just figments of the writers’ imaginations.

1. Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada

Possibly the worst thing about Ms. Priestly is that her real-life inspiration, Anna Wintour of Vogue magazine fame, is supposedly even tougher to work for. And when your fictional version blames her assistant for natural disasters and insists on copies of an as-yet-unpublished Harry Potter book, you know you’re a demanding boss.

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2. Michael Corleone, The Godfather, Part 2

On the other hand, Miranda Priestly never had anyone killed, which is more than we can say for the second bad boss on our list. Fail to live up to Michael Corleone’s exacting standards, and you might wind up sleeping with the fishes. (Plus, this is a guy who works even during his child’s christening. So you know he’s going to expect dedication.)

3. Every Boss in the Movie, Horrible Bosses

If you had to choose between working for a sexual harrasser, a weaselly drug addict, or a sociopath, which would you choose? If you said none of the above, you better hope you’re not a character in the movie Bad Bosses. Because these are the only choices for employers in the universe of this movie. It is a nightmare vision of the working world.

4. Dr. Curt Connors, The Amazing Spider-Man

Your real-life boss might be terrible, but he probably never mutated into a giant lizard and tried to kill everyone you love. Just sayin’.

5. Bill Lumbergh, Office Space

No list of bad bosses would be complete without Bill Lumbergh. From his management style (micro, with a side of ineffectiveness) to his catchphrases (“What’s happening?” and “M’yeah, I’m gonna need you to…”) Lumbergh is the boss so bad, he makes you want to send your real-life boss a bouquet and a box of chocolates, just for not being him.

Tell Us What You Think

We want to hear from you! What makes a bad boss bad? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.

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(Photo Credit: Dave Robinette/Flickr)

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
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