Get a Job – Film Review
Get a Job opens with a nostalgic yet critical look into the past, where the adults of this generation were children. For the smallest achievement, the millennial kid was acclaimed and the mere act of effort was awarded. With that age began the possibility for almost every child’s room to be filled with golden trophies simply for participating in the game.
Will Davis (Miles Teller) is a product of that generation. He has been working at LA Weekly for four years in the hope of getting a permanent placement when he graduates. The job does not pay well, so Will receives a monthly stipend from his father, Roger Davis (Bryan Cranston). Will uses his money to fund certain amenities for his apartment, such as a 70 inch flat-screen TV, top quality marijuana and the latest video games. One day Will walks into his work place and learns that he has been retrenched.
When he visits his parents to ask his dad for more money he learns that Roger has also been retrenched from his 20-year job.
Thus, we are presented with an interesting dynamic. The story introduces a parallel between Will, a complacent millennial, and his father, a hard-working fifty-something who finds himself stuck in a new corporate system where the job hunting game has changed drastically from his heyday.
Gone are the days where one’s credibility lies on an impressive resume paper showing years of knowledge and extensive work experience. These days, to get your foot in the door, you now have to employ a firm to put together an impressive video resume that costs up to $30,000 only to have a decision-maker review whether or not you are fit for the job.
Will, on the other hand, is able to find a corporate job almost instantly through showcasing his video-making skills, which includes an interview of a pimp called Skeezy D.
This dynamic seems to bring to the forefront a new world where the traditional values of work ethic are shifting. In this world, it is all about working smart. Now with the futuristic digital mark being a revered tool to drive the job sector forward, the middle man has a more secure place in the corporate system than the man who has 20 years of work experience, and it almost becomes a requirement to hire services that you can perform by yourself.
Unfortunately, this movie barely explores or highlights these dynamics. The real zest of the story is watered down with a lot of dumb content and unnecessary fluff.
We are given an interpretation of something that looks more like a basic reflection of the writer’s own experiences than anything else. The writer uses some rather basic attempts at making some scenes provocative, but they are the oldest tricks in the book: the plot is filled with hints of sexism and sexual harassment, pot-head jokes, and “back in my day” jabs.
Get a Job is a story with a lot of potential but the plot is weak and poorly developed, so instead we end up with a sincerely uninteresting story. Fortunately, this film is not available on the Ster Kinekor big screen so you will not be tempted to buy a ticket, but you may run into it at your box office or through your internet subscription and find yourself enticed by the up-and-coming and respected actors that are starring in this movie. Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston may be highly revered but this story stinks louder than their performances, so I warn you: keep away.
