Have you ever watched a movie or TV show that supposedly shows your job and think to yourself, “Yeah, right!”?  (While I’m not a teacher, as the son of two teachers I watched NBC’s “Teachers” last year and thought about how ridiculous it was.)

For some reason I was thinking about movies and jobs today. There are quite a few movies that show journalists at work – some are good, some are bad, and some are good movies despite bad depictions of what it means to be a reporter. I started wondering which movie about my job is the best.

After talking with Editor Mathias Baden, I’m even less sure. While I really like “Almost Famous,” it isn’t really all that much about journalism. I’d say that “All the President’s Men” – about the Nixon Watergate scandal – is one of the better movies out there, but really just for a few scenes that show the reporters’ (Woodward and Bernstein) excitement over following a lead and finding new information.

I’ve also heard that “Office Space” is spot-on in its depiction of corporate jobs, and that “Law and Order” is a pretty accurate depiction of working in the legal system. Of course there are also jobs that never get much publicity. For all the cop, doctor, and lawyer shoes out there, there aren’t many shows and movies about small businesses, banks, or public employees.

What are the TV shows or movies that you think best represent your job? Or is your job underrepresented in Hollywood?