A Shock to the System
1990 · Movie · R · 91 min · ★ 6.5 · 69% critics
After being passed over for a major promotion, a long-suffering advertising executive snaps and starts looking for payback in the most extreme ways. As workplace resentment spills into home life, a string of suspicious “accidents” fuels a darkly funny climb up the corporate ladder while pressure and scrutiny begin to build.
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Watch free on Xumo Play, Kanopy, Shout! Factory TV +5 more — also streaming on Fandor, Shout! Factory TV, Philo +3 more.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1990
- Release date
- 1990-03-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.5/10 (144 votes)
- Budget
- $10,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a cynical, dark workplace satire with uneasy laughs and a morally slippery lead, in the vein of Swimming with Sharks; Not for you if you dislike bleak humor or stories about ruthless ambition.
Pros: dark, witty satire; strong lead performance; brisk runtime | Cons: slow, dated start; uneven humor; tension can feel thin
Themes
- new york city
- based on novel or book
- sailing
- lighter
- murder
- electrocution
- advertising executive
- advertising agency
- madison avenue
- corporate ladder
Cast & crew
Michael Caine
as Graham Marshall
Elizabeth McGovern
as Stella Anderson
Peter Riegert
as Robert Benham
Swoosie Kurtz
as Leslie Marshall
Will Patton
as Lt. Laker
Jenny Wright
as Melanie O'Conner
John McMartin
as George Brewster
Barbara Baxley
as Lillian
Haviland Morris
as Tara Liston
Philip Moon
as Henry Park
Directed by Jan Egleson