Maudern Movies: Corner Office
Maudern Movies, a series that curates films for your viewing pleasure.
This week’s lineup takes its cue from Corner Office, our scent inspired by 1978—when power met leisure and success had texture. Think mahogany and glass, bar carts and swivel chairs, the soft hum of air conditioning against warm amber and cedar. A mood built on quiet confidence, timeless style, and the kind of composure that lingers like tonka bean after hours.
These films share that same atmosphere: composed, ambitious, a dream in the city. Each captures a different shade of modern aspiration—from the fluorescent buzz of newsrooms to the polished calm of penthouse offices. Together, they remind us that a corner office isn’t always an address—it’s a mood.
The Family Man (2000)
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni
A high-powered executive wakes to a life that might have been. Between glass towers and grocery aisles, he learns that love is the ultimate measure of success.
Working Girl (1988)
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Starring: Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver
Tess McGill trades secretarial work for boardroom dreams—and finds romance in the process. Sharp, sexy, and aspirational in every sense.
Broadcast News (1987)
Directed by: James L. Brooks
Starring: Holly Hunter, William Hurt, Albert Brooks
Romance, rivalry, and ethics in a Washington newsroom. Fast-talking, brilliant, and as full of longing as it is fluorescent lighting.
Up Close & Personal (1996)
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Redford
A rising TV reporter and her mentor navigate ambition, intimacy, and on-air chemistry. A love story bathed in studio light and steady confidence.
The Secret of My Success (1987)
Directed by: Herbert Ross
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater, Richard Jordan
Corporate ambition and mistaken identity lead to reinvention. Bright, clever, and unapologetically 80s—success with a smile and a view.
Fair Play (2023)
Directed by: Chloe Domont
Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich
New York’s financial core hums in glass and steel. A couple’s balance of power tips with one promotion. Polished, claustrophobic, and quietly combustible—success with sharp edges.
About Last Night (1986)
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi
Chicago heat and after-hours honesty. Love, work, and independence collide in a haze of cigarette smoke and brass tones.
Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Ice Cube, Denzel Washington, and Jeffrey Wright
When a titan music mogul is targeted in a ransom plot, he’s thrust into a life-or-death moral dilemma that tests the price of success. Slick, sharp, and saturated in neon ambition—power meets conscience under pressure.
9 to 5 (1980)
Directed by: Colin Higgins
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton
Cubicles, rebellion, and coffee-fueled camaraderie. A pastel-hued revolt that smells like copy paper and liberation.
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Demi Moore, Robert Redford, Woody Harrelson
Luxury and consequence in perfect proportion. A study in temptation, restraint, and what success really costs.
Babygirl (2023)
Directed by: Halina Reijn
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson
Manhattan wealth management, repressed attraction, and immaculate design. Every surface gleams; every glance is leverage.
Wall Street (1987)
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Starring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah
Chrome, glass, and ambition distilled. Sleek, addictive, and perfectly lit—greed never looked so good.
