Do you see yourself in Linda Liddle? What you might share with Rachel McAdams’ portrayal of an overworked office employee.
Free pizza in the office can only go so far. It doesn’t erase unpaid overtime politely brushed off with a tap on the shoulder and a quick “thank you.” And when management insists on the familiar line, “We’re a family here,” it often feels less like reassurance and more like a warning—especially when that “family” runs on exhaustion and lack of appreciation.
Almost everyone has a horror story about a terrible boss. It might be your first supervisor from years ago or the one you’re dealing with right now, but many of them tend to share the same toxic traits. That reality hits close to home through Linda Liddle, an employee from the Strategy and Planning department who bears the weight of a deeply unhealthy work environment.
Linda is portrayed by Oscar® nominee Rachel McAdams in 20th Century Studios’ survival horror thriller Send Help. Her performance brings to life the quiet frustration, burnout, and emotional toll experienced by countless workers who feel mistreated and undervalued—making Linda’s story uncomfortably relatable for anyone who has ever survived a toxic workplace.
Now showing in cinemas nationwide, the movie follows how Linda deals with her boss, Bradley Preston, made insufferable by the convincing Dylan O’Brien. In the real world, however, horrible bosses have evolved into performative bosses, whose toxicity can oftentimes go unnoticed. Here, we list down the common lines of a performative boss, reflecting the awful traits of Bradley towards Linda in ‘Send Help.’
“I’ve dealt with worse when I was in your position.”
A performative boss often likes to dismiss the struggles of the team, insisting that theirs was worse, as if it were a contest.
In ‘Send Help,’ Bradley was all kinds of patronizing towards Linda. He unceremoniously reneges on his father’s promise of a promotion to the much-deserving employee, just to hire his frat bro, Donovan. He also takes a jab at Linda’s appearance at any given chance, like how she didn’t deserve the promotion because she lacks “charm.” Yikes.
“You really are ready for that promotion!” Spoiler: it’s a prank!
There’s not much explanation for this behavior other than a classic case of power tripping. It’s a carrot on the stick set-up designed to fool employees into giving their all towards a promise that will, sadly, never materialize.
Bradley was like this with Linda in ‘Send Help.’ He asks her to come to the business trip to oversee the Bangkok merger and prove her worth, knowing full well that he has no place for Linda other than where she already is.
“Feel free to ask me if you need help!”
You know the drill. When you do ask for help, you’re met with a raised eyebrow and a head shake, which in performative boss parlance translates to, “Why can’t you do this by yourself?”
It’s the same sick illusion Bradley plays on Linda. In ‘Send Help,’ he has his office door literally open, which, for him, already means promoting an “open door policy.” When Linda walked through, however, her every concern was essentially shut out.
If you went three for three in getting these lines in your current work, it might be time to consider a career change. In Linda’s case, it was fate that ushered in the overhaul after surviving a plane crash and getting stranded on an island with no less than her boss, Bradley.
Watch how the very power structure between the two shifts in ‘Send Help,’ now showing in cinemas nationwide.
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