Rating:  -
Gavin Pack
Although many recent college graduates dream of working in a corporate job with their own corner desk and a front row parking place, that fantasy is not always realized. Instead, many are thrown into a life of dull, repetitive work, and made to work in a cubicle with no windows. Mike Judge satirizes this mediocre life in his movie Office Space, the story of Peter Gibbons, a man so bored with his day to day routine that he finally snaps. In this parody of "Corporate America," Judge earns laughs with witty dialogue, but also breaches a deeper meaning through his uncannily realistic view of work in a dysfunctional company. I really enjoy this movie, not only because of the comedic aspects like the extreme characters and sarcastic banter, but also because of its relevance to the modern workplace.
Generally, critics love Office Space as much as its cult followers. However, there are some movie critics that disagree. Rick Groen claims that the writer and director, Mike Judge, cannot follow through to the end of the feature length film because of his background primarily in short TV cartoons. Instead, Groen sees the film as starting off strong, but losing steam towards the end. But overwhelmingly, reviewers of the movie praise the "good-natured comedy about the suppressed rage and paranoia of unappreciated employees" (Elias). Although professional critics see the movie as cunning, witty, and uproarious, Office Space did not generate a large crowd at the theaters (Box Office Mojo), and even a smaller fan base. I like to think that I am a part of the cult culture surrounding the movie, much like the groups that are so fanatic about movies like Fight Club or Donnie Darko.
The issues brought up in Office Space still apply to many people, even though there is a relatively small fan base. Contrary to the movie Clockwatchers, in which jokes about an office environment quickly go away, "revealing a surprising, almost surreal core of unhappiness and mistrust among its central characters," all of the serious issues brought up in Office Space are hidden subtly behind parody and satire (Davis). Of course, most Americans' lives are not quite as dull as Peter Gibbon's, since the movie Office Space is a parody of corporate culture in America. Not only does Peter Gibbons have a dull and repetitive job--updating bank software for "the 2000 switch"--but he is also stuck in a cubicle, depriving him of all natural light. Just to the other side of his cubicle wall is a huge window, with a great view of a tree and some rolling hills. In one scene, after Peter snaps, he unscrews the outside wall of the cubicle and knocks it down, letting all the papers and memos fall everywhere. Aside from his cramped and unnatural workplace, Peter is under several middle-management level executives who all seem to have overlapping responsibilities. Each one stops by to remind Peter that he failed to put a cover sheet on his TPS report. The vice president of the company where Peter works, Initech, is Bill Lumbergh, represents the stereotype of corporate bosses and the antagonist of the movie. Lumbergh repeatedly asks his employees to come into work on Saturdays while he roams around the office aimlessly with a cup of coffee, instead of actively managing his employees.
Perhaps Office Space pokes the most fun at the way companies hire "efficiency consultants" to help with productivity, but in the process of streamlining the consultants completely halt all work. The two consultants hired by Initech in the movie are known as "The Bobs" and meet Peter after his snap. In this sudden change, Peter takes on an attitude of complete apathy after his therapist suffers a heart attack in the midst of hypnotization, leaving Peter in an unrealistic state of deep relaxation. Ironically, The Bobs are completely taken with Peter, even after he openly admits that he really "does nothing" all day. Other employees in the company do much more work, like Peter's friends Michael and Samir, but they are fired for reasons clear only to the consultants. Instead of keeping workers that are efficient, The Bobs keep Peter, who is disrespectful to his boss and plays Tetris all day. These kinds of consultants are a parody of the type of corporate planning and strategizing that became so popular in the 1990s. Lumbergh, the VP of Initech, is also seen in front of a whiteboard reading "Planning to Plan," another stab at new ideas and attempts to streamline corporate offices that really defeat their own purpose.
One of the most praised aspects of the movie is its larger than life characters. Because of his background in animation, Mike Judge exaggerates the characters' personalities so that "every personality trait is magnified" (Ebert). Characters like Bill Lumbergh, written to be the stereotype of a corporate boss in the 1990s, wears "gold-rimmed aviator glasses, a ski-resort tan and a contrasting-collar dress shirt," and Tom, a 50ish functionary who lives in constant -- and justified -- terror of being downsized," are played out to the extreme by the actors. Peter's two friends, Michael Bolton, who resents the famous singer with his same name, and Samir Nagheenanajar, whose last name no one can pronounce, both dislike their jobs, but appreciate the security. After they are both fired, they take out their anger at the company by taking their misbehaving copy machine to an empty field and destroy it with baseball bats. The most animated character and my personal favorite is Milton, an employee who was "let go" years ago, but through a glitch in the payroll continues to be paid every week. Instead of deciding to take on a lifestyle of apathy, like Peter, Milton combats the stresses of corporate life by being overly protective of his possessions, especially his stapler.
Not only does the movie Office Space poke fun at corporate businesses, but it also satirizes the mediocre lives of the people that work in those jobs. Mike Judge expresses the impatience of many Americans through his subtle and witty humor in a satire about life in Corporate America. Everyone who has worked in an office can pick out at least a few foibles from some of the extreme characters that remind them of past or present coworkers. The issues brought up comically in the movie resonate with its audience long after the final credits.
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Rating:  -
If they ever decided to make a live-action "Dilbert" movie, it might resemble "Office Space."
There's a lot of the same bitter surreality infused in this hysterically funny office film by Mike Judge (of "Beavis & Butthead" fame), all about three rebellious office employees who have finally had enough. Filled with quirky characters and a hilarious employee rebellion, this is a movie for anyone who ever felt trapped in a soul-destroying job. Which is just about everybody.
Peter (Ron Livingston) spends every day in a cubicle, doing pointless work under the thumb of his smarmy boss Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole). His life is boring, and he doesn't even have the confidence to tell a waitress (Jennifer Aniston) that he likes her.
Because layoffs are impending, Peter accompanies his controlling girlfriend to a hypnosis session, and is instructed to relax. Unfortunately, the hypnotist dies of a heart attack... while Peter is still under his hypnotic influence. And nobody snaps him out of it. The next morning, Peter wakes up happy and laid-back -- and determined to get out of his rotten job, and live fat and happy.
He conspires with fiery Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu) and the ill-named Michael Bolton (David Herman) -- two coworkers who are about to be axed -- to skim money off the company's assets with a secret computer virus. Only problem is, their scene is rapidly spinning out of control when the virus goes glitchy haywire -- and their scheme is threatened with exposure.
"Office Space" started off as an early 90s animated skit, featuring the character of Milton. You know, that increasingly deranged employee who complains that "you took my stapler." This time, Milton is a minor character, although a pivotal one. The focus is mainly on the mellowed-out Peter and his wild scheme to profit the downtrodden employees of Initech -- sort of like a crazier version of "The Office."
And Judge knows how to wring all the bitter comedy from this scenario. He creates a hysterical tangle of cubicle workers, layoffs and the most annoying boss in the history of film ("Yeeeeeeaaaahhhh... uhhhhhhh..."). There's a less interesting subplot about Peter's unstable relationship with the equally POed-about-her-job waitress, but the real draw here is all the corporate cheating and craziness.
This brand of humor is twisted, down to the slow-motion, ghetto-style beating of the copier in the middle of a field, and Peter receiving a raise because he no longer cares if he gets fired. And of course, the dialogue is quietly insane ("Oh, and next Friday... is Hawaiian shirt day...") as the plot grows grows more and more tense... until you know someone has to snap. You can see who it is way in advance, but it's no less hilarious when it happens -- with disastrous consequences.
The trio of lead characters are a riot -- there's Peter, whose newfound perspective about what is important in life is immensely entertaining. There's Samir, who can barely restrain his simmering rage at his rotten job, or his deep hatred for the copier. And there's Michael, who has a seething resentment that he has the same name as THAT sappy singer. As for Cole, he's utterly brilliant as a boss who is as endearing and appealing as a rake on a chalkboard.
This edition is apparently just a blu-ray edition of the previously-released "with flair!" edition, so those who already have it might want to wait for something a bit more deluxe. Some brilliant deleted scenes, interactive games like "Whack-A-Drone," and a featurette with Mike Judge called "Out of the Office."
"Office Space" has become something of a deserving cult classic -- funny, strange, and sympathetic to the ants that toil in their cubicles. When you aren't laughing your butt off, you'll be cheering on the disgruntled salami-slicers.
Rating: -
One of the funniest movies I have seen. See it if you work for a living, you will identify with the caracters. Do not watch it if you are a CEO or manager who thinks things would not function without your bogus abilities.
Rating: -
This is one of those movies that I can watch time and again and still find new funny parts of the dialog. The script is brilliant and the acting is great. My wife makes fun of me watching the movie for the 10th time yet she can't resist joining me and she definitely finds it funny! Seems like every time I quote the movie when i am around friends and co-workers people recognize the quote which tells you how popular the movie is. I'd highly recommend checking it out if you have not!
Rating: -
If you work in an office with cubicles this movie is for you. Funny every time I watch it. One of the few comedies in my collection.
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