Office Space
Everybody once in their lives works in a job that they can’t stand. Unless you are really lucky and have somehow inherited funds from a dead relative, then you are bound to have entered a laborious job. Maybe a service or retail job where you have to serve the stupid or the rude. Or maybe you will work in an office where inane managers are constantly trying to cut corners and you are ridiculously bored, punching in numbers in repetitively and dreaming of escape. What if, that one time job is actually your career, much like the characters in cult classic Office Space.
Office Space is a 1999 comedy staring Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston. Livingston plays Peter, a disgruntled employee at a typical software company. Him and his co-workers Samir Nagheenanjar and Michael Bolton similarly share his complaints as well as Milton; a once laid off, never informed and still gets pay checks. Constantly harassed by manager Bill Lumbergh and criticized, a serious of events (including a hypnotism) causes Peter and his colleagues to think of a scheme to divert small amounts of cash from the company that will slide unnoticeable. Or so they think.
Office Space initially gartered poor box office ratings and critical response. However, due to its nature, Office Space resonated well with generations of white collar folk who felt the same frustration in their jobs. Word of mouth spread which gained Office Space its cult status. Characters such as Lumbergh (played fantastically by Gary Cole) were relatable because at sometime we all had that boss who spent more time downsizing and cutting corners to make profits than actually resembling a human being. The film is breathlessly witty and wonderful. Mike Judge, the director and the screen writer, creates a world where within the cubical the characters become cartoons and it works well. If you have ever worked in close proximity on a daily basis with people you borderline hate then you will understand. Judge works the irritation really well and shows how easily peoples little nuances become exaggerated. When the film feels as though characters such as Milton, who constantly mumbles and complains, aren’t real then that is when the movie is the most realistic of them all. It gets into the heads of those who have ever had a job.
The movie those take some pretty dramatic turns that may feel a bit off at times (particularly the end which seems to intensely surreal to fit with the rest of the movie.) But if you can look past that and appreciate the stunning genius of Judge’s movie then you are in for a treat. Peter is everyone who has been in a rut, where his yearning for happiness makes him miserable. Office Space is a film for everyone and still sits well today over a decade later. There are even memes still floating around. It is a legacy for all and has since recouped its poor reception. All involved produce a stellar film where the comedy is sly, witty and dry.
So if you could just go watch this as soon as possible, that would be great.
TTFN
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