Alles Routine

As someone who is recently retired from cubicle life in the software business, I have to say this movie hits all the high points. Every nasty, annoying, nonsensical facet of life in the high tech world is lampooned here in a highly intelligent, perceptive and hilarious way, from the grating voice of the secretary answering the phone, to the endless memos on insignificant subjects, to the constant watching your back to see who gets laid off next. They even have the fashions right, as witness the matching tie and suspenders of the boss we all hate. I can see how viewers who have not lived this life might find the movie pointless, but for all of us who have been there, this is a must-see film. Particular mention must be given to the brilliant (I don't use that word often) script, which makes so many subtle points so effectively. I think this is going to go down as one of those "sleeper" classics. I myself had never heard of it until my former boss (herself a victim of the downsizing portrayed so hilariously here, although not so hilarious for her) mentioned it in a meeting. If you love "Dilbert", this is it brought to the screen.

It still boggles my mind that this classic working-person's comedy was overlooked at the box office. Unlike today's dumbed-down, unfunny comedy-schlock, Office Space's script was carefully written before the camera began shooting. Based on his Milton shorts, Mike Judge wrote and directed Office Space and did a great job. The film is cleverly written, nicely plotted and paced, and holds interest even after repeated viewings (something I can not say for most comedies).

Peter (Ron Livingston) and his friends have a permanent case of 'the Mondays.' Stuck in dead end programming jobs in an uncaring corporate environment, with a series of ridiculous, annoying and dysfunctional co-workers, Peter has motivation problems. At the request of his equally aggravating girlfriend, he subjects himself to occupational therapy via hypnotism, but just as he reaches a deep trance state, the hypnotist drops dead, and Peter is left in a state of blissful lack of inhibitions. And as things begin to go wrong, they actually get better - through the films twisted (but oh so truthful) logic.

Ron Livingston leads a nicely cast group of actors, including an early appearance by the now-famous Jennifer Aniston. Diedrich Bader is especially memorable for his heroic portrayal of Lawrence, the next-door neighbor and guru. And Ron Coleman and Stephen Root are wonderful.

I have seen Office Space at least ten times, and it, remarkably, does not get old. The recent tendency to dumb-down comedic film exhibits contempt for its own audience. A return to comedies that don't punish people for thinking would make me a fan of the genre, and this would be a great example to draw from.

I personally would have liked the film to have been a tad longer, however that said it is an excellent film. The cinematography and direction are both rock solid, the cast helped by great characters do wonderful jobs, alongside Friends and The Iron Giant Office Space is one of the better projects and roles Jennifer Aniston appeared in and the story is very interesting and well paced.

But it is the humour and writing where Office Space really soars. Consistently the writing and humour in Office Space is hilarious yet surrealistically truthful as well. Also this is a film that for me gets better and better every time I feel, I find something new to admire and to smile and laugh at each time.

Overall, Office Space is a great comedy. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Every aggravating thing about working in an office, from the traffic on the way to work to that damn copier, is in this movie, and dealt with in ways that we've all wanted to, at some point or another. Well, except for the traffic, of course. The traffic remains undefeated. Besides telling a highly amusing story about office workers who are just fed up with it all, Office Space is full of other little comments on society, such as the way the film points out the sheer goofiness of geeky white guys who listen to hardcore rap music. The film presents a heavily exaggerated version of the typical office, but underneath that exaggeration, the depiction is very accurate. You have the fairly timid but passive aggressive superior, Bill Lumbergh, portrayed hilariously by Gary Cole, the repressive office cubicles, the mumbly guy that kind of weirds everyone out, and of course, the disillusioned office employee who just doesn't care anymore.

Ron Livingston fulfills this last role very well, being very open about his dislike of his job and his intentions to do as little as possible for as long as he still gets paid, but it is the weird guy that really gets laughs consistently, whose name, in this case, is Milton. This guy's hilarious situation involves having been laid off years before without knowing because no one told him, because he still receives a paycheck due to a glitch in the payroll system, and whose primary concerns seem to be the location of his cubicle, his red stapler, and the fact that last year, he didn't receive a piece of cake at the office party. The way that this guy's situation gets consistently worse and the way that he is pushed further and further toward the edge of sanity is one of the funniest things about this movie. And we can't forget the Indian guy, Samir, whose grammatically flawed exclamations also provide for an endless source of comedic entertainment.

Jennifer Aniston plays a small role as Peter Gibbons' (Livingston) love interest, as well as that of a waitress who is also sick and tired of the ridiculousness of her job (such as a specified minimum of pieces of `flair' that employees must wear to work). Ron's home life is another thing that is parodied in this high quality comedy, as the shortcomings of living in an average apartment are clearly and side-splittingly portrayed. Clearly, the office scenes are by far the funniest of the film, and the eventual criminal plot to embezzle a huge sum of money from the company and take up a lifestyle of not really doing anything, despite the fact that it is also very well done, can be largely overlooked because of the sheer hilarity of the rest of the film. This is excellent stuff from the famous creator of the endlessly amusing Beavis & Butt-Head who, with Office Space, has further proved that he is just the type of guy who knows what's funny.

The oppening of the film is just so relateble. That feeling that the entire world is stopping you form getting on with your day - the traffic, your idiot boss, the useless meetings, the technology that doesn't work as inteed for whatever reason. That scene of Peter, Michael and Samir taking the printer in a secluded area and murdering it Sopranos' style. It just has to be one of the most memorable bits of any comedy, ever! It is so hilarious every time I see it.

Samir's actor definetely brings ''flair'' to the cast and Jennifer Aniston looks like she is 19 in this film, what?? Must have been close to 30 at the time.

Some of the humor wasn't exactly clever but that is with every comedy. Enjoyed it overall.