Product: Office Space (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Got A Case Of The Mondays? Watch This Film!
Every few minutes, I kept saying, "I have LIVED this movie. I have WORKED with those people. I have SUFFERED in that cube farm." And I laughed. I laughed harder than I've laughed at a movie in years. I laughed because it's dark and raw and cynically funny, not because it's what passes for comedy these days (raunchy sex and language that would make a sailor blush--though that can be funny too; see JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK for a great example).Mike Judge (of BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD and KING OF THE HILL fame) brings to life a Dilbert-esque fantasy through the eyes of everyman Peter Gibbons, cube farm dot-com slave working on fixing the Y2K problem and hating every moment of his miserable work existence. He's got eight bosses (one of whom is played by Gary Cole in a performance so magnificent that you will wonder if he shadowed your boss for a few days to get acting tips--he's that realistic), all of whom jump his case whenever he makes mistakes. He's surrounded by the lady with the annoying voice, co-workers cursing at a broken fax machine, the old timer who sees layoffs around every corner...and Milton, the weird guy we've all seen in our offices, the mumbler, the nervous wreck, the guy we all take bets on when he'll snap and go postal. A visit to a hypnotherapist turns Peter's life around, and he stops caring about his job...just as two efficiency consultants arrive to review company practices and procedures. But instead of getting fired, Peter gets a promotion while his two best friends get fired, and the three of them plot to take their revenge on the nameless, faceless corporation making their lives miserable.Look for Jennifer Aniston in a very nice small role as a waitress at a TGIFriday-esque restaurant who becomes Peter's girlfriend and learns to stand up for herself at her job. Look fast or you'll miss Orlando (7-Up) Jones in a bit part that is so funny and so real that you'll wonder how long he studied those guys who go door-to-door with the magazine subscriptions. But most of all, look at the atmosphere of this film and marvel at how eerily accurate it is. They say you know your job stinks when you think of Dilbert as more autobiographical than funny; your job is really terrible when you can spot your office in OFFICE SPACE. See it soon!