Product: Office Space (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Gimme some Space
If they made a live-action "Dilbert" movie, it might resemble "Office Space" -- a hysterically funny office film by Mike Judge (of "Beavis & Butthead" fame). Filled with quirky characters and a hilarious employee rebellion, this is a movie for anyone who ever felt trapped in a soul-destroying job.Peter (Ron Livingston) spends every day in a cubicle, doing pointless work under the thumb of his smarmy boss. His life is boring, and he doesn't even have the confidence to tell the pretty waitress (Jennifer Aniston) that he likes her. In an effort to relax, he accompanies his controlling girlfriend to a hypnosis session. Unfortunately, the hypnotist dies of a heart attack... while Peter is still under.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 Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu) and ill-named Michael Bolton (David Herman) -- two coworkers who are about to be axed -- to skim money off the company's assets with no one the wiser. Only problem is, their scene is rapidly spinning out of control."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.Judge creates a hysterical tangle of cubicle workers, layoffs and the most annoying boss in the history of film ("Yeeeeeeaaaahhhh... uhhhhhhh..."). This brand of humor is twisted, down to the slow-motion, ghetto-style beating of the copier in the middle of a field. 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.The trio of lead characters are a riot -- there's Peter, whose newfound perspective is immensely entertaining. There's Samir, who can barely restrain his simmering rage at his rotten job. And there's Michael, who has a seething resentment that he has the same name as THAT sappy singer. Jennifer Aniston does a pretty good job as a love interest for Peter -- a waittress who hates her job as much as he hates his."Office Space" has become something of a deserving cult classic -- funny, strange, and sympathetic to the ants that toil in their cubicles. Make more movies, Mike Judge -- especially if they're as good as "Office Space."