Product: Office Space (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Suprisingly One Of the Best Comedies Ever Made
"Office Space" is, quite suprisingly, one of the top 3 comedies of the last 20 years in my opinion. It ranks right up with "Ghostbusters" and "Back to the Future", but is a completely different type of movie.It is frankly brilliant. It's humor lies in the satirical realism in its portrayal of white-collar borgeois ennui (I was dying to use those words). Peter Gibbons is you and I: a bored and frustrated cubical drone who is surrounded by the most insane yet realistic office envoronment ever shown on film. Every office has these workers in it:1. The annoying phone-answering voice person. (Mina in Corporate Accounts Payable)2. The total nerd who thinks he's a tough-guy. (Michael "Mike" Bolton, look at his gangsta rap and Navy Seals posters in his cube)3. The annoying younger guy who is a sexual harassment case waiting to happen. (Drew, the "oh" face guy)4. The annoying older person who is eternally convinced they're going to get laid off (Tom Smigmikowski, the "Jump to Conclusions" guy).5. The easily irritable engineer type guy who can't figure out the copier / fax machine (Samir Naninagaja)6. The disgustingly happy and content person. (The "case of the Mondays" mail lady)7. The snide, "method management" boss who speaks to everyone like they're in 5th grade. (Lumberg)and of course...8. The twitchy postal case (Milton)All of these characters are people we know in our everyday dealings at work. That, combined with the cubical-farm of an office building that is Initech (direct competitor with Penetrode and Initrode) make this film almost frightening. The office is laden with Swingline staplers, walls adorned with lame "Employee of the Month" plaques, and ceilings with motivating corporate slogans like "Is this good for THE COMPANY???" We have all worked here before!!The humor is subtle and not at all goofy or in-your-face. Some may not find it as funny (probably corporate stuffed shirts and managers like Bill Lumberg) as those type of films, but this is an intellegent and hysterical comedy nonetheless. Ron Livingston is a great actor who is just now becoming recognized after his role on "The Pracice" and in HBO's "Band of Brothers". He plays another great roll in the direct to video "Body Shots". The guy who plays Lumberg was also Mike Brady from the "Brady Bunch" movies and he is also brilliant.Check this out quick before you get laid off or downsized!!