Product: Office Space (1999)
Rating: 4.0
"We're not in Kansas anymore..."
Movie: 5 stars. Extras: 3 stars.Last week I was reminiscing with an engineer friend about seeing "Office Space" during its 1999 theatrical run. He remembers me laughing constantly throughout the movie, and that flashback to a simpler time in my IT career caused me to finally get this DVD just so I could see it again and check out the extras. Of course, "Office Space" is still awesome, but unfortunately the included "flair" is little more than the bare minimum."Office Space" centers on Peter Gibbons, a twenty-something programmer entombed at Initech working on the Y2K software update project (the only dated aspect of the film, but it could represent any office work scenario). He's fed up with his mindless job, the lousy commute, uptight girlfriend Anne, and especially passive-aggressive boss Bill Lumbergh. Cohorts in programming Michael and Samir have similar workplace issues, and all three commiserate while trapped in their cubes or over mid-morning coffee at T.G.I. Friday's clone Chotchkie's.One night, at the insistence of said girlfriend Peter sees a hypnotherapist to try and work through his malaise. Things don't go quite as planned, and Peter emerges in a Zen-like state that enables him to step out and act without fear of failure, or really any fear at all. Our hero quickly gets dumped by Anne, but winds up snagging a promotion and dating Joanna, the Chotchkie's waitress he had pined for from afar. However, just as his Peter 2.0 life is going great he resolves to get back at Initech for its indignities, and that's when events begin to spin out of control. To say much more would spoil the fun, but trust me when I apply the "comedy classic" label.All the actors from main roles to supporting players do a great job, and the jarring gangsta rap soundtrack fits like a pocket protector (after all, don't most of us want to bust out of our bland shells and live the glamorous thug life once in awhile?). Case in point: Over time this flick spread through the corporate underbelly like a computer virus, and it's hard to find any cubicle farm where the drones aren't tossing around lines such as: "Yyyyeahhh...not a half-day...did you get that memo?...someone's got a case of the Mondays...I wouldn't say I've been MISSING work..." "Office Space" captures the white-collar world in all its soul-crushing splendor, from incompetent management and inane company rules to office politics and oddball co-workers. Indeed, we can count both "The Office" television series as its demented twin progeny.As for the extras? Wwwweeellll, there aren't many buttons in this jar. The ones included aren't bad, but I wanted more than a short retrospective hosted by creator/director Mike Judge, some deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer, and media for your PC. Sorely missed are a commentary track by Mr. Judge and stars, along with, say, an extended cut and a longer documentary. Even so, if you've ever spent time in a cubicle, or think you want to, then check out "Office Space" on DVD. The life you save may be your own.