Product: Office Space (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Best work cult film...EVER
In a word - HYSTERICAL! I remember seeing this for the first time in the theater and laughed so hard, I almost didn't catch all the dialogue. I firmly believe that anyone who has ever worked in an office cubical situation or in food service (and I have done both) will be able to appreciate every bit of the humor presented. This was one of those small-time movies that just popped up out of nowhere and has managed to climb the cult movie ranks.Based on the comic strip Milton by Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead) Office Space goes the extra length to take pretty much every stereotype in the book and magnify it to the umpteenth degree. Imagine every weird coworker you've ever encountered...every cubical you've ever worked in...every boss you've wanted to strangle, put them in a company called Initech, and then move them all to The Far Side and you might just have an idea of what this movie is all about.The main character in the film isn't Milton, however, as the comic strip title would suggest. Instead it's a guy named Peter (played by Ron Livingston). Milton is in the film and adds a really humorous (but also sad) dimension to the movie (there is a certain level of morbid humor throughout). Stephen Root (who up until this movie, had been best known for his character Jimmy James on News Radio) plays Milton and really gave the best performance overall.There is an underlying plot line, in case you were wondering. The company (Initech) calls for a couple of consultants, known as "Efficiency Experts" to come in and do a little--shall we say (with air quotes)--`housecleaning'. As one insane plot builds on another, the Efficiency Experts promote Peter, but fire two of his fellow cubical-mates so they all begin scheming together to find a way to rip off their evil and incredibly patronizing boss, Lumburgh (played by Gary Cole).Offices are not always fun environments to work in, but thanks to them, movies like this one can be made.