Office Space

GREEN'S I PUT THE WRONG COVER ON MY TPS REPORT REVIEW:

I'm not even going to bother writing a plot summary of this film because if you're one of the few who has never seen this movie, I wouldn't want to ruin it for you.

Let's just say that the cube farm corporate atmosphere that the film lampoons hits home in a very real way. If you've ever worked or still work in a such an environment, you'll know what I mean. Ron Livngston, as mediocre-king Peter Gibbons, deadpans his performance perfectly. Every cubicle farm I've ever been associated with has had it's own Milton-like character, which Stephen Root portrays brilliantly. The other characters are composites of what you'll find in any corporate environment these days. As much as I like Jennifer Aniston, her presence in this film is entirely inconsequential. Plug in any similarly attractive woman in the hot girlfriend/waitress role and you'll not miss a beat. Diedrich Bader is absolutely hilarious as Lawrence, Peter's next door neighbor.

Mike Judge has come up with an excellent script and the film is a good length. Too long and the jokes become tedious and repetitive, too short and suddenly there aren't enough one-liners.

**** out of *****


SCRIBE'S DIDN'T YOU GET THE MEMO REVIEW:

For some reason this was a film that slipped under my radar during its theatrical run. I knew of its existence, but too much was going on in my life at the time for me to remember to go see it. I regret that now because it's become one of my favorite movies. It's also quite the generation gap symbol.

Like Green, I won't spoil the plot but it is OK to give a basic outline: The film concerns the inner and then very outer conflict of one Peter Gibbons, a corporate cog whose disgust with the environment is the catalyst for some truly anarchistic developments. Most of us under 50 can relate to Gibbons, a man who sees the corporate facade for what it truly is. An interesting side-note to this film concerns a certain group of older conservatives I know who found the whole thing disgusting and reacted with anger. What kind of man pisses and moans about going to work and being a productive member of society?

The kind of man who realizes corporations are slowly stripping away our freedoms and individuality. Ironically, Gibbons becomes even more of a corporate cog as the story develops until he can take no more.

Office Space is Mike Judge at his incisive best. Without becoming preachy, it does more to advance the cause of individuality than any soapbox presidential sermon. What really makes this film work is the fact that it doesn't rely too heavily on sight gags or pratfalls. All the main characters in this film are great and yes, Green is correct, Aniston's character could have been played by anybody with a modicum of comic timing. But in her favor, this is the first and only time she didn't annoy the hell outta me~

***** out of *****