Como Enlouquecer seu Chefe

As someone who is recently retired from cubicle life in the software business, I have to say this movie hits all the high points. Every nasty, annoying, nonsensical facet of life in the high tech world is lampooned here in a highly intelligent, perceptive and hilarious way, from the grating voice of the secretary answering the phone, to the endless memos on insignificant subjects, to the constant watching your back to see who gets laid off next. They even have the fashions right, as witness the matching tie and suspenders of the boss we all hate. I can see how viewers who have not lived this life might find the movie pointless, but for all of us who have been there, this is a must-see film. Particular mention must be given to the brilliant (I don't use that word often) script, which makes so many subtle points so effectively. I think this is going to go down as one of those "sleeper" classics. I myself had never heard of it until my former boss (herself a victim of the downsizing portrayed so hilariously here, although not so hilarious for her) mentioned it in a meeting. If you love "Dilbert", this is it brought to the screen.

Every aggravating thing about working in an office, from the traffic on the way to work to that damn copier, is in this movie, and dealt with in ways that we've all wanted to, at some point or another. Well, except for the traffic, of course. The traffic remains undefeated. Besides telling a highly amusing story about office workers who are just fed up with it all, Office Space is full of other little comments on society, such as the way the film points out the sheer goofiness of geeky white guys who listen to hardcore rap music. The film presents a heavily exaggerated version of the typical office, but underneath that exaggeration, the depiction is very accurate. You have the fairly timid but passive aggressive superior, Bill Lumbergh, portrayed hilariously by Gary Cole, the repressive office cubicles, the mumbly guy that kind of weirds everyone out, and of course, the disillusioned office employee who just doesn't care anymore.

Ron Livingston fulfills this last role very well, being very open about his dislike of his job and his intentions to do as little as possible for as long as he still gets paid, but it is the weird guy that really gets laughs consistently, whose name, in this case, is Milton. This guy's hilarious situation involves having been laid off years before without knowing because no one told him, because he still receives a paycheck due to a glitch in the payroll system, and whose primary concerns seem to be the ___location of his cubicle, his red stapler, and the fact that last year, he didn't receive a piece of cake at the office party. The way that this guy's situation gets consistently worse and the way that he is pushed further and further toward the edge of sanity is one of the funniest things about this movie. And we can't forget the Indian guy, Samir, whose grammatically flawed exclamations also provide for an endless source of comedic entertainment.

Jennifer Aniston plays a small role as Peter Gibbons' (Livingston) love interest, as well as that of a waitress who is also sick and tired of the ridiculousness of her job (such as a specified minimum of pieces of `flair' that employees must wear to work). Ron's home life is another thing that is parodied in this high quality comedy, as the shortcomings of living in an average apartment are clearly and side-splittingly portrayed. Clearly, the office scenes are by far the funniest of the film, and the eventual criminal plot to embezzle a huge sum of money from the company and take up a lifestyle of not really doing anything, despite the fact that it is also very well done, can be largely overlooked because of the sheer hilarity of the rest of the film. This is excellent stuff from the famous creator of the endlessly amusing Beavis & Butt-Head who, with Office Space, has further proved that he is just the type of guy who knows what's funny.

Hooray for Mike Judge! I didn't think there would be a way to make fun of "office life" without merely being a living Dilbert strip and using all of the same tired old workplace jokes. Kids in the Hall did it, and now Mike Judge has done it also. I am surprised to see Jennifer Aniston in a movie this entertaining! The use of hardcore gangsta rap as the soundtrack to the boys' underhanded deeds and violent ass-kicking of office equipment is hilarious and brilliant. Gary Cole's droning delivery and poor Milton's despondent mumbling doesn't get old... in fact it stays very funny. We all know someone who obsesses a little TOO much about their chair, or how many paper clips they have on their desk... and Milton makes you feel a bit of sad sympathy, especially when he doesn't get any cake. Peter's cronies Michael and Samir are classic software engineer guys that could work at any company, and Peter's construction-worker neighbor (Oswald!) is a refreshing change from the white-collar drones that infest his day. In the end Peter discovers this is the way to go... fresh air, hard labor and a bright orange vest in the perfect antidote to ummm... yeah... that would be great.... this movie is great, whether you're an office worker or not. It makes you think about all the millions and millions of damn cubicles out there... and all the people that fill them. How many of them feel suffocated and hopeless? If this film makes even ONE person take a day off and go fishing, it's done it's job.

Easily one of my favorite comedies, and sort of a source of medicine for the pains of working in an office with complete idiots. Ahh, cubicle life. Anyone who's ever worked in a corporate office can relate to this film on some level, and can probably swear that they know someone exactly like one of the characters depicted here. Mike Judge really captures the aspect that makes office life so miserable, which is without a doubt the characters that you must deal with that your personal life would normally exclude. There is no question that he must've had his own bout with the way of the office bitch, as he shows that he knows it all too well. Out of the comedies I've seen, I can most identify with this one.

Kudos to the casting department for putting together a unique group of people to portray the perfect characters for the story. Peter, Samir, Michael Bolton, and especially the Milton and Lumbergh characters, are all a true treat to watch and never get old upon reviewings.

A true comedic classic, but probably for more of a niche audience. Having never worked in an office before, you may not enjoy it as much as others...but then again, I could be wrong and is still worth checking out. But if you have or do work in an office, this movie is a must see!

Office Space has a special place in my heart for others reasons too. Parts of it were filmed within walking distance of my apartment, and my girlfriend lives in Peter's apartments from the movie, which is also right down the street! That just adds even more to the fact that I can identify with this film 100%, especially considering I drive the same way to work as Peter did! Too weird.

Um, yeah, go see it.

The oppening of the film is just so relateble. That feeling that the entire world is stopping you form getting on with your day - the traffic, your idiot boss, the useless meetings, the technology that doesn't work as inteed for whatever reason. That scene of Peter, Michael and Samir taking the printer in a secluded area and murdering it Sopranos' style. It just has to be one of the most memorable bits of any comedy, ever! It is so hilarious every time I see it.

Samir's actor definetely brings ''flair'' to the cast and Jennifer Aniston looks like she is 19 in this film, what?? Must have been close to 30 at the time.

Some of the humor wasn't exactly clever but that is with every comedy. Enjoyed it overall.