Office Space (1999) * * *

Directed by: Mike Judge

Starring:   Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root, Gary Cole

"Each day at work is worse than the last one.   So when you see me now, you're seeing me on the worst day of my life."   So says Peter, a cubicle worker at Initech, a software company in suburban America.     Work has become a source of daily frustration for him, as for the numerous other workers there.     Things have been so bad that he visits a therapist who hypnotizes him and then keels over from a heart attack before bringing him out.    The result?    Peter blows off work, goes fishing, and even guts the fish at his desk.     His new outlook on life is "I don't like work and I'm just not going to go."    Many people feel that way, but Peter puts it into action.    He's living the dream.

Office Space is an amusing satire into the corporate world.    A world of many managers, few workers, and two consultants named Bob (they're called The Bobs) who are assisting Initech in getting rid of extraneous employees.     Considering how several different managers all inform Peter that he didn't include a cover sheet when submitting his "TPS Reports", it looks like The Bobs are looking in the wrong place to cut heads.     Peter himself meets with The Bobs and admits he really only puts in about 15 minutes a day of actual work.    The Bobs see him as, "a straight shooter with upper management written all over him."   

Peter is in love with Joanna (Aniston), a waitress at a nearby restaurant called Chotchkie's.   She is encountering management issues on a different, but no less frustrating level.   Her boss chastises her for wearing only the "minimum amount of flair" on her work uniform.     He questions her team spirit, especially when he points out another brown-nosing waiter whose uniform is covered in pins and labels.    Soon enough, Peter asks her out and they become a couple that loves to watch Kung Fu reruns on TV.   

Things aren't going well for Peter's friends, Michael Bolton (not the singer) and Samir, who find themselves on the chopping block and at the mercy of a copier with a mind of its own.    The trio get their revenge on the copier via a baseball bat.     And let's not forget Milton (Root), a nerdy middle-aged man with Coke-bottle bottom glasses who is protective of his cubicle and red stapler.    His cubicle is continually moved much to his chagrin and apparently was laid off years ago but somehow receives a weekly paycheck.    How does Initech handle this?   By cutting off the paychecks.    They don't want the hassle of a confrontation or actually having to lay off Milton.    The thinking is that Milton will eventually take the hint.  

Many of the film's views of corporate America are still relevant today, albeit in higher tech forms.    MBA speak on "development", "competencies", "team-building", and "analyzing" runs rampant these days.    It takes someone with the ability to sell ice to Eskimos to be a manager these days.    Consultants and efficiency experts tend to be weekly visitors to some businesses.    I'm sure these consultants are referred to as "The Bobs".    What makes Office Space work is that its tone is just right.    Not too genial, not too blistering.   It doesn't like what goes on at places like Initech, but it finds humor in it also.    In the end, everyone finds satisfaction in one way or another, especially Milton, who follows through on his promise about what would happen if his cubicle is moved one more time.