Customer Reviews

Office Space (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

5 star:		(443)
4 star:		(123)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I'm not sure it is essential to have worked in an office to enjoy this film, but I'm certain it will hit home for those who have. The movie was a complete bust at the box office, which utterly mystifies me, because it is hysterically funny and reflects the experience of millions of people across the United States (and I assume elsewhere). In an age where companies are seeking to lay off workers at any possible opportunity, this film has perhaps even more relevance now than it did when it came out in 1999.

The humor of the film works on multiple levels, but for me so much of it is funny with a twist of the knife, for much of the humor hints at a much more serious fact: modern work is genuinely dreadful and alienating. Perhaps many office workers love their job, but I hate mine, and I assume that I am merely one of millions. No one in this film has a meaningful job. Even Lumbergh, though the boss, has an absurd position. Peter Gibbons is at least able to be honest about the ridiculousness of his plight during the incredibly funny sequence in which he is hypnotized.

The film is a collection of many, many wonderful moments. I started laughing from the second that Peter Gibbons gets trapped in the traffic jam and is passed by an old man on a walker, and didn't stop until the very end. The film is a parade of very funny bits, from Michael Bolton and his passion for gangsta rap to Joanna's boss urging her to wear more flair (played by director Mike Judge) to Peter's neighbor who would yell at him through the walls to Peter's bizarre fantasy in which Lumbergh is making love to Joanna holding a cup of coffee in one hand and her ankle in the other to virtually any conversation involving Lumbergh and Milton. Some of the humor is a bit too broad. For instance, although I defy anyone not to find Milton's sequences funny as heck, they don't fit in quite as neatly with the satire of the rest of the film. I wouldn't, however, want to trade them in for a tighter movie.

In a way, this movie has made my life easier to live. I suspected my job was absurd before seeing this film. Now I know it is. But somehow knowing the truth makes it easier to get through the day.

This movie made an almost "psychic" connection with me... the first time I saw it, I had just come home from my nightmare job -- many of the same things depicted in the movie had happened to me that very day, including the printer jam with that exact message "Error - PC Load Letter", while trying to print a report that was already late (what the heck does that message mean, anyway?!).

I related so well to this movie's honest, astute, and technically correct observations of office culture in the 90's, that the brilliantly original bits of commedy were almost incidental to me (I must have annoyed the heck out of my wife with outbursts like "Oh my GOD, that's so TRUE!" every two minutes). I caught some of the more subtle humor in subsequent viewings.

I'll admit, the movie lost its hold on me about 2/3 in, when the main character (who had by this time become an icon to me with his new found "no fear of consequences" attitude) took a strange criminal direction, and his angst began to return. This seemed to break the consistancy. I wan't too thrilled with Jenifer Aniston's performance either, although I suppose that had more to do with her script. In any case, the second time I watched the move, none of this bothered me as much.

I've since purchased the DVD, and have worn this disk out playing it for friends. I'll never get tired of this movie... even the sound track makes me laugh. It's a wonder that it didn't get better reviews, although I guess one really would have had to have experienced office politics in the 90's to fully relate (I wonder when was the last time in the 90's that Ebert heard, "Don't forget to fill in your timesheets!")

Some reviewers gave it low ratings claiming that it was "lightweight"... okay, so it's no Citizen Kane, but it certainly doesn't claim to be either! Give it credit for what it is -- as a lighthearted observational commedy, it's brilliant. And that's not to say that it was a total no-brainer either... on an intelligence level, I'd rate it much higher than say... any movie ever made by the Fairley Brothers (and certainly much lower on the "obnoxious bathroom humor"-scale).

It's a pretty sad testiment to the intelligence of the average North American that movies like "Me, Myself, and Irene" brought in more money than Office Space. I hope Mike Judge doesn't let this stop him from creating another gem.

If you've ever worked in a tiny cubicle, pushed papers, and fought a worthless fax machine in an attempt to earn a living, you will love this movie. OFFICE SPACE is a hilarious movie that deconstructs everything that makes an office worker's life so miserable: from morning traffic, to catch phrases (it looks like somone has the Moondays), to bosses that totally ignore their workers. This movie had a low budget, but Mike Judge is a brilliant filmmaker. He takes a relatively unknown cast and is able to milk hilarious, yet totally lifelike performances from each actor and unites everything together in a coherent conceptually comedy masterpiece (e.g. the fax-beating scene with the ganster music playing is just pure brilliance). Of course, the film says a lot about the actors as well, they don't seem to be just characters or caricatures: they seem like real people. There is no sex, relative little violence (well, there is a lot of violence toward inanimate objects), and relatively little cursing words (most of the foul language comes from the film's soundtrack). A movie that's destined to become a modern comedy classic.

If you have ever worked in a cubicle farm for a technology company, or ROFL after reading Dilbert cartoons, and know what ROFL means, you will love this movie. Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead) digs into and makes fun of the things that people hate most about their jobs, with such accuracy that he must have consulted Scott Adams himself while developing the screenplay.

With company names like "Penetrode", this movie takes numerous humorous stabs at the idiocy foisted upon the modern working class by the "management class", those highly-compensated stuffed-shirts with no more qualifications than an MBA hanging on their wall. These are the people who abuse you every time you make a mistake, and try to convince you that they are really your buddy in a thinly veiled attempt to keep you submissive and cooperative. Office Space tears into the very heart of the manipulative phony friendship ploy that so many managers think of as their "brilliant" management technique.

So if you're tired of being shocked every time you touch a door knob, and sick of having half a dozen different "bosses" giving you conflicting work assignments, then I highly recommend that you buy this movie and blow off some steam, before it's too late!

This film is a lot of fun to watch, but if you're looking for an intellectually challenging work of art, this is not the film for you. The story is quite simple; it is a single-layer story that conveys the same information on subsequent viewing as it conveyed during the first viewing. The visual and audio elements are interesting and entertaining, but not artistic. This is a fun comedy that a lot of people can identify with, not deep social commentary. However, the social commentary that IS in the film couldn't be more timely.

The DVD itself is mediocre. No extras to speak of, other than cast bios and one trailer. Transitions from one menu to another are slightly animated, and the way the DVD starts up is cute, but overall the power of the DVD medium is not utilized.

Movie
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Originality: B+
Creativity: B+
Complexity/Depth: C+
Relevance/Message: A+
Artistic Merit: C
Overall Entertainment Value: A

DVD
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Transfer Quality: A
Extras: C-
Use of Medium: C+

....and why are you wearing only the minimum pieces of flair?

This is a delightful comedy about the annoyances and indignities of the modern workaday world, as seen through the eyes of Peter, a cube-dwelling software developer, and his prospective girlfriend, a frustrated waitress at Chachki's restaurant where over-eager teenagers ("try the EXTREME fajitas") take your order.

Although seemingly aimed at Gen-Xers, Office Space resonates with us older folks too. The characters and situations are hilarious, the dialogue wittily unexpected ("during these conjugal visits.... can you have sex with a woman?"), and the only people who seem content with life are those who don't do too much thinking--like Peter's neighbor, a happy-go-lucky construction worker whose sole concerns are naked women and beer.

If you don't enjoy this movie, it's either because you lack a sense of humor or else you didn't get the memo.

I'm a US citizen who teaches English in Mexico. My (Mexican) fellow teachers frequently ask me why I left the "American Dream" behind in order to work for a low salary at a university in Baja, and they always seem rather unwilling to accept my portrait of life in corporate America. I first watched this eerily realistic spoof on TV a couple of years ago, and I intend to order it for our school library with the hope that watching it will convince both students and teachers that life in the US isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
If the movie weren't so hilarious and extreme, it would almost qualify as a docudrama. It is very well cast and acted, and I must agree with the reviewer who finds it to be underrated.

I gave this tape away as Christmas presents and bought a copy for myself, as well.

First time I saw it, I had hit play on the VCR not knowing this movie (Office Space) was in the machine. (it was my daughter's rental - I'd never heard of it)

The opening scene is a traffic jam where an old man on a walker (beside the roadway) is making more forward progress than Peter (Ron Livingston) in his little Toyota. You *feel* his pain...

That is how Peter's day begins.

From there, we go to problems with "The Memo" and the cover page for the inter-office report and of course, some copy machine issues and on and on. (the copy machine does finally get what it *richly* deserves)

The whole scene about "the red stapler" is just classic comedy. One of the top 10 funniest scenes in cinematic history.

However, the drywall installer (played by Diedrich Bader) steals the show. Peter asks him "What would you do if somebody told you 'I think someone has a case of the Mondays?'" to which the drywaller gives a fair, honest and accurate answer. HILARIOUS!

This is comedy.

There are many wordy-dirds throughout the flick, but if you can get past those, you have a hilarious movie.

In our own family, the classic lines of "Office Space" have become part of our own vernacular...such as "What's Happening?" and "I was told I could play my radio..."

We *loved* this movie. This is too good to rent. You'll need your own copy to watch again and again.

In summary - it is intelligent, subtle and thoughtful humor. Looks like it was written by someone who has quite an understanding of life in the cubicle, because the whole flick has MANY elements of truth!

When I first saw "Office Space" in theatres I was more than happy with the results. The word funny can't really help you grasp the hilarity of this movie, and if you haven't had the chance to catch it yet don't delay any longer. It often escapes me why this movie didn't bring in millions at theatres, instead it ended up becoming a cult classic among teenagers and adults alike. Mike Judge did an excellent job with a movie that never ceases to have me in stitches, while Ron Livngston's portrayal of Peter is picture perfect.

The DVD however is another story, it lacks many features that are deserving of such a classic movie. Besides a scene selection screen, theatrical trailer, Dolby Surround sound and Language selection this is a lacking DVD. The least they could of done is thrown in the "Milton" shorts created by Mike Judge that the movie was loosely based around. I'll admit it's refreshing to see such a clear presentation, my VHS copy has become old and worn after many viewings.

Like I've said the movie is great, the DVD is a little rough around the edges and could of used more features. But if you have the choice between this and VHS format, spring for the DVD version, the quality is noticeable, and hey at least you'll have scene selection.

This is a great set for Office Space fans! But I got the exact same thing at Best Buy for under $22.00.

Office Space could very well be the funniest movie ever made. Yes, that's a bold statement, but watch this movie, and you'll most likely agree! Is this movie only for those who have worked in an office environment? No, but those who have will get the most out of it.

It's really hard to find many faults with this movie. The characters are developed well, Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill) did a great job in directing his first live action film, and the story is amusing and easy to relate to.

By the time you see this movie 5 or 6 times (beleive me, you will) you'll be reciting all of the funniest lines Monday morning at work. (There are more than enough to last for weeks) And that brings me to my next point. If you really dislike your job, watch this movie after an exceptionally bad day. You'll feel so much better afterwards! Just don't try any of the things that go on in this movie at work. You'll be fired for sure!