While researching for the Gunmen post a couple of weeks back, I found it reassuring that when asked if being known mostly for Highlander bothered him, Christopher Lambert said that in some ways it’s good to have at least one thing for which you could really be immortal. To many women, Ron Livingston may always be Berger, the Post-It guy thanks to Sex and the City, but for the majority of us he will be forever remembered as the disgruntled Initech programmer Peter Gibbons. Today, on his forty-fifth birthday, the vault salutes Ron Livingston and his role as the desk jockey’s hero.
Every single day that you see Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), that’s the worst day of his life. It’s because as a programmer at Initech, every day he is subjected to the annoying quirks of his cubicle neighbors and reminded by eight different bosses of the importance of doing his TPS reports correctly. He’s not alone, his buddies Samir (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman) suffer right along side him. To squelch his malaise, Peter sees a hypnotherapist and the session overhauls his outlook. Meanwhile, his boss, Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole), hires a pair of consultants to streamline inefficient procedures, a.k.a. downsize, the company. With his friends’ jobs up on the chopping block, Peter devises a plan to set the three of them up with a healthy severance.
Written and directed by Mike Judge, Office Space is an elaboration of his animated shorts series Milton. Here Milton (Stephen Root) is a peripheral character who works in a cube adjoining Peter’s. Milton’s subplot, much like the series, involves him being repeatedly ignored and subjugated by coworkers and management and Root’s reactions to the constant disregard is priceless. Office Space remains so resoundingly hilarious due to its peripheral characters. Peter’s blue collar neighbor, Lawrence (Diedrich Bader), has only a handful of scenes, but I could recite every silly word by heart. Cole’s monotone Lumberg is unforgettable and John C. McGinley is a hoot as consultant Bob Slydell . Veteran character actor Richard Riehle plays Tom Smykowski, Peter’s lucky coworker and provides a nice contrast to Peter’s frustration. Jennifer Aniston has a flair for the role of Peter’s love interest, the Chotchkie’s waitress Joanna.
Though I’ve never worked as a code monkey in a cube farm like the one depicted in Office Space, Judge captures the drudgery of working-for-a-living perfectly. The aggravation of rush hour traffic, the static shock of doorknobs, the constantly malfunctioning, piece-of-shit printers, and the maddening repetitiveness of office life resonates with audiences. Judge deserves an attaboy for his attention to these and even smaller details. I love that the ineffectual Lumberg and Slydell wear both suspenders and a belt, echoing the needless redundancy of their corporate structure and that Lawrence carries a bottle opener to reinforce the simple rules he lives by.
The only thing that hurts Office Space is the now-dated technology. The 3-1/2″ floppies, the pixelated hourglass, the huge monitors do create a disconnect and I sometimes wonder if there shouldn’t be a standing order to remake Office Space once a decade just to keep the tech fresh. Then I think about the “Jump to Conclusions” mat, the Lumberg nightmare, the printer punishment, and the surprisingly fitting gangsta rap soundtrack. Deep down I know recreating that would be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle or like Milton getting a margarita with NO salt on the glass.
Wayne (7)
Josh (5)
Andrew (4)
John (4)
Justin (4)
Steve (4)
Lauren (3)
Nick (3)
Andy (2)
Dave Enkosky (2)
I used to watch this movie all the time, and laugh just as hard every time. Now that I’ve been stuck in an office job for years, I can’t watch this without wanting to cry. It’s that spot on.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 5, 2012 11:25 am
I know what you mean. I’ve been off work a couple days for vacation and, as much as I enjoyed this, watching OS only reminded me how much I dread returning to the office.
Wow, this is so weird. I woke up thinking about this movie this morning for no reason. But yeah, it’s totally awesome.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 5, 2012 11:35 am
That is weird. Like they say, great minds…
Twitter: manilovefilms
June 5, 2012 4:12 pm
Amen, brother!
“Hey Peterman….watch your cornhole.”
This is just about the perfect rewatchable film for me. I could never get tired of Peter, Michael and Samir, and you nailed it with the side characters. We film geeks talk a lot about character development as it pertains to god-knows-how-many movies, but so many times, it’s the MEMORABLE bit characters that make movies so great for us. After all – look at Boba Fett: does anyone want to argue that he was a character with depth? Fuck no, but damned if he isn’t one of the most beloved characters in sci-fi (and film?) history. All from about eight lines spread over two films.
Thankfully, we get a lot more than that out of the likes of Lumberg and Milton. And don’t forget Judge himself in his excellent cameo.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 6, 2012 10:27 am
Judge’s cameo is killer!
“You do want to express yourself, don’t you?”
I was just talking about Boba Fett, such a beloved character like you said for eight friggin’ lines.
Memorable characters rule; Lumberg. Milton. Pepper Brooks. Jesus Quintana. Bob, with the bitch tits. Where would we be without such greats?
This movie is all about the details. It has to be the most quoted movie of the past 2 decades (hey, there’s a list idea). Just a simple “Yeahhhh” in Lumbergh’s famous accent(?), and everyone instantly recognizes it. The plot kind of goes off the rails once their plan goes into effect, but the first 45 minutes are timeless. The tech doesn’t bother me so much… maybe because I worked in an office when that stuff was new.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 6, 2012 10:33 am
Oh yeah. I do a pretty decent Milton and I still have to amuse my wife with the “no salt, NO salt” quote.
I only mention the tech because as it continues to age, I wonder if Office Space will fade into obscurity. Then again, the clunky equipment could just add to humor. At least the tech is an actual representation of the times and not some sort of idealized mockup like in The Net.
I wasn’t interested in this film at all when it first came out, but I’m glad I was talked into seeing it. Milton is a personal hero, but I’ll never forget the guy who added “O-face” to my vocabulary.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 6, 2012 10:34 am
“Give her a ride on the ol’ bone roller coaster!”
“Know what I’m sayin’”
Drew, another hilarious character, and about as minor as they come.
Twitter: jainamistry
June 6, 2012 1:42 am
Office Space is one of those films I can’t not watch when it’s on. So many memorable characters. The scene where the printer’s getting kicked in? Hilarious! What with the gangsta rap music playing over the top.
Twitter: waywardjam
June 6, 2012 10:36 am
So hilarious. My favorite moment of that scene is when Michael Bolton drops to his knees and just punches the remains and they pull him back with a handful of printer guts in his grasp. Genius!
Nobody’s mentioned Nina yet! Here’s about 15 minutes of her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N05WL2NlLo
Twitter: waywardjam
June 7, 2012 10:02 am
Ack! What kind of monster would craft a video like that?!
What I’m wondering is, how do you audition for a part like Nina?
I hope that woman didn’t have roommates or a husband while she practiced that line over and over. It seems like it was written specifically for Edie McClurg, but I guess she was too expensive…
Twitter: waywardjam
June 13, 2012 1:47 pm
I would have hated to share living space with her during filming. And yeah, I can totally see Edie McClurg as Nina.