While embroiled in my first real corporate job, I once proclaimed "Office Space is the new Bible." Indeed, this movie skewers the resolute pointlessness and fearfulness of corporate workplace culture more accurately and directly than the entire collected Dilbert comics. Anyone who's ever had to endure a job they hated, dealing every day with bureaucratic absurdities so blatantly ridiculous you'd think they must be part of some gigantic piece of performance art, will find so much of resonance in this film that depending on your current mood toward that job, Office Space is not necessarily even a comedy. For it is, in spots, painfully real. Case in point: immediately after seeing it for the first time, I took the film to heart and began to emulate it at my job. I started coming in late, speaking plainly at meetings, and generally raising ruckuses wherever I could. Was I taken to task or placed on some kind of probation? No, no! I was—not kidding here—promoted, given a chunky raise, and even awarded a bonus for my "go-getter" attitude. So Office Space is a hilarious comedy, yes. But on another level, it is a template for re-prioritizing your life, if you find yourself trapped in the special type of hell that is corporate America. Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) hates his job, and through a wacky conundrum, he gets stuck in a hypnotic state of relaxation. His new attitude causes him to simply do what he feels in the workplace, much to the consternation of his boss, the slick and shallow Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole, in what will probably go down as his definining performance). Peter's newfound confidence (see also The Tao of Steve) also lands him the Fridays-esque waitress (Jennifer Aniston) on whom he's had a crush forever. The film succeeds most when it sticks to the subtle mockery of workplace bullshit, and less so when it tries to provide "plot" (specifically, the love story and an embezzlement scheme that becomes the main thrust of the last reel). Despite the segments that don't quite work, each scene is certainly entertaining, thanks to winning performances that aren't afraid to get a little stupid (Aniston is great in her "flair" conflict with her manager, and Diedrich Bader of "The Drew Carey Show" is wonderful as Livingston's white-trash neighbor). The movie arguably belongs, though, to Stephen Root, whose ability to submerge himself in the most unflattering of characters always impresses me. As the hapless Milton, who was actually fired long ago but continues to work, adhering to his pathetic perks (listening to the radio "at a reasonable volume" for two hours a day; having a cherished stapler), Root is impossible not to love, and when he emerges as the big winner at the end, it's a big payoff. I have to agree with my former-fratboy roommate on this one … "Office Space is a fucking awesome movie." My only hope is that it increasingly seems like a reminder of my past, as opposed to a statement about my present.
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