Reccos: Office Space

Director: Mike Judge
Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Gary Cole, Stephen Root

Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is a disgruntled programmer who works for a software company called Initech. After his hypnotherapist dies mid session, he stops going to work and the management consultants who interview him are impressed and decide to promote him while laying off his friends Michael (David Herman) and Samir (Ajay Naidu). To exact revenge, the three friends decide to infect the system with a virus, designed to divert fractions of pennies (that no one would notice) into an account that they control. The rest of the movie is what happens when a misplaced decimal point causes the virus to steal a huge amount.

Some of the scenes are excellent like Peter’s commute to work or his being reprimanded by different bosses for the same mistake or his trying to sneak away without being noticed or his answer to the consultants that he generally comes in late and pretends to work while just staring at his desk. The scene where Michael and Samir blast the printer with baseball bats with the song “Die Motherf***er” playing in the background is the best.

The writing is excellent and the lines are smart and witty. Peter’s boss always starts off with “So if you could go ahead and ” and when Peter thinks he doesn’t have to work on the weekend his boss says “Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I’m also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too”. Michael Bolton laments his name being the same as the famous singer’s with “There was nothing wrong with it… until I was about twelve years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys” and when asked to change his name he goes “No way! Why should I change? He’s the one who sucks.”

Ron Livingston is very good in the role of the hypnotized Peter and Jennifer Aniston is ok as his girlfriend Joanna. Gary Cole steals the show as Peter’s annoying boss Bill Lumbergh. David Herman and Ajay Naidu are excellent as his friends and partners in crime. Stephen Root is perfect as the nerd Milton, who constantly whines about his red stapler and is always being told to move his desk. The rest of the cast is decent.

Mike Judge’s direction is very good and he captures the office environment perfectly. The movie falters a bit with the whole break up between Peter and Joanna and their love story. Office Space did not do well on its release but has grown into a cult movie. This is recommended for every one who has ever worked in an office like setting especially those in the software industry.

Rating: 3.5 / 5 (Very Good)

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2 Comments
  1. Author
    sputnik 9 years ago

    This is just awesome on so many levels. Office Space with the real Michael Bolton.

  2. Anjanpur685Miles 9 years ago

    Will watch this weekend.

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