Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Office Space'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Let's just face facts, at some point in our lives, we already have or will work at a job that is the absolute worst job in the history of jobs. A place filled with terrible bosses, incompetent co-workers and day to day duties that leave us filled with dread at having to come back and do it all again.  

If one hasn't found that perfect nightmare of a job yet, you've undoubtedly experienced a taste of these awful conditions, and as these ugly workplace elements infect our day from time to time, sometimes the only way to handle it, is to just put up with it and the same applies for those stuck in worse places until they can find something better. Yet there is nothing wrong with dreaming about how wonderful it would be to tell off that annoying boss, or slack off and make the lazy co-worker do some work for a change and completely get away with all of that, and those dreams are realized in the incredibly brilliant cult comedy, Office Space. 

Peter Gibbons is a man trapped in a world he cannot escape. His love life is meaningless and his job, is a complete and utter living hell. With bosses he cannot stand and co-workers without a clue, Peter is slipping deeper and deeper into the abyss and it truly seems there will never be any escape or relief from the hell that is his job. But an unexpected side effect to hypnotic therapy will change Peter's life forever, giving him newfound purpose and direction when it comes to his job, and the strength at last to change his life, for the better.

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While that synopsis sounds like a deep and brooding drama, Office Space is anything but. Simply put, it is one of the finest comedies I have ever seen and one that deserves its cult status. This is all thanks to the genius level work of Writer/Director Mike Judge. His work is always ahead of his time and Office Space is likely his finest film.  

Sadly the film was a box office flop when it first arrived on the silver screen, but DVD gave it new life and I'm so glad that it did because this movie is beyond hilarious. Everything simply works. With elements that we have all seen in the workplace played for laughs, and characters that completely and utterly jump off the screen, the movie is pure genius. In fact the wild characters are what truly make make the movie so memorable. After all who could forget the oft creepy Milton, or the foul mouthed Michael Bolton or the always despicable Bill Lumbergh?
 
Not to mention this is the only movie I've ever seen that seamlessly combines the office workplace environment with gangster rap. But the film is also filled with plenty of intelligent messages, that we should never be locked into bad situations, we should always be ready for a change and know that there is something better out there, and most importantly, the film reminds us that sometimes our fate is purely in our hands and when we remove uncertainty and fear from the equation and realize that we deserve better, we can go out there and get exactly what we want. 

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