"Office Space" is Still an All Time Great Movie
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Last week I was looking for an older comedy to watch. I have been revisiting movies that I thought were classics when I was a teen. The return rate has not been great for me. "Dodgeball" did not hold up for me. I have talked at length with people about how awful the "American Pie" movies are. They are very problematic.
So when I turned on "Office Space" last week I truly did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised that there were only a few problematic things in the movie. There are some not so savory words said by Michael Bolton. But other than that, that movie holds the hell up. I found myself laughing as hard as I did when I was 17.
The whole idea of the movie is very present as well. Most people hate their jobs. Most people don't want to go in on their day off. Most people have had the thought of getting rich quick. That is all here in the movie. I was so happy that it still made me feel the same way. When Ron Livingston recites the line, "I did nothing and it was everything I hoped it would be", it made me roll around laughing as much as it did twenty plus years ago. The stuff with his neighbor, and how he can hear everything and just comes over on a whim, excellent. When he tells Peter what he would do with a million dollars, and just blankly stares at him, loved it. When Michael Bolton is rapping at the beginning, while in traffic, that is super relevant and super hilarious. All the people mispronouncing Samir's name, that stuff is still going on today. Americans refuse to learn names that appear too tough for them to say. When Michael Bolton goes off on his name, Funny or Die has done a skit wherein Bolton plays himself saying the lines. That sketch came out only a few years ago. Bolton is in on the joke. I haven't worked in an office in eight plus years, but my wife does and I hear stories from her all the time. They may not have the same words or people, but the story is always the same. When people ask Peter if he has "a case of the Mondays", that most definitely is still going on I bet. I have to imagine most people do not like their boss, or they talk about them behind their backs. Bill Lumberg is the epitome of a crummy, no good, power hungry boss. He has such little power and tries to wield it with some kind of humongous authority. The way he treats Stephen Root's character is what I have to imagine most bosses do when they feel threatened. Peter is challenging Lumberg and getting away with it, so Lumberg takes Milton's stapler and keeps moving his office. It is a pathetic show of authority. Gary Cole does a masterful job in this role. This is an amazing performance. Jennifer Aniston is not doing her "Friends" thing, and I feel like this is one of her best roles ever as well. She is funny, powerful and commanding. She doesn't take any nonsense. She goes toe to toe with Peter.
The best thing, the thing that makes "Office Space" relevant still is the inner office dynamics. I used to work in an office and I know all of these people. Again, my wife has told me countless stories about all of these same people. The office clothes are so familiar. The way people speak to one another about TPS Reports is all too real. Having multiple different bosses is still a thing. And my personal favorite thing, the thing that I was howling at, is the one dude always nodding his head during an all office meeting. That person is an annoying teacher's pet and Mike Judge nailed it.
"Office Space" is a great movie and I am happy that it is not as problematic as some other movies from my teenage years that simply do not work. "Office Space" is definitely worth a rewatch.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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