"Office Space" is Still an All Time Great Movie

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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Ty Watches "Silicon Valley" Series Finale

“Silicon Valley" ended its six year run on HBO last night. I have been a fan of the show since it started. I like Mike Judge, and I was on board right away with the casting of young, improvisers being put in major roles. I knew of Kumail Nanjiani from his standup only before this. Thomas Middleditch was a regular on podcasts and did improv shows that I would see on YouTube. I knew Martin Starr because he has had some roles in hit TV shows and movies. I, unfortunately, wrote a whole thing talking about how good TJ Miller was on the show, and it turns out, he is a scumbag. I wish I could take that one back. Zach Woods was familiar to me because of "The Office", but I had never seen him in such a big role. So, to see all these actors getting a real shot at something was great.

The beginning of the show did not disappoint. It was funny and active and well written and very well acted. They added the right people, told good stories and seemed like they were having so much fun making the show. I continued to watch because I am a loyalist, some may say OCD, but some of the stories started to feel stale and already done. But, it was still funny and still had the cast that I just talked about in glowing terms. So, I stuck with it. It was announced that this sixth season would be the last, and it felt like a fitting time to close all these stories. And this final season was a perfect send off for this show.

All of the people had made it to where they thought they wanted to be, but there was also that similar trouble that they ran into every season. Each episode portrayed that very well. I liked the new story lines and the added actors for this final season. And the finale was a great, great sendoff. I like how they did the flash forward and flash back. I liked how they showed them realize their dream from the first season, only to see that it wasn't what they expected, or even wanted, in the end. I like how they tied the main characters stories up. Each person, where they were 10 years in the future, made sense. To see Dinesh and Gilfoyle still working together, and still fighting one another was great. To see that Jared was working with old folks, and treating them like parental figures, was so very right for him. Seeing Big Head as the president of Stanford, it was fitting for the idiot that always failed upward throughout the series. Jian Yang taking over as Erhlich Bachman made me so very happy. I thought they were going to bring him back, and when they didn't, I was stoked. And making Richard a professor in "tethics" made me so happy and it made me laugh very hard as well. Oh, and Gavin Belson becoming a philanthropist and author was so fitting. He never really worked for anything after starting Hooli, yet he still was super rich because the super rich stay rich, somehow, The final scene with Richard was great as well because it showed that he never really grew out of his anxieties, or his absent mindedness. I also loved when they went back to the house they all started in and Jared took out the blue and yellow ball and they shouted "ALWAYS BLUE! ALWAYS BLUE!", until it was yellow. That is a throwback to the very early days of the show.

This was the perfect ending to a show that was very, very good. Mike Judge created a very cool world, made me interested in the tech world and got a great cast of people to put in his show. I will forever be a fan of his, and "Silicon Valley" is another feather in his cap. I cannot wait to see what he does next.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty’s tv OCD is so bad that he feels the need to complete the entire arc of the “Saved By the Bell” universe. The new class is up next.

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" Silicon Valley" is Thriving Without TJ Miller.

Two episodes into "Silicon Valley" season 4, and I have got to say, the show does not miss TJ Miller one bit.

I have gone to bat for Miller on this website, but due to recent allegations, and his recent actions, I have lost a ton of respect for him. He was accused of harassment, and his choice to attack the lady that accused him was so bizarre and distasteful. Then, I have read story after story about how hard he was to work with during the last season of "Silicon Valley". He comes off as holier than thou, like a diva and someone that was just brutal to be round while filming. So, with all this, I was not sad to see him leave the show. Also, most of the stuff he has chosen to do since announcing his departure from "Silicon Valley" has been pretty rough (cough "The Emoji Movie cough). But, I was very curious to see how the show went on without his character, Ehrlich. He was one of the main guys after all. I'd say he was probably second in line to only Thomas Middleditch on the show. He was also very, very funny on the show. I enjoyed his portrayal of Ehrlich. I'm sure he was just being himself, a real asshole, but he was good at doing that.

Well, spoiler alert people, when Gavin Belson left him in that opium den at the end of the third season, I did not know how they would handle it this season. And, like I said at the top, 2 episodes in, they have done it very well. Jian Yang, the young Asian gentleman that lived in his house, the incubator they call it, has taken over control of the place. He hated Ehrlich, for many, many good reasons, and now, he is a younger, more heartless version. He has stopped at nothing so far to take over the house. He wants the place, and he wants it badly. His story line has been, quite possibly, my favorite part of this season so far. He has gone so far as to cremate an enormous pig just to prove that Ehrlich Bachmann is dead. His choice to continue to try and destroy him at the end of the second episode was epic. Changing the locks on the guys that used to live there at the end was cold blooded and awesome. Jian Yang has been amazing so far on the show.

As for the other characters, and their story lines, it has been seamless. Richard is still trying to create his new internet. He is solely focused on that and nothing else. Not seeing Midleditch and Miller in scenes together hasn't been nearly as weird as I thought it would be. Hendrix has his own things to do, and watching him code this past Sunday was pretty awesome. As far as Gilfoyle and Dinesh, Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani, go, they never really needed Ehrlich around. There whole thing since this show started was one upping each other, yet remaining friends. They are clearly best friends that just happen to hate one another. The chemistry between Nanjiani and Starr is pretty awesome. They work off one another so well and, next to Jian Yang, they are the absolute best part of this awesome show. Zach Woods is still all twitchy and weird and will stop at nothing to help Richard get Pied Piper, their company, off the ground and running. Woods' transformation as someone that worked for the bad guys first, Hooli, which is essentially Google, to where he is now just proves how great of a comic actor and improviser he is. He is just as good as every other main character on this show. Even the expanded role of Belson is totally worth not having TJ Miller on the show anymore. He has gone through tons of changes, is still super competitive and evil, and I cannot wait to see him and Richard come to the inevitable blows that this season is leading to. In last Sunday's episode, when Belson fires Banksy, that was comedic gold.

What this all boils down to is the genius of Mike Judge. To lose such an important character and not miss a beat speaks volumes to his talent as a writer and director. Some may have ended the show if they lost such an important piece, but Judge realized he still had a ton of talent, and now he is working in newer, younger talent that is probably not such a headache. I was more intrigued than skeptical how they approach the loss of Miller. But, they have handled it perfect and I still look forward to watching this show every week.

Losing TJ Miller has not made "Silicon Valley" worse. Quite the opposite has happened. New actors are getting more time to shine, and guys like Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods and Martin Starr are still crushing it. Everyone should still be watching "Silicon Valley" because it is so great. Well done Mr. Judge.

Ty