|
LowComDom Performances Presents
|
Film Review - Office Space
Hey, I'm surprised, really surprised. I was expecting some shlochy juvenile comedy. Maybe some over-aged fraternity brothers wearing their jock straps on their heads. But no, Office Space is better than that. There's sort of a story, but best of all, there's some credible acting.
The first live action film of Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge, Office Space offers a realistic view of how many people feel at work. Note it's how they feel, not how things are. This office is populated with disgruntled workers who have zero motivation to do anything more than the very least possible without being fired. Their boss is a disconnected walking Prozac who thinks nothing of ruining someone's weekend. Sound familiar?
That's it on set-up; the hook is a worker who stops worrying as well as stopping work, and thus is promoted. It's funny to a certain extent.
What really works here is the acting. I have no idea who these actors are (well, except for Jennifer Aniston. I know who she is. She was once nude on the cover of Rolling Stone, and I think she's done some TV). Judge has cast a group of people who look like people you would see in the office. They're not pretty. They're plain Jane people who can pull off the acting. You can believe these people might some day be in the cube next to you. (Especially if the acting career tanks.) This is what makes the film work.
This one is worth a matinee, especially if you cut work to do it.
Film Facts
Directed by Mike Judge
Released in 1999
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewed by Mongo