I don’t know many people who enjoy working in a cubicle. Or in retail. Or in an environment where one is under constant threat of expendability. Watching Office Space was a reminder of just how lousy those types of jobs can be, and if it weren’t for my actual job requiring my presence in a half an hour, I would be able to put more detail into what I thought of this film. Ain’t that just life?
Office Space is considered by some to be a comedy classic. With such memorable characters as… the boss guy, who constantly talks in a vaguely annoyed, monotone voice, and the weird dude with the big glasses who loves his stapler, how can this be bad?
It isn’t. At the same time, I find it hard to call it a classic, either. Memorable, sure, I’ll give it, but good? Funny? …Right. I believe there was one gag that made me smirk, but otherwise, pretty generally upbeat film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is exemplified by the ending of the film, which is total bullshit.
I did find myself entertained throughout, however, as there were a lot of decent performances by even the zaniest characters, all of which, when not too blatant, were generally fun to watch. I liked the cast more than I didn’t, though I didn’t find them so likable that I’m ready to pin a poster up on my wall of all those lovable oafs. I thought Ron Livingston was pretty good.
What was probably the best part of the film for me was the subtle indication that your life can’t go anywhere if you’re not willing to change it. Most of the first half of the film deals with Livingston’s general apathy for his life situation and generally depressed demeanor. Through a random assortment of events, he ends up not giving a shit about anything and suddenly he gets promoted, along with becoming much happier with his life. A lot of it is incredibly irresponsible, but I like the attention to putting into perspective one’s attitude parallel to their ambition.
It’s a nice film for a quiet afternoon. Nothing outrageous or gut-busting, at least for me, but it has enough heart to it for any person stuck in a dead-end job to show that people out there definitely understand their plight. Mix in some ridiculous plot and a memorable cast of characters and one could definitely do worse, particularly with the jobplace comedy.
Final Score: 5.5/10
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The Visualist's Veranda 
I come back to this film every couple of years and I always find it good for a bit of a laugh and just a relaxing viewing experience. I’ve fortunately only held one job with an actual cubicle and I find a lot of the frustrations identified in this movie very recognisable. After three months in such an environment I could totally get behind the basic idea of this movie.