Office Space [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I first watched "Office Space" on a laptop in a Tuscaloosa hotel with my future wife. We were on our way to a conference, and she suggested that we watch this movie. It wasn't too late in the evening, and the running time seemed reasonably short at approximately 90 minutes. I also figured that it would be pretty good, especially with Mike Judge as the writer and director. After having watched it several times since then, I am convinced that "Office Space" is one of the very best cinematic comedies made in recent years.

Watching "Office Space" seems especially therapeutic after dealing with craziness at work. This probably explains the film's broad appeal; it resonates with people who have needed to suffer bureaucratic B.S., the latest manifestations of "office speak," and arbitrary rules at some point in their working lives. Of course, Judge himself drew upon his own memories of work in an office, which he finally escaped after hitting upon the idea for "Beavis and B*tt-head." Although some people have criticized "Office Space" for not having enough "funny stuff," they don't seem to understand the subtlety of Judge's humor, which leans towards the dry and sardonic. One could almost imagine Billy Wilder feeling at home with the plot, though he might have needed a little extra nudging to include the gangsta rap songs.

With a cast that includes no "big-name stars" (except Jennifer Aniston), no central performer clamors for attention with cloying "hilarity." In fact, the quotidian nature of the characters actually enhances the humor. The characters in subordinate positions try to deal with inanities at work by stewing, fretting, and venting in private. Meanwhile, those with more power are content to reinforce the craziness because it guarantees their power, or because they are so entrenched in their positions that they don't recognize the arbitrary nature of the rules they enforce.

The characters are also funny because they remind me of people I have encountered throughout my life. Granted, they come across as caricatures to a degree, but the characters still seem more real than those conjured up for overly facile yuck-fests. In our own lives, many of us probably think that we are "normal," like the main character Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) or his girlfriend Joanna (Aniston). However, not everyone can be like Peter or Joanna... or at least our perceptions of them as "normal." Peter's sudden "transformation" into a quasi-Zen warrior, as well as Joanna's semi-stoner attitude, might just put them way outside the mainstream. In any case, I've seen enough people who share similarities with one, or even several, of these characters:

- Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole), Peter's passive-aggressive, narcissistic, and clueless Yuppie boss (complete with aviator glasses, power tie, and coffee mug) at Initech

- Michael Bolton (David Herman), Peter's nerdy coworker who just itches to unleash his internal Navy SEAL and gangsta

- Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu), Peter's resourceful coworker who wants to "make it" in America

- Lawrence (Diedrich Bader), Peter's no-nonsense, no-collar neighbor and de facto confidant at the thin-walled Morningwood Apartments

- "The Bobs" (John C. McGinley and Paul Willson), coldly congenial external consultants hired by Initech to figure out how the company can "cut costs"

- Tom Smykowski (Richard Riehle), the older Initech employee whose forced joviality barely disguises his anxiety about falling victim to The Bobs

- Stan (a well-disguised cameo by Judge himself), Joanna's flair-obsessed boss at the T.G.I. Friday's-like restaurant Chotchkies, which provides a non-office doppelgänger for Peter's work environment

And yes, I've seen a few people who remind me of Milton Waddams (Stephen Root), the put-upon office gnome with his barely audible stream-of-consciousness mumbling, coke-bottle glasses, outdated sense of non-fashion, and a passive-aggressive attitude matching that of Lumbergh (and that Lumbergh ultimately underestimates). Peter may be the story's main protagonist, but one could see Milton as an odd sort of antihero as well. His almost incoherent mumbling, mainly consisting of requests to clarify matters regarding his salary, his desk, and his red Swingline stapler, acts as a more personalized counterpoint to the double-talk and nonsensical policies that drive Initech. Albeit in extreme fashion, Milton also demonstrates that greed can only propel a business so far, and that an ultimate moral obligation to one's shareholders doesn't always pay off.

For "Office Space" aficianados, the "Special Edition with Flair" includes a 30 minute documentary that provides some insights into the making of the movie. Some of it might not seem like news to hardcore fans, but I learned a few new things: how Gary Cole came up with Lumbergh's voice; the "bons mots" Diedrich Bader improvised as Lawrence; how Stephen Root got around in thick glasses; where Ajay Naidu learned his dance moves; and the origin of the word a**clown. It also includes eight deleted scenes (some of which you might miss if you blink) and computer downloads. Alas, it does not include the animated "Milton" shorts created by Mike Judge in 1991, which provided the original inspiration for "Office Space." That's about as disappointing as excluding "Hearts of Darkness" from the "Apocalypse Now Redux."

Whether one gets "Office Space" with or without flair, I can guarantee a good laugh to anyone who has had to deal with any kind of work-related nonsense at some point in their lives. It might not change the world, but "Office Space" will probably remain an effective purgative for anyone who has encountered such situations. If nothing else, one can at least hope that the insights of "Office Space" will inform the ethics of up-and-coming managers, and make them prioritize the things that really should matter at work.

After the hype that has been given to this release for months and months I am pretty dissapointed.

The title of this release is slightly misleading. What they should really call it released slightly updated edition. If you have seen or own the original DVD release of Office Space you aren't missing much.

What we have here is the same transfer and audio mix as in the first DVD, no commentaries or any other extras here. I would have liked to see a slightly better transfer done for this flick. Although this is not bad, there are some issues with it, mainly in the colors. The 5.1 track is still very nice by today's standards and if one of the best mixed soundtracks I have heard on DVD.

Now on to the "flair". What we have is a crappy documentary that is sorely lacking. So much more could have be done there and more information given. It seems like a waste. Instead of spending the money on that lets get everyone in the room and give us a commentary. I'd love to hear all these guys together just joking around, I read a magazine article a few months ago with them all talking about this release and that was better than what we got here.

The deleted scenes are nice to see, and a few give some more insight into the story. Although they mention scenes in the documentary that are not included here, which again makes little sense.

And that is it. Where are the Milton shorts that were supposed to be included? You see 5 second clips in the documntary but I want to see them all.

With the low pricepoint, if you don't own this yet it is worth the money. If you have the first release don't bother, you aren't missing anything.

Today we like to think of the modern-day office environment as the embodiment of all that is soulless about the corporate world. But in truth, the cubicle was designed to actually make life better for the average worker. It was designed to give them privacy and some degree of independence, as opposed to the previous custom of having rows and rows of desk next to each other in orderly fashion. So what went wrong?

"Office Space" is a light comedy, but it gives a lot of answers to the question of why the modern corporate office has become such an alienating place. It is because everyone is in their own world. We see it in the opening scene, even while the characters are driving to work in their cars. They each have their own way of dealing with traffic. They arrive at work already alienated. Furthermore, the cast of quirky characters in the film suggests that each person is in their own world: Milton sits in his cubicle whining about his stapler, Mike Bolton sits around wondering how to bring down the company, Peter worries about avoiding his boss, Drew probably thinks up elaborate sexual fantasies, etc.

In other words, even though we might like to think of the modern office as being an annoying place where we have to deal with annoying people, I think "Office Space" suggests that the real problem is that we are so alienated from each other in the office. (Check out the hilarious scene where Peter is talking on the phone to somebody, and the camera pans over to reveal that it's Milton, in the cubicle next to him.) This kind of alienation increases the impersonal nature of the place and heightens the paranoia -- which is really what "Office Space" is about.

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