OFFICE SPACE
US, 1999, 89 minutes, Colour.
Ron Livingstone, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, John C.McGinley.
Directed by Mike Judge.
Office Space is a brief, often amusing comedy, parodying the strains and stresses in the office. It was written and directed by Mike Judge, responsible for such animated features as Beavis and Butthead. He also appeared as an actor in Spy Kids 2.
Ron Livingstone portrays an average man who works at an uninteresting job in a high-tech office. The management bring in efficiency experts to shed workers. In the meantime, he is hypnotised to overcome his lethargy - but the hypnotiser, an obese man, drops dead before he can snap Livingstone out of his hypnosis. What follows is Livingstone deciding to do exactly what he wants, do nothing, invite the waitress at the local café (Jennifer Aniston) out to lunch and then to join his two friends who are about to be axed in a financial scam.
There are many amusing moments, the cast is quite genial, Gary Cole standing out in a parody of a lazy and inefficient boss. John C. McGinley? appears as one of the two efficiency experts who see a potential in Livingstone that nobody else does.
The film is set just prior to the millennium, which dates it. However, the issues remain perennial.
1. An entertaining American satire? On business practice? On office life? On characters - and caricatures of office types?
2. The Los Angeles setting, the opening freeway jam, the office and the office space, the desks? Restaurants, homes and apartments? An authentic atmosphere? Musical score and songs?
3. The quality of the satire, the parody, the idiosyncrasies of personnel, the caricatures of characters? The one-liners?
4. The title and the indication of theme? People occupying space, doing jobs but doing them inefficiently, wasting time, being shifted around, management's attention to minutiae and memos? Efficiency experts and their criteria?
5. The focus on Peter Gibbons, exasperated in his car, the man on the zimmer progressing faster than he did? His work in the office, being reprimanded about the covers? The memos? His not doing much work at all? His friendship with Mike and Samir? Discussing things with Laurence - from the perspective of a dropout? His relationship with Anne, suspicion of her, her taking him to the hypnotist? His being hypnotised, changing his attitude, fulfilling his ambition to do nothing, lying in bed, not coming into the office on a Saturday, ignoring the messages on the answering machine? Dressing casually? Coming in, talking with people, doing nothing, going to the restaurant, inviting Joanna out, having kung-fu in common with her, the beginning of a relationship? His interview with the two Bobs, his frank attitudes, their mistaking this for management quality? Hearing that Michael and Samir were to be sacked, getting them to speculate, the virus, the plan, putting it into operation? Joanna and her reaction against it? Peter and his hearing that she had a relationship with Lumbergh, his reaction, her walking out? His decision about the future, not wanting the money? The office burning down and his being free? Making a transition to manual work with Laurence?
6. Michael and the reaction to his name, Michael Bolton? His being a whiz, exasperated with machinery, the friendship with Peter, getting the sack, agreeing to put the virus in? Achieving it? His worries? Trying to be casual, "Call me Mike"? Samir, his abilities, wanting security in his job? Going along with the plan?
7. Milton, his eccentricity, mumbling to himself, having been sacked but getting his pay cheque, continually being moved? Humiliated? Burning down the office?
8. The two Bobs, their manner, criteria for downsizing, the interviews, recommendations?
9. Gary Cole as Bill Lumbergh, his manner, reprimands, supervision, appearing all the time, his verbal mannerisms and their repetition? Peter trying to outwit him? His reaction with the two Bobs? His being the caricature of the inefficient middle-management?
10. Tom, his paranoia about being sacked, his explanation of his job to the two Bobs and his really doing very little? Being let go, trying to commit suicide, crashing, getting the compensation - and the party with his arm and legs in the cast?
11. The management, efficiency experts, the disregard for people's feelings, sackings on Fridays etc?
12. The overall impact and the critique of the mundane and demeaning aspects of office life?
