Office Space

(1999)

"Could you do that? That'd be greaaaaaaat."

Always on my list of "films to take along on the yearly beach trip in case it rains". Anyone who's ever had to work in an office environment (I have, many times) will find something to love, as will anyone who's ever waitressed in a restaurant such as "T.G.I. Friday's" (ditto), that makes the employees wear idiotic uniforms involving wearing decorations such as buttons (called "flair" in this film).

Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead, and he also has a cameo as the annoying supervisor at the restaurant) hits every right note in the film that really displayed Gary Cole's ("Fatal Vision") comedic ability, and proved Jennifer Aniston, as Joanna, Peter's love interest, to be capable of much more than just being a TV "Friend". Her performance in "Office Space" resulted in her getting another ground-breaking part for her, in "The Good Girl". Ron Livingston (Peter Gibbons) is dead-on as the deadpanned, put-upon office worker who finally breaks free. Diedrich Bader (of The Drew Carey Show) in a small but notable part as Peter's construction-worker friend and neighbor is wonderfully funny, and almost unrecognizable under the long hair and drawl. Stephen Root ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") is the Swingline-stapler loving underfoot underdog.

All the smaller parts are fleshed out well and are hilarious in their own right, and each aspect of the film, while exaggerating the possible goings-on in the office world, exposes the inherent idiocies. This is one of those films that has spun out classic quotable lines from the first day it premiered.

Did you get the memo?