Nice. This is the kind of one I can watch with anyone. Everybody can like it, but it's not your everyday movie, it's kinda smart, and it gets a lot right.
I was surprised to discover that the creator of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' had made this, because it's so laid back and casually ironic. It gets a little outlandish towards the end, but I forgive it - for the most part. From the morning traffic jams, though the stupid fake walled offices to the disturbingly passive aggressive bosses, 'Office Space' gets a lot right.
The three friends are a nice group too, and their dialogue is good. No wait, not good exactly, but smart. It was a smart movie. Not just funny, smart is the perfect word. When it is suggested that the trio do a 'Superman 3' on the company, it is acknowledged that this isn't an original idea, and the film is even directly referenced. And that makes it alright. If they had tried to show it as an original idea, that would make the whole plot point stupid, but because they gave it a nod, and because this movie is supposed to be in real life, it worked really well. Hell, I bet people get crime ideas from movies more often than they come up with them all by themselves.
I also liked the mullety neighbor who could hear everything that was going on in Peter's house, and I think Jennifer Aniston does a good job. While I'm not really a fan of her work, I believe that she plays this slightly insecure but likable woman well. It's a believable character.
The boss, however, is not. He's way overdone, but in his case that's a good thing. Him, and many other character in the office environment, are caricatured (written as one would write a cartoon character, eh?) This works because the work place brings it out of them, kind of like prison would. It's a lot like 'The Office', really, and more like the US one, which tended to be more outlandish rather than the realism of the UK original. "Yeah, if you could go ahead and.. come in on Saturday... that would be great." It's perfect. I hate him. Perfect.
This film combines dumb-funny comedy with a pervasive art and awareness of self, with almost every shot brilliantly constructed. There is a running theme of strong horizontal and verticle lines, boxing the characters in to monotony, which they are then freed from by the fire at the end. The hot colour of the fire also contrasts with the cool monotones of greys and blues and beiges of the office environment, as the red uniform of Joanna's new uniform contrast with the cutesey crap of her old one, in much the same theme.
Office Space: 79.5