Office Space -- *** (out of 5) (1999)
Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Ajay Naidu, David Herman, Gary Cole
Directed By Mike Judge
Due to a hypnotic suggestion, a young office worker decides not to go into work anymore while his company is in the process of laying off unnecessary employees. Then, to his surprise, he is not only not laid off, but actually given a promotion due to his honesty. However, he finds that his two best friends are soon to be given the axe, and they conspire together to plant a virus in the computer system to skim money from the company's profits into their own account.
The most impressive aspect about OFFICE SPACE is the natural ease and adeptly timed style of writer/director Mike Judge (BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD), who directs like he's done this a thousand times before. OFFICE SPACE is actually a full-length version of Judge's first animated short that he did back in 1991 with the same title, but you don't need to see or even know about that to enjoy this fleshed-out remake. Judge's creation offers quite a bit of amusing moments and very insightful gags based on the monotony and bureaucracy of everyday office life. This comedy is sure to please fans of DILBERT type humor, and while it's purely a fluff movie and, it does manage to deliver worthwhile entertainment while it's on, and don't be surprised if you think of it the next time you're around the office.