Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

If you recall the “You the Monster” ad from Monster.com, you might believe that a dream job is out there for you, if you try hard enough to find it. The workers in “Office Space” know the reality – the vast majority of us never get it. We punch a clock, we do our jobs in some sort of capable way, and hope we find some sort of job security and reward, even when people scrutinize our every mistake. Life, of course, offers no guarantees, and the employees at Initech Corporation are about to receive a lesson in downsizing in the comedy “Office Space,” and use that as an excuse for getting even.

A computer programmer named Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is reaching the end of his rope at Initech. His boss, Bill Lumbaugh (Gary Cole), is always making some excuse to criticize his work, or asking Peter to do overtime at the last minute. Peter has also broken up with his girlfriend, who has been cheating on him. After being asked one Friday afternoon by Bill to work the weekend, Peter simply spends the weekend in bed. As he’s preparing to hear Lumbaugh tell him he’s fired, Initech brings in two efficiency experts named Bob (John C. McGinley and Paul Willson), and they want to talk to Peter. He complains that his work isn’t challenging, and that he’s told about his every mistake by every one of his managers. The Bobs don’t see a disgruntled employee – they see a manager in the making.

However, Peter’s two best friends at the company, Samir Nayeenanajar (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman), have been marked for corporate downsizing. Peter, meanwhile, shares his troubles with Joanna (Jennifer Aniston), a waitress at the restaurant where he spends his breaks and lunch. Still, he manages to win her interest with an offer of dinner and watching kung fu on television. As his friends prepare to leave Initech, Peter meets with Samir and Michael to discuss a plan they always joked about doing – launching a virus that will funnel money away from Initech slowly. Things don’t go as planned with the scheme. Joanna has a bombshell for Peter as well. Peter looks for a way to deal with both problems.

“Office Space,” which is based on the “Milton” cartoons that aired on “Saturday Night Live,” marked the live action debut of Mike Judge, who’s best known for giving the world “Beavis And Butt-Head” and “King Of The Hill.” Here, Milton Waddams (Stephen Root) is just a minor character who is constantly being pushed around by everyone at Initech. In fact, we learn he was laid off five years ago, but was never told and is still getting a paycheck. Every minute, he is treated the same way Peter feels – more and more horribly. The portrayal of Milton, though, is the weak link in this film. Root is fine as Milton, but unlike the emotionally damaged man in the cartoons, Milton Waddams seems brain damaged. Perhaps Judge, who also wrote this movie, was trying to make Milton a cross between Bartleby, Herman Melville’s famous scrivener who refused to leave his work, and Judge’s own brain-dead teens, Beavis and Butt-Head. Still, Judge gives this corporate world a very sterile look, with so many repetitive sounds, any sane person would be begging for a strait jacket.

You will recognize most of these actors from one TV series or another, most notably Aniston from the long-running hit, “Friends.” Livingston’s TV credits include “Band Of Brothers” and “The Practice.” Root (“NewsRadio”) and Herman (“MAD TV”) have provided voices on “King Of The Hill.” Normally, when a film like “Office Space” has so many television actors, it makes me wish I were watching the boob tube instead. However, Judge (who appears as Joanna’s flair-happy boss, Stan) and cast create a darkly comic and painfully accurate look at life in the nine-to-five world. Livingston has the look of a man about to snap, and when he speaks, he sounds like a man bent for some sort of revenge. At his first lunch with Joanna, for example, he openly admits he hates his job and isn’t going to go anymore. He even gets bored talking about the Y2K upgrades he has to make to the software. Later, he admits to the Bobs that he doesn’t really miss work when they discuss his attendance record. They all have a laugh over it.

Some of the funniest lines in the film, though, go to Diedrich Bader (“The Drew Carey Show”), who plays his contented construction worker neighbor, Lawrence. When Peter asks Lawrence what he’d do with a million dollars, Lawrence replies, “Two women at a time!” For cheap erotic thrills, Lawrence enjoys watching a breast self exam on a cable channel. Cole is perfectly deadpan as Lumbaugh, perfectly capturing the boss from the animated version (whose voice was provided by Judge). Cole’s “Hey, what’s happening?” and “Ummm, yeah” have a skin-crawling quality to them. Orlando Jones (“MAD TV” and 7-Up ads) has a funny cameo as a door-to-door salesman who is bribed into keeping quiet about Peter’s scheme.

“Office Space” is the movie “9 To 5” should have been - unrelenting in its skewering of office politics and the ways corporations try to make more profits from the huge profits they already reap. In my life, I’m a little bit like Peter and a little bit like Milton – a guy who’d rather be doing something else. Yet, I do as much as I can to avoid being a human welcome mat, like Milton. Right now, though, I have work that helps pay the bills and allows me to pursue my hobbies when I’m off duty. Lest you think that I’m a cheerless person, I’ve written about other films that relate to my life in happier ways, like “High Fidelity,” “A Christmas Story,” and “Amelie.” “Office Space” is the part of my life where I need to go when I can’t be here. Maybe some day, I’ll be at a place where I can spend more time doing what I love.

(Afterward: In deference to our hosts, Susidee34 and SurgRN911, here are parts of “Office Space” that relate to the things they write about on Epinions. For Susiedee34, Jennifer Aniston has a Bacon number of 1, as she starred with Kevin Bacon in “Picture Perfect” in 1998. For SurgRN911, “Office Space” has a soundtrack filled with an interesting mix of mambo and rap, with songs from Perez Prado, Ice Cube, and Geto Boys. Lisa Stone updates Dolly Parton’s classic work anthem, “9 To 5,” while Canibus and Biz Markie offer up “Shove This Jay-Oh-Bee,” which includes lines from Johnny Paycheck’s famous song, “Take This Job And Shove It.”)

Thanks, Susi and Diane, for this “It’s My Life” write-off – and congratulations on your second anniversary at Epinions. I admit that I have caught up to both of you only recently, but I’m glad I did. Now, check out these writers who have shared a bit of their lives for this momentous occasion:

4-1-1, 3Bcoach, artbyjude, BSmith24, bwyckoff1, Charles_Tatum, cntaur5, deaser26, ed_grover, exbrave, frazzledspice, gungian, ifif1938, jasonkirk, jankp, joydrop26, kcfoxy, kuuleimomi, lansky2000, lorace, macresarf1, mets_gal_1, mike.holmes, misstaegu, paulbg, pogomom, Psychovant, redsox95, Sparkfan77, sunnydayM, SurgRN911, and susidee34.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older