Office Space is a 1999 comedy film directed by Mike Judge, loosely based on his 1991 animated short film of the same name. It pokes fun at work life in a typical software company during the 1990s by portraying individuals who are entirely fed up with their jobs. It is set in Dallas but was filmed in both Austin and Dallas, Texas.

Office Space is based on the Milton series of cartoons Mike Judge created for Saturday Night Live. While not financially successful at the box office—just about breaking even—it has developed a strong cult following on video.

Plot

In a cube farm setting evocative of the Dilbert comic strip, two consultants (called "The Bobs", since both have the same first name) are brought in to Initech to help with downsizing and increasing productivity. Workers are then interviewed for the purposes of determining performance.

Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is stressed out, ineffective, and likely the first on the Bobs' downsizing list. Fortunately, he has an accident in hypnotherapy—the hypnotist dies before he can snap Peter out of a state of complete relaxation. The newly-relaxed Peter announces that he will not work anymore. To his surprise, Peter receives a promotion by the Bobs, whereas his two friends Samir Nayeenanajar (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman) get fired. (The character Michael Bolton, to his great displeasure, shares his name with the real-life singer-songwriter Michael Bolton.)

Together, the three friends decide to write and release a computer virus into the accounting system so that it will round down fractions of a cent and accumulate the leftovers into their own account (see salami slicing).

The movie popularised the "TPS report" (a satirical example of the type of mindless paperwork done in the modern office) and the red Swingline stapler. At the time, Swingline did not offer such a product, (the one used in the movie was a regular black stapler painted red) but demand related to the movie's release caused Swingline to offer it for sale on its Web site.

Cast

• Ron Livingston as Peter Gibbons
• Jennifer Aniston as Joanna
• Ajay Naidu as Samir Nayeenanajar
• David Herman as Michael Bolton
• Gary Cole as Bill Lumbergh
• Stephen Root as Milton Waddams
• Richard Riehle as Tom Smykowski
• Alexandra Wentworth as Anne
• Joe Bays as Dom Portwood
• John C. McGinley as Bob Slydell
• Diedrich Bader as Lawrence
• Paul Willson as Bob Porter
• Kinna McInroe as Nina
• Todd Duffey as Bryan
• Greg Pitts as Drew
• Michael McShane as Dr. Swanson
• Linda Wakeman as Laura Smykowski
• Kyle Scott Jackson as Rob Newhouse
• Orlando Jones as Steve
• Barbara George-Reiss as Peggy (Lumbergh's Secretary)
• Mike Judge - credited pseudonymously as "William King" - as Stan (Chotchkie's Manager; Chotchkie is the restaurant where Joanna works)
• Jack Betts as Judge

External links

• Images from the stapler scene
• Time Magazine article