Director-cartoonist-writer Mike Judge is obviously a talented and funny person. "Beavis and ButtHead" is a personal favorite of mine on TV and even the film version, while too long, hit the mark. OFFICE SPACE is what the title says: space. This movie is so lifeless and implausible you almost cannot believe what you are seeing. And how did they get Jennifer Aniston to do this muck? She must not have read the script. Judge should stick to voices and cartoons rather than making an alleged comedy about the 9 to 5 struggles of twentysomethings.
There are so many ways this film could have been better. First off, an effective lead actor would have sufficed. Ron Livingston plays the "hero" of the non-working class with the energy of a turtle. I know he has the zap on him from the job, girl, etc... Couldn't a more genuine method of having him crack (like say a Jerry Maguire-esque wig-out) been even a bit funnier? What was with the hypnotist? Was Judge trying to mix "drop-dead", gross out humor together for us to sympathize with the dork's problem? The whole portion of the film where evaluations take place are ridiculously sour and the Livingston character's evaluation makes not a drop of sense, nor is it funny. We all know this would never happen, which is OK, but after he gets his evaluation, why does he leave and why do we care? We don't.
The "scam" the three butt heads come up with is so dull and stupid, you wonder how they became employed in the first place. There are also "Beavis and ButtHead" caricatures sprinkled throughout. One character (played by Judge himself) is amazingly like B & B's hippie teacher in speech method and another is Principal McDICar all the way. What Judge should have done is made this flick and had Beavis and ButtHead sitting on the couch destroying its lameness.
Aniston is here for window dressing only and must cringe at any mention of this so-called comedy. It seems as though some people are embracing OFFICE SPACE as their generational spokesmovie about the monotony of cubicles and bosses and annoying "Miltons" who work in every office across this country. I sure as hell am not. See FALLING DOWN, a drama about losing it over the job with Michael Douglas that is ten times funnier than OFFICE SPACE by accident. Even CLOCKWATCHERS, in essence the female version Judge may have drawn upon, has some reality in it. Material like this needs some reality, some real characters, and a lot more introverted observations about working the 9 to 5 grind. B & B are rolling in their graves.
Rating: *
There are so many ways this film could have been better. First off, an effective lead actor would have sufficed. Ron Livingston plays the "hero" of the non-working class with the energy of a turtle. I know he has the zap on him from the job, girl, etc... Couldn't a more genuine method of having him crack (like say a Jerry Maguire-esque wig-out) been even a bit funnier? What was with the hypnotist? Was Judge trying to mix "drop-dead", gross out humor together for us to sympathize with the dork's problem? The whole portion of the film where evaluations take place are ridiculously sour and the Livingston character's evaluation makes not a drop of sense, nor is it funny. We all know this would never happen, which is OK, but after he gets his evaluation, why does he leave and why do we care? We don't.
The "scam" the three butt heads come up with is so dull and stupid, you wonder how they became employed in the first place. There are also "Beavis and ButtHead" caricatures sprinkled throughout. One character (played by Judge himself) is amazingly like B & B's hippie teacher in speech method and another is Principal McDICar all the way. What Judge should have done is made this flick and had Beavis and ButtHead sitting on the couch destroying its lameness.
Aniston is here for window dressing only and must cringe at any mention of this so-called comedy. It seems as though some people are embracing OFFICE SPACE as their generational spokesmovie about the monotony of cubicles and bosses and annoying "Miltons" who work in every office across this country. I sure as hell am not. See FALLING DOWN, a drama about losing it over the job with Michael Douglas that is ten times funnier than OFFICE SPACE by accident. Even CLOCKWATCHERS, in essence the female version Judge may have drawn upon, has some reality in it. Material like this needs some reality, some real characters, and a lot more introverted observations about working the 9 to 5 grind. B & B are rolling in their graves.
Rating: *