Office Space (1999): A Time Capsule of Cubicle Culture
1999 • Mike Judge • 1.85:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Nowadays, the whole visual identity of Mike Judge’s Office Space could be summed up by that one scene in which Gary Cole’s Bill Lumbergh asks Ron Livingston’s Peter Gibbons to work overtime. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the movie’s sense of humor, mixing visual comedy with iconic dialogue.
While Office Space is not a “conventionally” compelling movie, suffering from a limited budget and the grey, repetitive world of interchangeable cubicles, it still offers some great composition and interesting character design that sets it apart. It feels like a workplace sitcom evolved into a feature film.
The fashion, the technology (those massive CRT screens), and the dry humor are all deeply anchored in the era. It’s undeniably a late-1990s film, over the last quarter-century, it has shifted from a satire of contemporary work culture into a fascinating visual time capsule. Watching Office Space today hits differently than it did twenty-five years ago. There is a palpable sense of nostalgia that inhabits every frame.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A disillusioned office worker stuck in a soul-crushing corporate job finds unexpected liberation after a hypnosis session leads him to stop caring about work altogether. (My review of Office Space)
- Actors: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, Stephen Root, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Diedrich Bader, John C. McGinley.
- Director: Mike Judge
- Year: 1999
- Cinematographer: Tim Suhrstedt
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Genre: Comedy
