Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Fox Home Entertainment – 89 mins – 1999 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio

 

 

 

If you look up the term “cult film,” you will definitely see the poster for the 1999 film Office Space. Just like another cult film, Caddy Shack, fans of Office Space can recite every line, and imitate characters and scenes like they are right out of the bible. Everyone who has worked in a corporate office environment (and that’s a whole lot of us) can relate to the everyday shenanigans of feeling trapped like a rat in a maze. Office Space comes to Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment, so grab your Swingline stapler and mumble your best Milton Waddams impression because work has just begun.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Office Space is the story of Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) and co-workers Michael Bolton and Samir (David Herman and Ajay Naidu) who all hate their job, but are such slackers that instead of leaving, they just continue to be pawns in the corporate game of chess. Their boss Bill (Gary Cole) is a passive aggressive neanderthal who walks around holding a coffee cup all the time as he mentally tortures his employees, particularly the mumbling guy named Milton (Stephen Root) who is one step away from an office shooting. Peter hates his job, life and his girlfriend, and sadly his only thrill comes from going to a local restaurant to look at the new waitress Joanna (Jennifer Aniston).

 

Peter visits a hyper therapist, who ironically dies after putting him under, something that transforms him into a new man, and when he goes back to work he doesn’t take any of his superiors’ crap anymore and tells them the brutal truth about the lousy way they run their company and treat their employees. Instead of firing Peter, they do the opposite and promote him, but fire his friends. Seeking revenge, the three of them unite in a scheme to infect the company’s computer system with a virus that will shift a massive amount of cash into each of their accounts.

 

Written and directed by Mike Judge the creator of Beavis & Butthead, Office Space’s greatest strength is that so many people can relate to it and have fantasized about getting payback from the company that constantly screws them over. Then there’s the built in fan base who worship Mike Judge and have kept this film in circulation to spawn more and more new fans each year. Very few comedies can be labeled “smart” but Office Space fits because it avoids being raunchy and frat house to instead depend on everyday characters in situations that are easily identifiable.

 

For those of you who have never seen Office Space, you will be pleasantly surprised by how well structured it is, and after over a decade still locks into the current work environment. We all know or have worked with guys like this, every office has a Milton Waddams, and every office has a boss who walks around with a coffee cup looking over everyone’s shoulder. This is one of those rare films that whenever you’re flipping channels and it pops on, you’ll watch it again and find something new to laugh at. With all the come and go comedies that that were funny the first time you saw them, but don’t hold up after a second viewing, Office Space still feels fresh every time.

 

VIDEO

 

If you already own the DVD you will definitely want to upgrade to the Blu-ray that has a full 1080p image in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, because the picture quality is superb. Skin tones are excellent and the colors pop without any hints of bleeding. Obviously this is not the first film you would think of when showing off the wonders of high-def, but it does stand out. For a film over a decade old it looks as if this is a fresh release, so if you’re a fan and have a Blu-ray player, this is the way to go.

 

AUDIO

 

This one is all about the dialogue, so fortunately the provided Dolby Digital DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 mix is well tuned. Every mumble that Milton utters is crystal clear, as is all the dialogue, and ambient sounds are balanced nicely. Your forward speakers get most of the workout here, but moments will spark up your rear ones. Overall, this is a solid sound mix that should satisfy.

 

EXTRAS

 

All of the bonus features from the special edition DVD have been ported over so don’t expect any HD upgrades. Fans who desired a more updated retrospective will be disappointed.

 

‘Out of the Office’ is a half hour retrospective that features writer/director Mike Judge and the cast of the film including Gary Cole, Ron Livingston, John C. McGinley and Jennifer Aniston. This is the only worthy feature offered, but unfortunately it’s way too short and scattered.

 

Eight deleted scenes are fine to watch once, but nothing memorable.

 

Exclusive to Blu-ray are a few silly add-ons, such a trivia track that uses Post-Its, and games such as Grab the Stapler, Printer Beat Down, and Whack a Drone. None of these will hold your attention very long.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

A decade from now people will still be quoting office space and there will be a 20^th Anniversary (whatever format has taken over then) Edition. This is the prefect Blu-ray for anyone who is looking to upgrade from the DVD and if you look around online it’s been seen as low as $12. Fans and newbies can’t seem to get enough of this movie, so like Caddy Shack before it; Office Space will live on and on and on.

 

SCORES: (Out of 5):

 

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 4.0