A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Office Space

Date of original theatrical release: 1999

Details:

Ron Livingston

Jennifer Aniston

David Herman

Ajay Naidu

Stephen Root

Gary Cole

Orlando Jones

Written & directed by: Mike Judge

Score: 0

The Review: There are parts excruciating and parts funny, but few parts that are excruciatingly funny. A look at the workplace as the last possible place any sane person would want to spend any time -- and indeed, as the story unwinds, it becomes clear that few (if any) of the characters are completely sane.

Place: a computer programming firm doing financial software repairs in preparation for the (predicted) Y2K disaster. Time: 1999 (just-in-time computing at its worst). Characters: an organization with a goal to downsize malcontents and under-performers, several managers with personality disorders who are focused much too much on TRS form completion (whatever the hell that is!), and a few grunt programmers who are clearly disgruntled. Until one of them decides to get an attitude transplant, and both moves up the management ladder and becomes a not-so-petty criminal.

Broad satire, funny, but shows few teeth. Some great characters (e.g., Root), and some future big names (e.g., Aniston and Jones).

(22-May-07)

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