> Mike Judge's "Office Space" is a minor comedy classic, yet to be fully
> appreciated. Comparing it to the tame and reassuring Dilbert, however
> slightly, is a disservice. I doubt that Dilbert, no matter how frustrated he
> got with his company, would plot to steal money from it or simply burn it
> down.
Very true. As it turned out, there was a run on "Office Space" at the neighborhood rental shop the day your message appeared. (They got three calls in quick succession, and couldn't explain why.) I finally got my turn a day or so ago.
I watched it and applied the test I always apply to movies: "Two hours of my life are irrevocably gone - lost forever. Was it worth it?" I think it just passed the test, but I also have to say that the corporate, suburban locale intrinsic to the story (obviously there wouldn't be a story without it) was depressing enough in and of itself that I had to struggle to overcome my aversion in order to benefit from the storyline. It was tough!
You could allege that makes me a weak revolutionary. Off to boot camp for some endurance training...
It would have been easier for me if the director had anticipated my craving for relief from the oppressive setting, and counterpoised that locale with one that represented its antithesis. And before you say, "Wait - he did!", I hasten to add that what he provided at the end doesn't qualify for me as an even exchange, merely a sort of universally-recognized neutralizing factor.
(One of my favorite films, "Rain" from 1932, starring Joan Crawford, which I know I've mentioned before, features a profoundly stimulating locale/atmosphere and an oppressive storyline - so go figure...)
Before I forget, I and my former workmates once did to a computer printer what the protagonists in "Office Space" did to a copy machine. That's the kind of progressive workplace I emanated from, so you can see how far removed I am from the bland, oppressive suburbs. I know, it's no excuse...
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/ dave /