Office Space

*Office Space* is a 1999 workplace comedy written and directed by Mike Judge. Its central character, Peter Gibbons, played by Ron Livingston, works at the fictional software company Initech. Peter spends his days adjusting computer code for the year 2000, enduring a long commute and answering to multiple managers. His boss, Bill Lumbergh, played by Gary Cole, repeatedly asks him to work weekends and reminds him about the cover sheets on his TPS reports.

Unhappy at work and in his personal life, Peter visits an occupational hypnotherapist with his girlfriend. The therapist puts him under hypnosis but dies before ending the session. Peter emerges remarkably unconcerned about his job: he stops going to work, ignores Lumbergh’s calls and tells a pair of corporate efficiency consultants exactly how little he does. Rather than firing him, the consultants recommend promoting him.

Peter’s change in attitude coincides with layoffs at Initech. His friends Michael Bolton, played by David Herman, and Samir Nagheenanajar, played by Ajay Naidu, lose their jobs. The three decide to retaliate by installing a program that diverts fractions of a cent from company transactions into an account they control. Their plan recalls a scheme discussed in the film from *Superman III*. A coding error, however, makes the money accumulate far faster than intended, leaving them afraid of being caught.

Away from Initech, Peter begins dating Joanna, played by Jennifer Aniston. She works at Chotchkie’s, where her manager insists that employees wear at least 15 pieces of decorative “flair.” Joanna’s frustration with that requirement gives the film another view of petty workplace rules.

Initech employee Milton Waddams, played by Stephen Root, faces a different indignity. Although he was laid off years earlier, a payroll error kept his checks coming. Once the mistake is corrected, he is moved into a storage room and deprived of his beloved red Swingline stapler. The film ends with a fire at Initech, Milton’s departure with the stolen money, and Peter choosing construction work alongside his neighbor Lawrence.

Judge developed Milton before the feature film, using the character in animated shorts. *Office Space* was not a major theatrical hit on its 1999 release, but it found a larger audience afterward through home video and television. Scenes such as Peter, Michael and Samir destroying a malfunctioning printer helped establish its reputation. Its jokes remain tied to particular details: TPS reports, Chotchkie’s flair, a missing stapler and employees who can scarcely stand another day in their cubicles.