Viking Night:
Office Space

By Bruce Hall

March 25, 2010

Doesn't this look like a Beastie Boys video?

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To say that Office Space was unsuccessful at the box office would be an understatement of epic proportions. But it has made a place for itself among the most revered cult films of all time, and its cast members are likely to be principally remembered for these characters as long as they live. Ron Livingston's put-upon, deadpan portrayal of Peter Gibbons is worthy of comparison to some of Bill Murray's best work. David Herman, best known for his roles on Mad TV, creates quite possibly the most absurdly, angrily intense computer nerd ever put to screen. Gary Cole is likely to have "Lumbergh" on his tombstone and Jennifer Aniston, then at the height of her popularity on Friends, wasn't afraid to let her character play a sweet, dopey second fiddle to the rest of the ensemble. But none of it would have been possible without the demented vision of Mike Judge, who never imagined that his little known series of MTV shorts would one day be the basis of a film that would become more beloved than the rest of his body of work combined.

Best known as an animator and the mind (and most of the voices behind) Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill, Judge's keen eye for observational humor has a universal quality to it but his delivery of is often surreptitiously cerebral, giving most of his humor a narrow appeal. It's just as well, because I tend to feel that widespread, mainstream success would ultimately dilute the quality of his material. Despite having been on the air for 12 years, King of the Hill came close to cancellation every year – which was one of the reasons it was such a consistently solid show!




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You see? Suffering really is good for the soul! You don't have to have worked in an office to know what it feels like to feel disillusioned with your job or to be discontent with the direction of your life. It is something we've all been through and if you haven't yet, chances are someday you will. But life is a journey, and our experiences are meant to be a series of change – not eternal, static sameness. What most of us fail to realize is that when you reach the point where it seems that your life needs to change, this isn't something to fear, it's normal. Most of us already know what fulfills us and gives meaning to our lives and usually, it's something we have to actively pursue – it won't fall into our laps or be given to us by another person. Change and struggle are a normal part of growth, and if you find yourself becoming bored with your life, odds are it's because you've let yourself become a boring person. Finding happiness is a personal and unique experience for each of us - and to paraphrase the most unlikely sage in the Office Space universe: ‘Most people don't like their jobs; you just have to find what makes you happy in life.'

Truer words were never spoken – and if someone with only 15 pieces of flair can do it, something tells me we all can do it!


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