Office Space

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Not only does the creator of Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill know what buttons to push, he pushes 'em with a down-to-earth amiability that stands out in an era of monied glitz. Mike Judge's Office Space concerns three information-class drones working in stultifying cubicle conditions. Peter (Livingston) undergoes confidence-building hypnosis . . . and the hypnotist suddenly dies, stranding him in the altered state. In a hilarious turnaround, Peter's easygoing, outspoken indifference is indistinguishable from cutthroat corporate savvy—he's unexpectedly promoted into Initech's upper management. Here Peter learns that his friends Michael and Samir are slated for pink slips. The three attempt a computer scam to profit off the profiteers, there's a decent sideshow romance, but the power of Office Space lies not in plot developments but in Judge's dead-on, hugely enjoyable portraits of various office-dwelling species. Hearty humor with a bite appreciable by 9-to-5ers everywhere.