Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Aside from the obvious "two chicks at once" answer, my guess is that most of you would buy a copy of Office Space.

Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is ready to break off the shackles of working at software company Initech. Peter's day may only include 15 minutes of real work, but eight bosses, TPS reports and the occasional 7-day workweek are killing his life-buzz. While the company is busy getting downsized, Peter becomes a model anti-employee, with witty, cult-worthy results.

How this film did so poorly at the box office is one of the world's unsolved mysteries. (Although, the trailer didn't exactly help.) Writer/director Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-head, King of the Hill) didn't miss one dust-bunny when it comes to cubicle life. The cast is also perfect, from Livingston as the film's protagonist, all the way down to Dietrich Bader as

Peter's slightly perverted neighbor. Office Space is a must-see, for office workers and pretty much anyone else that's ever had "a case of the Mondays."

The Picture

Considering this film's extremely low budget, the Blu-ray version shows an impressive amount of flair -- just not quite "37 pieces" worth. Of course, you can't do anything about the standard gray cubicles and gray carpet. Those are the same drab that you probably face every 9 to 5. However, the flesh colors and other external scenes are pretty spiffy in this 1.85:1 transfer. Also, no wonder Milton was so obsessed with his Swingline. It's a nice little ray of sunshine amongst Initech's otherwise boring backdrop.

The Sound

Damn it feels good to be a gangster -- and sound like one as well. If you never noticed the Office Space soundtrack, it's filled to the brim with hard-core rappers Geto Boys. The sound really shook our room, which is a nice contrast to the usual comedy. Otherwise, the DTS-HD Master Audio also provided very crisp dialogue, which is a good thing because unless you are too busy delivering the lines yourself, you won't want to miss a word.

The Extras

Um -- yeah. Fox didn't exactly deliver an "O face" with this "Special Edition." Aside from the same "Out of the Office" featurette from 2005, this new release includes a few games and a bizarre "Post-It Pandemonium" trivia track, which has nothing to do with the movie. The few new items and Blu-ray might be enough to attract hard-core fans. However, it would have been nice if the studio had kicked in a 10th anniversary update or even the original animated Milton shorts.

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself endlessly quoting a movie, can you go wrong by adding it to your Blu-ray collection? While there aren't many new features on this release, it's a nice transfer that any true fan can appreciate. This is Mike Judge's masterpiece after all, and like the work of Michael Bolton (the singer), we "celebrate the guy's entire collection."

Where to Buy:

• Office Space on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Ron Livingston, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, John C. McGinley
• Director: Mike Judge
• Audio/Languages: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (English), Dolby 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital (Spanish, French)
• Subtitles: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: February 3, 2009
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• List Price: $34.98
• Extras:
  • Post-It Pandemonium - The Apathy on Men Trivia Track
  • Games: Grab the Stapler, Printer Beat-Down, Whack-a-Drone, and Jump to Conclusions 2.0
  • Out of the Office: Office Space Retrospective with Writer/Director Mike Judge
  • 8 Deleted Scenes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer