Cubicle or be killed: "Office Space"

I didn't see this in theaters. Then again, nobody did.

"Office Space" tanked at the multiplex. It grossed less than $11 million, or about what it cost to make the movie. But thank god for the VCR and DVD player, which made this something of a cult comedy. It's only fitting, considering director Mike Judge made his bones on TV -- first with "Beavis & Butt-head," then with the more mainstream "King of the Hill."

Our story has Peter (Ron "Burger/aspiring Goofy in 'Swingers'" Livingston) as a hapless employee at a generic computer company. His life is crap, but a hypnotherapy session fills him with peaceful apathy, setting into motion all sorts of fun scenes with co-workers, his boss and the cute girl at the generic casual dining chain restaurant (Jennifer "Leprechaun" Aniston). It also leads to him and his pals ripping off their company, while murmuring co-worker Milton (Stephen "Jimmy James" Root) gets picked on by their smarmy boss, perfectly played by Gary "Mike Brady/Cotton McKnight" Cole.

I won't lie: I love this movie. Whenever my wife says we should pop in the DVD, I don't hesitate. Sure, she's tried to watch it three times now and fallen asleep each time, but that's OK because every time I see the first few minutes -- setting up the everyday drudgery of mindless corporate work -- I can't help but laugh. The rest of the script is solid, too, and I can think of at least three lines from "Office Space" that I've used more than once:

1. "Peter! Whaaat's haaappening ... "
2. "I'm gonna show her my O-face. Oh! Oh! Oh!"
3. (Whenever someone says I'm missing something.) "Well, I wouldn't exactly say I've been missing it."

That last one comes in handy more than you realize, and just thinking about Peter saying it and the rest of "Office Space" makes me smile. Not sure why this movie is funnier than so many other late '90s comedies, but it just is. I could watch it over and over and still laugh. Even when I've got a case of the Mondays.