Summary
- The best Office Space quotes highlight relatable workplace situations and poke fun at the tedium of office life, making it a cult favorite comedy.
- The movie was initially a box office flop but gained a fanbase and became a cult favorite after its release on home video.
- The memorable characters and quotable dialogue, such as Milton's obsession with the radio and Samir's printer frustrations, contribute to the film's comedic success.
The best Office Space quotes illustrate why it's one of the highest-rated work-related comedies, highlighting the tedium of TPS reports, Hawaiian shirt Fridays, and annoying birthday parties. The 1999 comedy excels at exaggerating relatable workplace situations. The excellent cast of characters, stuck in a nightmarish cycle of redundancy and stupidity, made Office Space a success, thanks to how quotable their dialogue is. Some of the best Office Space quotes are jabs at the workplace, while others poke fun at society in general, especially for 9-to-5'ers who are fed up with the rat race and daily grind.
There was never an Office Space sequel for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason was that it was a box office flop, earning only $12.2 million on a budget of $10 million (Box Office Mojo). This seems shocking since Office Space became such a cult success, but it wasn't until it hit home video that it began to grow a fanbase. Since then, Office Space has become a beloved comedy classic, with so many memorable and hilarious lines that fans are still quoting decades later.
That'd Be Greeeat: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Office Space
Office Space is both a brilliant satire of corporate America and a love letter to bored workers. These are 10 fascinating behind-the-scenes facts.30 "Take a Look at My Cousin: He’s Broke, Don’t Do S***."
Lawrence (Diedrich Bader)
It could be argued that Office Space is a fairly low-stakes comedy movie, but viewers can sympathize with the characters' desires and dreams. Peter (Ron Livingston) is shown to be a typical office worker whose biggest concern in his everyday life is finding a way to escape the endless mind-numbing work he faces. He goes to work, does his reports, ends up browbeaten by his boss, and never gets a chance to enjoy life because his work seems to dominate his every waking hour.
Lawrence points out that this can be achieved without money, and you don't have to be rich if you want to do nothing in life.
When hanging out with his neighbor Lawrence (Diedrich Bader), Peter contemplates what he would do if he were rich and concludes that he wouldn't do anything if that were the case. Lawrence points out that this can be achieved without money, and you don't have to be rich if you want to do nothing in life. Lawrence's cousin is a perfect example of that. Whether he knows it or not, those hilarious words of wisdom spark the idea in Peter's mind that his dream of doing nothing is attainable simply by not caring.
29 "The Ratio of People to Cake Is Too Big."
Milton (Stephen Root)
An animated short about Milton inspired Office Space, so it is fitting that he's one of the most memorable characters in the movie. Stephen Root's hilarious performance makes Milton out to be a very peculiar man, but it is also hard not to feel sorry for him at times. One such moment comes when the office is enjoying some birthday cake which is being divided up among everyone. Milton nervously watches as the cake is handed out and feels there might not be enough for everyone. Sure enough, once the cake is gone, Milton is the one left with none.
Milton knows things keep getting worse for him, and he fights to protect what he has, like his stapler.
Milton seems to be oblivious to anything happening around him and seems to live in a bubble. However, what makes him interesting is that he is very observant. He sees what is happening around him in the office. Milton knows things keep getting worse for him, and he fights to protect what he has, like his stapler. This quote shows that Milton sees danger coming. Sadly, he knows there is nothing he can do about it. Moments like this make his revenge in the final scenes of Office Space all the sweeter.
10 Comedy Movies That Nailed Their Final Scene
Though there have been many great comedy movies, only a select few can be said to have nailed their final scenes, leaving the audience satisfied.28 "Corporate Accounts Payable, Nina Speaking. JUST A Moment!"
Nina (Kinna McInroe)
Office Space spends a lot of time at Initech, the titular office environment where Peter Gibbons wastes away, day in and day out. The movie quickly establishes those workplace annoyances that can make the workday harder to endure, such as the irritating receptionist Nina (Kinna McInroe), whose repeated phone greeting grinds away at Peter's patience. Peter bears the unfortunate fate of having his cubicle situated within earshot of the repetitive greeting she gives to each caller.
The high-pitched, accentuated "JUST a moment" cements itself as the kind of inescapable mundane torture that Office Space remains effective at presenting.
The high-pitched, accentuated "JUST a moment" cements itself as the kind of inescapable mundane torture that Office Space remains effective at presenting. It also shows what the office workers, from Peter to Milton, have to deal with on an everyday basis. They know that they are stuck in this cubicle world, and believe there is nothing they can do about it. Every little thing can become an annoyance, and when it is something like Nina's repetitive nature, it almost seems worse than a ticking clock.
27 "I Was Told That I Could Listen To The Radio At A Reasonable Volume, From 9-11."
Milton (Stephen Root)
Though he tended to stick to himself, Milton found ways to irritate Peter, primarily concerning listening to the radio. Whatever privileges he had, he clung to, especially being allowed to keep his radio on during work hours. Even when Peter asked him nicely to turn the radio down, Milton cited Initech rules. To him, he was well within his bounds to listen to the radio between 9 and 11 AM, repeated like a mantra. It is a hint as to why Milton doesn't have many friends in the office, but given the way so many people disrespect him.
The radio is how Milton copes, and Peter doesn't seem to understand they are in the same boat.
It is also not unreasonable for him to be a little protective of the simple joys he is afforded. Stephen Root's delivery of this Office Space quote makes it all the funnier, and it's clear it's an argument that Peter and Milton have had before. What makes this hit home is that Peter struggles with the everyday life of the office environment, and even he can't see that others around him are also struggling. The radio is how Milton copes, and Peter doesn't seem to understand they are in the same boat.
26 "Why Does It Say Paper Jam When There Is No Paper Jam!"
Samir (Ajay Naidu)
One of the most iconic scenes from Office Space features Peter and his recently fired friends viciously destroying a printer that they stole from the office. It's their way of walking out of Initech with their heads held high while getting in a little catharsis at the same time. Samir's (Ajay Naidu) problems with the machine revolve around frequent paper jams, while Michael (David Herman) has issues with a "PC Load Letter" notification, a nod to various indecipherable real-world printer errors that continue to anger office workers to this day.
The entire scene is overlaid by the fact that they are destroying the printer to "Still" by the Geto Boys, and the entire situation is played as hardcore
This quote is another example of Office Space's relatable workplace comedy antics being a driving place behind its cult success. Of course, the entire scene is overlaid by the fact that they are destroying the printer to "Still" by the Geto Boys, and the entire situation is played as hardcore, even though it is basically four office workers smashing up a printer. However, with this quote, it is clear that this is exactly how they feel when they take out their frustrations on a hapless office machine.