A Look Into How ‘Office Space’ Became a Cult Comedy Classic

If you follow the genre trends of the past 100 years (here’s a great infographic on the subject), you’ll notice that one genre has remained steadily popular throughout the years - comedy.

And while no bets are safe when making a movie, it is interesting to think about some of your favorite comedies over the years. Personally, there are easily several dozen which I’ll still watch at least once a year and they oddly never seem to get old.

Perhaps one of the greatest comedies in my lifetime has to be Mike Judge’s Office Space, which is now celebrating its 20 year anniversary. Its sardonic sendup on suburban office 9-to-5 culture makes it feel like it’s a movie that could premiere here in 2019 and still hit its marks.

To honor one of what has to be one of Mike Judge’s crowning achievements (although there are many to consider with the Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Silicon Valley and Idiocracy creator), this surprisingly insightful video essay by The Beat Goes On gives some in-depth analysis into how Office Space came to be and - more importantly - how it has endured over the years.

Interested in comedy filmmaking? Here are some more solid tips to read up on. Let us know your thoughts about Office Space and creating comedy films, shorts and webisodes below.