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This movie is scary. As an employee of a corporate company for about a decade, I can say this film, even though exaggerated for comedic purposes, is somewhat real. Yes, the offices are more modern in 2025 and agile spaces have entered the lives of engineers instead of cubicles to promote a collaborative environment, but the blandness of these environments is very well portrayed.

Every character in this movie is an avatar. Ron Livingston, the protagonist, plays the troubled corporate employee who is jaded by the monotony of his environment. Gary Cole, my favorite character in this movie, represents every manager who tries to keep it casual and act like your friend but as an employee you know that they don’t have your best interests in mind. Stephen Root, an incompetent employee who should be fired but ignorance and the fear of confrontation allow him to hold onto a position. David Herman and Ajay Naidu play pawns of a greater scheme who are happy they are getting job security regardless of the work that they do. Jennifer Aniston plays a happy go lucky waitress who also has to abide by the stupid laws of professionalism. Lastly, John C. McGinley and Paul Willson play upper management to a tee by valuing the qualitative presentation of every employee rather than the actual contribution to the corporation.

I have personally seen every one of these characters in play. I can smell them from a mile away. I have walked into work in the morning wishing that the boredom would one day stop. I have worked with enough employees who have not chased after excellence but instead content they are receiving a paycheck and are ready to throw somebody under the bus if necessary. I have had managers who had no clue what the hell I have been working on for months and try their best to provide a performance review every half. The budget assigned to each team is not exactly reminiscent of the difficulty of the work or the significance of the project. Promotions do not always make sense. It’s a fucking shitshow! The worst part is it doesn’t have to be like this. I understand not all work is fun but presenting a clear picture as to what needs to be accomplished and the timing involved would really help instead of judging performance by a myriad of unnecessary factors. There doesn’t need to be a line of million managers going up to the CEO; it’s just a complete waste of money that can be given to people who are actually doing work. Getting promoted shouldn’t be a negotiation war or a game that is stacked against you. Lastly, prioritization is key and project managers should be honest about the impact of a task and discard unimportant garbage. Ok, I’ll stop bitching!

I’ll sign off with these two notes:

1. Check this movie out and hope you have a good laugh at reality

2. Please like my work so I don’t have to go back