History Film / OfficeSpace

* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** The Bobs are more than a bit heartless about firing people, but most people cheer when they start dressing down [[PointyHairedBoss Lumbergh]] after getting an inkling about his ineptitude as a manager, and when he badmouths Peter.
** [[spoiler: Milton burns down Initech, but after all the abuse he got, it's meant to be cathartic]].

* AMFMCharacterization: Hilariously subverted with Michael Bolton listening to bad-ass rap music in his car and then almost wetting himself when a street vendor approaches.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: The unnamed temp who jokes with Michael about [[Music/MichaelBolton his name]] and Peter about having [[HatingOnMonday "a case of the Mondays"]] clearly means no harm, yet she manages to ''effortlessly'' push both of their buttons anyway.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** The film takes its cues from ''Film/HeadOffice''.
** Has one in ''Film/HorribleBosses''. Both films feature workers setting up revenge plots on their bosses and have Creator/JenniferAniston in the cast. (The second one has her as a villain rather than love interest.)
** Mike Judge's later work ''Extract'' also touches on several of the same themes of a put-upon guy trapped in an unsatisfying working and personal life at a small business, except this time it's shown from the perspective of the boss instead of the employee. Incidentally, ''Extract'' features Creator/JasonBateman, who was also in ''Horrible Bosses''.
** The Creator/ComedyCentral workplace comedy ''Series/{{Workaholics}}'' has been been described as "''Office Space'' on drugs."
** ''Series/SiliconValley'' is the closest thing to an ''Office Space'' sequel you'll likely ever see.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: The hypnotherapist discussion at Chotchkie's.
-->'''Michael:''' Look. Why don't you just tell Anne that you're not into hypnosis, and you want to play poker with us?\\
'''Peter:''' Aww, I can't do that. She'll get all ''pissed off'', and besides, I think that the guy might be able to help. I mean, he ''did'' help Anne lose weight.\\
'''Samir:''' Peter, she's ''anorexic''.\\
'''Peter:''' Yeah, I know. '''''[ComicallyMissingThePoint The guy's really good]]'''''.\\

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Peter’s interview with the Bobs. All the other interviewees are shown to be nervous, uptight, angry, and more than likely lying about what they do, how hard they work, and how well the company works -- essentially, just telling the Bobs what they think the Bobs want to hear. Peter, meanwhile, is relaxed, charming, easygoing, and [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] with the Bobs. But the Bobs made it perfectly clear from the start that brutal honesty is ''exactly'' what they're looking for. They're not looking to hear good things; they're looking for ''bad'' things so that they can see what needs fixing. And Peter is the only one who listens to them and gives them what they ''actually'' want. It's no wonder they identify him as the one most likely to fix things. His honesty and easygoing attitude probably ''would'' make for a great manager. (He just has to fix the whole "zoning out and being late" thing.)

* VerbalTic: "Yeah, Hi, it's Bill Lumbergh …"

** Lumbergh. Aside from being an abusive asshole, he also is clearly incompetent in his role, wasting his employees' time on speeches and reports, he doesn't really even read. It's also stated that the employees have been forced to work overtime just to meet their deadlines; if Initech really was efficient, the employees wouldn't need to do overtime

* GodwinsLaw: Peter: "You know, the Nazis had little pieces of flair that they made the Jews wear."

* BungledHypnotism: The plot of the movie is kicked off by the main character visiting a hypnotherapist in an attempt to remove some of the stress his job is causing him, only for the hypnotist to suffer a heart attack halfway through, leaving him in a lazy, carefree trance that no longer takes his job or life seriously.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Lumbergh, in a very passive-aggressive cares-for-the-corporation way. He's never outright nasty (except to Milton), even when assigning more soul-crushing work that goes nowhere.

-->'''Michael:''' "How is that all these stupid, Neanderthal [[TheMafia mafia guys]] can be so good at crime, and smart guys like us can suck so badly?"