If Office Space represented the 1990s feeling about office work with its slacker sarcasm rooted in ennui, Corner Office seems to join the modern riff alongside Severance where uncomfortable weirdness and surrealism dominate the zeitgeist.
In the film, directed by Oscar-winning short film director Joachim Back, Jon Hamm plays an office drone named Orson who discovers a secret, gorgeously-appointed hidden room that no one else seems to be able to see. Instead, they watch their colleague stand and stare at the wall down the hall for hours on end.
If it weren’t a comedy, it would be a psychological thriller.
The pacing, the awkward comedy, the surreal nature of the office with its high-stakes nonsense rules brought into stark relief. It’s all magical, but the best part is how earnest Orson’s paranoia is. Instead of seeming bewildered and confused about the possible realities (he’s crazy, or there’s really a secret room), he’s intent on there being a cover-up and plays every line of dialogue and action accordingly. Hamm is a stellar pick for the cast, and not just because that mustache is outrageously wonderful on him.
The movie also stars Danny Pudi and Sarah Gadon. Corner Office hits theaters on August 4th.
