Based on the book The Room by Jonas Karlsson, Jon Hamm stars as the overachieving office worker Orson, who falls into trouble with his workplace when he unwittingly enters a room that seemingly only he can see.
Corner Office
Directed by Joachim Back, Starring Jon Hamm, Sarah Gordon, and Danny Pudi
Runtime: 1 hour, 41 mins
**Reviewed as part of the 2022 Saint Louis International Film Festival**
Synopsis
Office worker Orson discovers a corner office in his workplace, unbeknownst to his fellow co-workers, and as he spends more time in the room, he gets better and better at his tasks and efficiency. However, not everyone is happy about his work and worse yet, there’s doubts that the room even exists.
Dark Comedy Connections
In 2017, Austrian director Ruth Mader released a film entitled Life Guidance, which followed Alexander (played by Fritz Karl) after he makes a mistake with his company and the Life Guidance organization comes in to force him back into compliance within that dystopian society’s rigid structure.
In many ways, Hamm’s Orson is facing similar forces, as he works for a generic company (called The Authority) with clear and oppressive hierarchies of control placed upon him. However, what separates the two stories (and creates the levity for this dark comedy) is that Orson has an escape that Alexander never had: The Room
Early into the movie, we quickly see Orson using a random room he finds in the building and the power of this room starts to change his demeanor towards his co-workers and how much work he can accomplish in his job. But the film holds the actual existence of the room close to the chest. Is the room something Orson has discovered? Is he simply projecting the idea of the room? Is there something wrong with his coworkers? It’s in this space that the film works its magic, allowing the cast to really chew up the script and have fun, while making the audience question what’s real in this situation.
Hamm and Crew
Jon Hamm genuinely looks like he’s having a blast playing this role (though to clarify, none of Orson’s fellow office workers or Orson himself are actually having fun). However, there can be roles where it appears like the actor is really enjoying their work and Hamm’s portrayal of Orson fits that bill. His mannerisms, physicality, and delivery really make you believe he’s in the “corner office” as he makes many visits, berates his co-workers for questioning its existence, or attempts to fix reports with a zeal that would make Dwight Schrute blush with embarrassment. Hamm has shown a knack for these type of screwball characters (most recently he showed that range in Confess Fletch released in 2022) and it draws upon his early comedic chops that can sometimes be forgotten when you only focus on his iconic role as Don Draper.
As the film invokes the energy and palate of dark comedies like Fargo (1996), the cast and narrative avoid the temptation for slapstick or exaggerated portrayals with these office workers. The supporting cast, headlined by Community alum Danny Pudi as his deskmate, Sarah Gordon as Alyssa the secretary, and Christopher Heyerdahl as the supervisor Andrew, somehow keep a straighter face than Hamm. In doing so, it allows this film, while completely ridiculous and nonsensical, grounded in the world they’ve created. Coupled with the aesthetic of the film (more on that in a sec), it makes it plausible that either his coworkers, his boss, or Orson himself could be telling the truth regarding this seemingly fake or real room.
The Office Space
Producers Matt Clarke and Dylan Collingwood (who were in attendance at the SLIFF screening) noted how important the right location was for them and how much the architecture contributed to the feeling they wanted to convey in this film. They fought specifically to get one building which has been notoriously hard to book and work with: Simon Gray University
The universities’s massive tower, tucked away in the mountains surrounding Vancouver stretch into the clouds/fog, making the seemingly depressing organization appear otherworldly and powerful in their mediocrity and push for metrics, templates, and organizational standards. The interior spaces they share (not the actual corner office) are covered in a variety of beige and gray tones, speaking to how oppressively bleak this world is. And yet, it will feel familiar to corporate types who have spent any time in major government systems doing the unsung, but menial work in towering gray buildings.
This film would have worked well in the previous years before the pandemic, but the advent of remote work has brought an interesting wrinkle to how I believe others will view this film. It’s one thing to reminisce about the issues of corporate office culture and another to dread heading back into it. Especially when we have Fortune 500 CEOs clamoring to get their employees back into the office while the workforce
Recommendation / Conclusion
If you love dark comedies, especially ones that are set in near-dystopian or odd Earth futures, then you’re going to love everything that Corner Office has to offer. It’s a fantastic head scratcher at first and will leave you with plenty to chew on regarding your office life and commitment to the job.
Score: 8.5 out of 10
Check Us Out On Patreon
Love Nerd Union? Consider supporting us over on Patreon. You’ll get access to early access articles, commercial-free video essays, online discussions and more. Plus, you will be directly responsible for supporting journalism in a field that’s currently being overwhelmed by clickbait focused sites. Supporting us keeps the lights on but it also sets a standard to sites in our field about fair wage practices, citing sources, debunking unconfirmed sources, and helps us investigate stories better.
Love Nerd Union? Consider supporting us over on Patreon. You’ll get access to early access articles, commercial-free video essays, online discussions and more. Plus, you will be directly responsible for supporting journalism in a field that’s currently being overwhelmed by clickbait focused sites. Supporting us keeps the lights on but it also sets a standard to sites in our field about fair wage practices, citing sources, debunking unconfirmed sources, and helps us investigate stories better.