Depressed, middle-aged Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is unappreciated by his controlling wife Carolyn (Anette Bening) and unloved by his rebellious teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch). With his dead-end job, non-existent sex-life, and the relentless repetition of his stilted suburban lifestyle, Lester is headed straight for a mid-life crisis. He falls for his daughter’s friend Angela, an arrogant blonde with hopes of being a model, who brags constantly about her prospering sex life to Jane. Lester becomes obsessed with Angela, and as a result he quits his job to flip burgers at a fast-food restaurant, starts working out, smoking weed, and ultimately destroys his relationship with his wife, Carolyn, who begins having an affair with the “Real Estate King.”

His antics embarrass his daughter to no end, and she, in the meantime, seeks comfort from creepy next-door neighbor Ricky, drug dealer and documentarian, whose father is a violent, homophobic ex-war sergeant. Ricky is supplying Lester with marijuana, but the sergeant mistakes their relationship for a sexual one and his overprotective instincts set in.

A climactic scene brings Lester right where he always wanted to be: staring at Angela’s naked body as she waits for him to make love to her. Then she breaks the news: she’s a virgin.

This is a darkly comic drama about the lives of three members of the same dysfunctional family, who can’t stand each other. It sheds light on what lies beneath the superficial surface of small-town suburban life.

If you liked Office Space, check out this latest comedy from writer/director Mike Judge. Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, and Kristin Wiig, this movie is funny in a discombobulated, depressing kind of way.

Food-flavoring factory owner Joel (Bateman) has to deal with his eccentric employees, a lawsuit, and his wife’s complete refusal to have sex with him. The film is loaded with ironic comedy, those characters that you love to hate (like Joel’s neighbor), and it also examines the gap between the lower-level factory workers and higher-level management.

This offbeat comedy was fun to watch and totally unexpected. You become very involved with the characters, because they really do seem like real people with real problems.

I recommend this movie because it’s different. It’s not the cookie-cutter Hollywood comedy that I’m used to seeing in theaters. While the premise is unsettling, and it seems like Joel’s life is just going to suck forever, it pulls together by the end and becomes a wholly satisfying film.