Customer Reviews

The Office

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Set up as a fake documentary/reality tv show, The Office manages to capture humour in a way we've rarely seen before. The branch manager, David Brent, is painfully pathetic in his attempts at being funny to garner popularity. You can just feel the discomfort and awkwardness that everyone around him suffers as a result (as the camera continues to roll following his horrid jokes), and this is part of the show's brilliance - moments that make you cringe and laugh simultaneously.

Each of the main characters are so unique and well executed that there's no sense of dead weight. There are definitely some very poignant moments from time to time, and it's these rare tidbits that make you care about the characters so much. Having found so much to relate to in these stories, these DVDs are hilarious and strangely comforting - I've watched them several times over.

Update: There were two Christmas specials that came out after the conclusion of the second season which wrap up the story quite nicely. They are bundled together with a newer version of this DVD; I would recommend getting that version instead of this one.

Set in the bleak, awfully-named industrial town of Slough and the fictional office of the Wernam-Hogg paper merchants, a BBC film crew documents the expressionless workers, ringing phones, copiers churning out clone after clone after clone, pointless meetings and pointless bureaucracy that exist within typical, uninspiring companies.

Sadly, the majority of people in Britain work in dull, dead-end office jobs with lives that go nowhere and even the most meager of ambitions going unrealized. Maybe if they had a boss like David Brent their day would be livened up. Not because he's the 'boss/entertainer' he thinks he is, but for the morbid curiosity of watching a desperate, delusional and detestable man slowly crash and burn.

The majority of laughs in The Office come from awkward and embarrassing situations. Brent constantly forces his bullheaded and bawdy humor on unwitting staff. At first they appear scared of his ruthlessly imposing presence but towards the end they all ignore him completely. But he never realizes this and resorts to even more tasteless ways of getting attention. He loves the camera and rather than acting `normal' for the purposes of the mockumentary he exaggerates his beastly character to the point of being sickening. He gets what deserves in the end and by this point the audience has lost all sympathy for him.

His brutalized and beleaguered staff struggle to get on with their work as Brent's tyranny escalates. Among them we have Tim, an increasingly unhappy man who wishes to escape the monotony and drudgery `ordinary life' brings him. He's long had the confidence crushed out of him but still has more humanity than anyone else.

Gareth is Tim's worst enemy. A dorky, 95 pound weakling who boasts of being in the (territorial) Army and is keen to assume more and more power from Brent's failing management. Like Brent, he has no clue about social interaction and behaves strangely among potential friends.

Dawn is the receptionist. She is engaged to a controlling, unloving boyfriend who insists she spend her life doing dull work despite the fact that she has higher and happier dreams. She has feelings for Tim, and they are more than mutual. But fear of change and happiness stops her from falling for him.

As soon as once branch of Wernam-Hogg incorporates the other it becomes clear how useless Brent is. The new staff are amazed at how such a horrid man has been employed at all, never mind become a boss. Complaints and unfinished work rise and the upper management are forced to take action. Sadly, Brent just won't learn.

In the end, his staff have the slightest chance at happiness and escape. Brent however doesn't learn from his mistakes and will probably go on to have an endlessly miserable life.

If you work in an office, get out! Among the blackest of humor there is a message; office life is fit for no human being. And Ricky Gervais' dark comedy is filled with thousands of examples of why this is so. It's absolutely classic stuff that is far ahead of dozens of canned laughter sitcoms.

This DVD set features all 12 episodes. The are in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 2.0 sound. The deleted scenes, outtakes and behind the scenes stuff are, for a change, very funny and interesting.

This DVD set only includes the first and second series. They made a further two long episodes for Christmas 2003 that didn't make it to this set. No doubt they'll release a full boxed set sometime down the road and you'll wish you waited.

By the way, the two Christmas episodes were brilliant :)

First things first: If you're of a fan of such American-bred standouts as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld and The Simpsons, there's no need for you to read any further. Buy this DVD immediately--you will not be disappointed.

For those unfamiliar with the series, The Office is a vicious send-up of English office culture brought off in a witty, sophisticated manner all too absent from today's lowest common denominator-driven American sitcom. Thankfully, the publicly funded BBC is free from the commercial encumbrances that would render this series all but impossible to make by American network television.

The series centers on the gut-wrenching, inscrutable antics of one David Brent (channeled masterfully by Ricky Gervais), branch manager of a paper merchant in Slough, Country Berkshire, England. His daily interactions with his staff provide the vehicle from which the "heart" of the series is drawn. Like a train-wreck, they are almost impossibly painful to watch but equally impossible to avert your eyes from. You don't so much watch an episode of The Office as you do survive it.

Those among us who have worked in such an environment will find these characters all too familiar--ranging from the fantastically horrible, misogynistic "Finchy" to the sympathetic Dawn. In fact, the most exquisite, uncomfortable moments come when it is oneself you see reflected in the actions of each of the various players in this dark comedy. In short, unfortunately, we all can relate.

[No spoilers; Egg info below]

If you're considering purchasing The Office on DVD, this is not the edition to buy. There is a better and more satisfying set available for purchase.

The writers of this award winning mockumentary decided not to tie everything up neatly but preferred to leave most of the issues created over the span of the show's two seasons mostly unresolved. In this way the show is more like life and its imperfect messiness than the typical sitcom which wraps up neatly at the end of each half hour. Although the final episode of the final season is considered one of the funniest, it can also be one if the most painful because of the emotional investment a viewer has given to the characters over the course of two years. Situations certainly come to a head in the final episodes and to avoid any spoilers, I'll just say most of the action comes to an inevitable point. As it would be impossible for even a casual viewer to suspend their disbelief long enough to believe the action in the office could possibly continue on it's present course, the series, after two years, more than 24 international awards including two Golden Globes, and two painfully funny situation filled seasons, ends its two season run in an inevitable crash and burn.

The 'balm of Giliad' for the emotional wounds inflicted upon the viewer from said crash and burn comes in the form of 'The Specials.' The mockumentarians revisit the objects of their office documentary three years after we last left their lives. Most of the questions left in the mind of the viewer are answered or at least visited and closure is available for all. The two-part Special series gives hope that well . . . there's hope. When the season ending makes you want to slit your wrists in despair, the Specials will make you reconsider. In fact, without spoiling anything, some parts will make you cheer.

Basically what you want to buy is "The Office The Complete Series and Specials." It will arrive in a black package rather than the white package found here. If you've already purchased this set, sans Specials, have no fear; The Specials are also available for separate purchase. I linked both "The Office Special" in addition to "The Office - The Complete Collection (First And Second Series Plus Special)" sets above in the "Our Customers' Advice" section for your convenience.

DVD Hidden Features AKA Easter Eggs
Many DVDs these days have hidden extra features to fox and frustrate you for days on end as you try to work out how to activate them. The Office DVDs are no exception. Below you will find out how to access the extras on the series one and series two discs.

Disc 1: Freelove Freeway -- Go to the main menu and when the phone rings amidst the background office noise, hit enter on your remote. Voila! You should be greeted with talented songsmith David Brent performing Freelove Freeway.

Disc 2: Who Cares Wins -- Go to the Slough by John Betjemen scene. Wait for the room to go dark and then hit enter on your remote. You will be rewarded with the full length Peter Purves training video featured in Episode Four

One note -- there are rumors that an American version of The Office is in the works and . . . they are absolutely true! Let's hope they don't muck up the American version as much as Rickey Gervais mucked up his job at the paper company.

Amazon has pulled a fast one. When they advertise this box set, it was supposed to be a black box and include the specials that were previously unavailable. When my order arrived, it was just the two white individual season dvd's shrinkwrapped together! No black box, no specials.

This is one of the funniest TV shows ever made, hands down. But Amazon has pulled some lame moves by promising one thing and delivering another.

British comedy took a new twist in "The Office," the brief but funny series starring Ricky Gervais as the worst boss you will (hopefully) never have. While the ending is somehow a letdown, the road there is a glorious tangle of cubicle hell and mad boss antics.

The first season opens with David Brent (Ricky Gervais) learning that either his branch or another branch of Wenham-Hogg will shortly be downsized. So this wannabe-comedian sets out to prove that his branch is better, stumbling. Trailing in his wake is bored everyman Tim (Martin Freeman), dead-looking yes-man Gareth (MacKenzie Crook), and pretty, quietly cynical receptionist Dawn (Lucy Davis).

The second season, while more unsteady than the first, takes some new and darker steps. Now David's rival Neil (Patrick Baladi) is his boss, and David has a slew of new employees who are less than thrilled about his racist jokes, chicken suits, and the lack of any actual work going on. Dawn becomes jealous when Tim gets a girlfriend, and Gareth searches for any way to bed Tim's girlfreidn. And after a catastrophic managerial meeting, David learns that the next downsizing just might be him...

Don't expect a typical sitcom in "The Office." No laughtracks. No punch lines. No gag humor... well, not much. And no episode has a clear-cut ending. Instead, we have the format seen in "This is Spinal Tap" and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries -- hidden cameras watching the madness. And what those cameras see is enough to make the world's cubicle-dwellers cry. Okay, most offices don't have giant inflatable genitalia, or a comedy-for-charity day, but the core of it is frighteningly close to home.

The series gets off to a slightly bumpy start -- at first, the jokes are a bit too thinly-spread. But soon "The Office" gets its footing and the humor steadies itself ("Tim's put my stapler inside a jelly again. That's the third time he's done it!" Gareth complains, displaying the stapler in a Jell-O mold). And a lot of the humor is a subversive, subtle kind -- it creeps into your mind, and by episode two you'll be laughing your head off at David's bad jokes, and his prejudices hidden behind a veil of political correctness.

Ricky Gervais is brilliant. David is every bit as annoying and obnoxious as the immortal Basil Fawlty, but hides it under a genial mask and stupid jokes. Mackenzie Crook is wonderful as the obsequious boot-licker with a bit of a sex fixation; his Dirty Bertie toy is one of the most tasteless, horribly funny scenes on TV. Tim, like Dilbert, is a lovable loser who can't get himself out of his soul-sucking job. And Dawn is mired in a relationship with an obnoxious cheapskate, yet seems uninclined to extricate herself from it.

"The Office" is clearly destined for cult status alongside classic "Fawlty Towers." While it has its dud moments, the mockumentary office comedy is a must-see for fans of subtler, weirder television.

I had heard rumors about The Office from poking around on the internet, but was never really interested because my cable provider does not offer BBC. That all changed when I was trying to decide what to get my father-in-law for Father's Day. I walked past a DVD display in Target and there was The Office-Season One, and The Office- Season Two. They only had one copy of Season One left, which is surprising considering I'm in South Dakota (not exactly the British Humor Mecca). My father-in-law is your typical corporate guy who is constantly frustrated by his job and the people around him. I knew right away what we had to get him for a gift.

Naturally, after reading the back of the DVD I became curious, and my husband and I ended up purchasing The Office Season One & Two for ourselves.

I can't say enough good things about The Office. The characters are flawlessly developed (not shallow play-things like the cast from Friends), the writing solid, and the humor deft but subtle. There have been several times where my husband and I were laughing so hard that we were crying. Season One, Episode Two, where Gareth is "investigating" Tim and Dawn, is one of my many favorite moments.

Don't be put off if you've never worked in an "office-setting"- The Office can appeal to anyone who has ever held a job and was forced to deal with co-workers. My dad, who has been a truckdriver his whole life, LOVES The Office!

A word from the wise, though: You'll definitely want to watch with the subtitles on. Since it's filmed "mockumentary" style, some of the things they say are muttered, and the subtitles help you to keep up with the humor.

This is the most horrific television ever to be aired. It's the train wreck you can't look away from. Comedy? Horror? Suspense? Terror? Documentary?(the term mockumentary doesn't do it justice) All of these things! What can be said that hasn't been already? See it. Now. Don't wait for the Christmas Episodes, buy them later. You will care for some of these characters and you'll pity the rest of them. This show will drag you from one emotional extreme to the other within a moment. When watching, you will be in television heaven or hell (depending on the scene). It may not be real, but it has what makes the few good reality shows good and more.

As others have said this doesn't include the specials. According to the BBC shop the full box set (with specials) has a release date of Nov 22, 2004.