Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 16-AUG-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #200 in DVD
• Brand: CARELL,STEVE
• Released on: 2005-08-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 135 minutes

Amazon.com
The British sitcom The Office has the most devoted following this side of Monty Python, so an American remake seemed doomed. Amazingly, the remake actually finds its own enjoyable version of the original's uncanny comedy of embarrassment. Office manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell, The Daily Show, The 40 Year-Old Virgin) believes he's the beloved leader of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of a paper products company--but his relentless and painfully forced efforts at comedy creep out everyone around him, including paranoid Dwight (Rainn Wilson, who had a memorable recurring role on Six Feet Under), nervous receptionist Pam (Jenna Fischer, LolliLove), and aimless salesman Jim (John Krasinski, A New Wave), who's smitten with the already engaged Pam. The pilot episode suffers from closely replicating the British pilot, but after that The Office finds its own footing, turning diversity training, an office birthday party, and a basketball game into excruciating yet hypnotically funny rituals of humiliation. Carell, though clearly talented, can't match Ricky Gervais' unique performance as the aggressively needy British manager (it's hard to imagine that anyone could); as a result, the supporting roles become more prominent, and Wilson, Fischer, and Krasinski quickly create a rapport that matches and may even exceed that of their British counterparts. Be sure to watch the deleted scenes; remarkably, they're as good as the material that made it on the air in this six-episode season. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

A Funny, but Short Season
The first season of the office had a great start. It was both funny and gave the characters depth. The acting itself was also great. Its easy to like most of the characters. However, six episodes seems short, especially for the price that is charged for the season. Overall, this season was funny and is a must see for anybody into comedy.

A slow start to a hilarious show!
Season One of The Office got off to a bit of a slow start. Some of the episodes I sort of cringed my way through at the humor. Maybe it was me, and the comic sense of this show takes a while to get used to. Either way, The Office has become one of my favorite TV shows, it has me rolling over laughing each week! And yes, I still cringe at Michael Scott at times, but I've come to appreciate his ridiculousness.

Season One had only 6 episodes I believe. Personally, I own all the seasons but this one, only because it is so small and it didn't have any stand-out episodes for me. But, it is priced accordingly at often, esp. during the holidays you can find it for very cheap. Normally for $10-$15...I see right now Amazon has it quite high for $22, I'd shop around for a much better rate. This season is a great intro to the show and characters though so I do recommend watching it, even if you rent it.

If you haven't watched The Office, I highly recommend it if you like a bit of silly humor at the end of a long stressful day. Sometimes you've just got to laugh at the craziness that happens in "the office". If you're a bit skeptical, you may want to start with Season 2 where the show definitely picks up steam and it may catch your fancy a bit more.

Starting Over : The American Office
I started off as a huge fan of the British series...Ricky Gervais and friends created this entire new way of filming and television show that you have to give him an enormous amount of credit. I was slightly hesitant to watch the American Office based on principle. How could you improve upon Gervais' perfect formula, and why would I want to "start over" with the love story of Tim and Dawn? These speculations stemmed from ignorance. I just simply did not give it a shot for a while.

I went on a week-long Office spree, cramming three seasons on DVD and NBC's website broadcasts of the fourth season. The show is fantastic simply for the fact that it stands alone in its own unique way from the UK version. It pays homage to its predecessor but does not rely on the formula as a crutch. Each episode, filmed from Ex-Survivor cameramen captures the awkward office tensions of Jim and receptionist Pam, hilarious pranks on Dwight, and the absurd boss that is Michael Scott. Steve Carell's Scott is NOT just another representation of Gervais' David Brent. None of the characters are carbon copies of their British counterparts.

What the show accomplishes most is expanding upon all the characters. Though not as apparent in the first season, the next few seasons develop everyone much better. Season One on DVD has plenty of extras, but you will definitely feel like you need to see more episodes. So buy the other seasons on DVD as well!