Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5497 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-10-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 220 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The second series of the award-winning BBC2 mockudrama The Office exceeded even the sky-high standards of the first. Indeed, it ventured beyond caricature and satire, touching on the very edge of darkness. Ricky Gervais was once again excruciatingly superb as David Brent, a subtly shaded modern English comic grotesque in the desperate and self-deluding tradition of Alan Partridge and Basil Fawlty.

In this series, however, Brent's to-camera assertions concerning his man-management qualities and executive capabilities are seriously challenged when the Slough and Swindon branches are merged and his former Swindon equivalent Neil takes over as area manager. To compensate Brent cultivates his pathologically mistaken image of himself as an entertainer/motivator/comedian whose stage happens to be the workplace. This culminates in a comically disastrous motivational session ending with a sing-along of Tina Turner's "Simply the Best", which is greeted, typically, with stunned, appalled silence.

Meanwhile, Tim, who can only maintain his sanity by teasing the priggish, puddingbowl-haired Gareth, continues to wrestle with his yearning for receptionist Dawn, a sympathetic character persisting with a relationship with a yobbish bloke about whom she still maintains unspoken reservations. As ever, it's the awkward, reality TV-style pauses and silences, the furtive, meaningful and unmet glances across the emotional gulf of the open-plan office, that say it all here.

As for Brent, his own breakdown is prefaced by a moment of hideous hilarity--an impromptu office dance, a mixture of "Flashdance and MC Hammer" as Brent describes it, but in reality bad beyond description. Then, when his fate is sealed, he at last reveals himself as a humiliated and broken man in a memorable finale to perhaps the greatest British sitcom, besides Fawlty Towers, ever made. All this and Keith too. --David Stubbs

On the DVD: The Office, Series 2 is a single-disc release unlike the more generous Series 1. Extra features are enjoyable nonetheless. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant feature in a gleefully shambolic video diary--highlights of which include Gervais flicking elastic bands at his cowriter and taping their editor to his swivel chair. The ubiquitous Gervais also mockingly introduces some outtakes (mostly of him corpsing throughout dozens of takes) and a series of deleted scenes, notably of Gareth arriving in his horrendous cycle shorts. --Mark Walker

DVD Description
David Brent returns to work in the office that took Britain by storm and grabbed middle-managers by their balls. His 'unique' management style in this multi-award winning spoof fly-on-the-wall documentary had office workers squirming on their sofas. We find out who has kept their jobs (just how Brent managed to keep his remains a mystery). The Slough and Swindon branches have now merged, and David has a suave, sophisticated and obviously popular new boss, not his type at all. Neither are the Swindon staff, a serious, professional group. One is black and another disabled, giving Brent a perfect opportunity to display the most appalling, unthinking prejudice. And, with Tim still pursuing receptionist Dawn, a water cooler romance might be on the agenda.

Special Features

• Out-takes
  
• Video Diary
  
• Deleted scenes

  DVD Technical Information:
  

  • Subtitles: English SDH
    
  • Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
    
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    
  • PAL
    
  • Disc Type: DVD-9
    
  • Region Code: 2, 4
    
  • Total Running Time: 173 minutes approx.

Customer Reviews

British Comedy at Its Best
The phenomenon of 'The Office' has swept the Nation and indeed America, from this DVD you will see why. If you are a fan of alternative humour then you will love this. It is a spoof document set in a paper merchants office in Slough, whos manager is a certain David Brent, played superbly by Ricky Gervais. Brent is basically a character we can all relate to as there tends to be a David Brent in every boss from hell. The 'documentary' follows the life of Brent and his colourful workforce throughout their working days, and the never ending attempts by David to fit in with the other workers whilst still trying to be better than them. This leads to some truly classic tv moments. People who say that this comedy is anything but hilarious probably do not understand the humour in it, as it can go over some people's heads. Yet as I say, if you are a fan of alternative humour, or just good old British comedy, this is a must buy!

Painfully funny
For all those who haven't seen the Office and who are thinking of buying it blind: as you might see from the other reviews, this is not something which everyone will find funny. It's definitely not similar to Father Ted, that's for sure, although I like both Father Ted and this, but in different ways...

The Office is a spoof documentary about a boss and his office workers, set in Slough. As it's a "documentary" there's no canned laughter and no set jokes as such; there's no extremely, unbelievably ridiculous behaviour as in Father Ted. In fact, that is the awfully funny thing - the behaviour of the main character, David the boss, is painfully embarrassing, it makes you writhe in your seat or occasionally run out of the room or hide under a cushion - but not only is it embarrassing, it is also horrifyingly believable. While thinking "this man can't be for real" you also think "...can he?"

In Series 2 David struggles to make his employees like him, but has no chance against his new boss Neil, who he is childishly jealous of, a fact he does not quite succeed in hiding... There are subplots about the other characters, including the romance between Tim and Dawn, which had me watching all the episodes well into the night. This is real comedy: it might make you laugh or cry. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais make it look easy, but they must have worked hard on this, fine-tuning it to perfection.

USA Loves Ricky!
Yes, we Yanks finally can watch The Office, and it's beyond brilliant. Ican't decide which is better - the first series or the second. The lastfive minutes of the last episode is just heartbreakingly sad - youactually want to hug this loathsome creature. There's talk of a remakehere but no American actor can possibly come close to Ricky's genuis. Howcan we see the Christmas Special?