Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7365 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: PAL, Colour
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Synopsis
Based on the popular British comedy of the same name, The Office uses the same mockumentary style and humour derived from awkward social situations. However, it has managed to establish its own fan base and identity apart from the shadow of the original. At the Dunder Miffin Paper Company, manager Michael Scott believes himself beloved by his employees for his jokey nature. What he doesn't realise is that most of them resent and even despise him, except for sycophantic Dwight. Meanwhile, Jim woos engaged receptionist Pam, while both navigate the office politics and 'humour' of boss Scott. The Office may be a remake, but it has charms of its very own. Series One includes the first six episodes.

Customer Reviews

A Good Comedy in itself........
Firstly I want to say that I am British and a HUGE fan of the original
Office (British version). secondly I want to say that it annoys the
hell out of me when British people review the American version of the
Office and just compare it to the original and write it off as a bad
idea.... Get a Life people.

The American Office is hilarious and has to be watched with no
comparisons to the British version, just treat it as an individual
comedy. Also please remember that David Brent (who wrote the British
version) wanted the Americans to go with the "Office" sitcom idea and
run with it and he personally loves it, so its not like the USA have
stolen the idea.

There are lots of similarities but so what ? If you sat down and
actually watched this comedy it is really funny and I was chuckling to
myself on every episode I viewed.

I have to be honest and say it is not as good as the British version
but it is almost right up there and its a huge hit in the States so it
cant be all that bad. The British Office wouldn't go down so well in
the USA as its British humour, like wise with the American version over
here but I have to say I love them both.

It just annoys me when narrow minded Brits cant see past the end of
their noses and don't give it a chance. I love both versions of the
office and find them both excellent. You just need to treat the
American Office version as a completely different entity from the
original.

Broaden your minds people and enjoy the ride. Quality show !

Excellent, charming and intelligent
Okay, so the US version of The Office has taken a lot of knocks from many sources, rather undeservedly. Yes, it is a remake of a UK show, but to kick it just for that is to be woefully ignorant of an excellent, surprisingly well written comedy.

The first episode is painful and the only direct copy (other shows in this season borrow a few ideas but never as much as the first episode) and as such, it is the weakest - this is a problem as many will judge the show based on this and watch no further. Mistake.

What started as a remake that had the hallmarks for a typical overseas mess up of an innovative idea has grown swiftly into a great show. It surpasses the tag 'remake' and becomes it's own entity, finding it's feet more as the first season progresses and bursting into life in the second season.

The characters are very loosely based on their British counterparts but with differences that become more obvious over time and the gulf between the two shows widens. Michael Scott is a very different character than David Brent, so to compare the two and dismiss the US show on that basis is crazy - Scott is never meant to be Brent, he is his own sad, flawed character and is all the better for it.

Michael Scott is a more tragic character, portrayed beautifully as sad, lonely, and desperately needy on a level that Brent never was. Brent was pathetic at times, even pitiable but there is an air of pathos about Michael Scott that invokes more emotion than Brent ever could. Brent was intelligent in a limited way, but more wilful and strong and arrogant. Scott is bright, but his arrogance is more based in self delusion and an often touching oblivion. He is more childlike than Brent and where Brent would get angry and hurt by criticism, often lashing out verbally, Scott goes into almost desperate denial, trowelling polyfiller over the cracks in his personality to hide the hurt that is often uncomfortably visible in his eyes.

The character's brief flashes of genius are few and far between but just enough to give the character an interesting depth, belying the superficial, arrogant idiot that he appears on the surface. Similar in a way to some of the redeeming moments for Brent where we suddenly get a glimmer that he isn't really that stupid/bad.

Jim and Pam's relationship is closer and more engaging and Dwight is delightfully toady with a creepiness tempered with a devious, calculating nature that makes him fascinating to watch. Rather like a horrible insect. The supporting characters are all strong and engaging and become more than just pale sudo copies of the UK show.

The UK series is more realistic, more of the innovative documentary style that it was meant to be, underplayed, etc...whereas the US show is more comedy and varied situations but with less grit, although it is still intelligent, clever and charming. You get more laugh out loud moments in the US show because it isn't played as gritty-real as the UK one, but it is no bad thing. It only emphasises the widening gulf between the shows as the US one stands on it's own and blossoms.

I would recommend this completely, although don't be put off by the first episode. Season 2 is outstanding and far better than this season, but it is an early treasure. Give it a chance, get them all and prepare to bury your face in your hands and cringe and laugh and hit rewind to make sure you really did hear that. :)

Don't believe the negative hype
This is the beginning of a very special show indeed. And while The Office is still finding its feet in this first short season, there are still plenty of laughs to be had. The Pilot is adapted wholesale from the first Gervais/Merchant script, so not much should be expected from it, but the following five include some gems such as Dwight's attempts at choosing a healthcare plan and some of the office staff playing the warehouse staff at basketball, a little too competitively. It is not flawless but makes a nice introduction to the second season, which is when things get truly great - and better than the original.