Starring:
Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesley
B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard
Brian Baumgartner as Kevin
Phyllis Smith as Phyllis
Oscar Nunez as Oscar
Angela Kinsey as Angela
Kate Flannery as Meredith
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Commentary
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Dolby Digital 2.0 Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Daily Show) stars in The Office, a fresh and funny mockumentary-style glimpse into the daily interactions of the eccentric workers at the Dunder Mifflin paper supply company. Based on the smash-hit British series of the same name and adapted for American Television by Greg Daniels (King of the Hill, The Simpsons), but this fast-paced comedy parodies contemporary American water-cooler culture. Earnest but clueless regional manager Michael Scott (Carell) believes himself to be an exceptional boss and mentor, but actually receives more eye-rolls than respect from his oddball staff.
Entertainment Weekly calls The Office “smart and trenchant,” and all six hilarious season one episodes are available here on DVD for the first time. The awkward silences in The Office will have you laughing out loud!”
The Office – Season One is not rated.
The Series:
If you enjoy reading Dilbert comic strips or if you’ve ever watched the cult film Office Space, then you’re a prime candidate to enjoy The Office. It’s going to appeal to anyone that has to deal with a corporate job. The show takes hilarious shots at standard office fare like diversity training, healthcare benefits, downsizing, and managers. I’ve never seen the British series that this is based on, but the American version stands well on its own.
The Office is filmed in a mockumentary style as if there’s a camera crew quietly observing the everyday activities of the office. A lot of the show feels improvised and there are some great lines that you’ll remember long after viewing. For example, when manager Michael introduces the receptionist Pam, he says, “This is our receptionist, Pam. If you think she’s cute now, you should have seen her a couple years ago.” Her drop dead look is priceless. In fact, a large number of the funny lines in the show come from Michael putting his foot in his mouth.
The cast of the show is really great. Leading them is Steve Carell as Michael Scott, the manager of the office who is “a friend first and a boss second, and probably an entertainer third”. He constantly jokes with his employees and it usually falls flat (or results in corporate mandated diversity training). While Michael is a bit of a buffoon, he’s still generally well-meaning and likable. The hapless victim of most of his attention is Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesley. The mousy receptionist quietly bears his idiocy while making her living. Her blank stares and reactions to Carrell provide many of the laughs. There’s also a sweet romance between her and John Krasinski as Jim Halpert. Jim is the real joker of the group as he proves in one episode when he encases a coworker’s belongings in Jello. Then there’s the creepy Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute. Dwight is Michael’s evil assistant regional manager. Heaven help the employees if he ever gets in charge. Finally there’s B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard, the temp worker who is thrown into this circus.
If you work a white collar job then this series is required viewing for you. It takes a little while to get into, but you’ll soon find yourself laughing at the jokes long after you’re done viewing the episodes.
The Extras:
There are an astounding number of deleted scenes on this DVD. There is about 7 minutes worth for every episode which totals up to around 45 minutes. It’s like getting two extra episodes. It’s more of the same silliness from the rest of the show.
There are also a ton of people contributing to the commentaries. Steve Carell and the rest of the main cast take part along with writer, producers, directors, and more. The only one not providing commentary is the caterer. They joke quite a bit and there’s some interesting discussion about the original British series, too. They talk about tips that the creators gave them on how to improve the show from its British predecessor.
The Bottom Line:
If you like Dilbert or Office Space, then you’ll want to give The Office – Season One a shot. Hilarious jokes and a great cast make this one worth checking out.
