Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I am not a big fan of British comedy sitcoms but I fell in love with "The Office". I was laughing without stop. It is the same kind of mockumentary Christopher Guest became famous with. Whole action happens in the office of some paper company. The acting is very very good, which is amasing considering that it is mostly semiprofessional actors. Ricky Gervalis is very funny. At the same time, despite all this laughing the movie leaves a sad feeling after the first series when you watch as some nice people cannot find thir place in life and how 'office' consumes them. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: I Could Catch a Monkey....
Review: If you hate your job, this is the DVD for you. You'll feel better about your life after you see these blokes in action, or inaction I should say. But this is by far the funniest show I've seen in years! David Brent is pathetically funny. Tim is the classic under achiever, he wants to do better in life but won't get off his duff and do it. Dawn is in a relationship with a jerk, and she knows it. And Garreth...well, lets just say that if you were in the jungle, he'd know exactly what to do. Problem is that he doesn't live in a jungle! If you think I've given too much away, rest assured I haven't. There's so much more to laugh at, and you'll understand why these Brits just kicked our American butts at this year Golden Globes.Long live Wernham Hogg!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant comedy!!!!
Review: Americans are not funny enough to make a television show this funny. This show is truly pitch perfect. Anyone who could be so feeble-minded as to not think it's one of the most cleverly written and acted shows ever created should realize their stupidity. HILARIOUS, a must own.
Rating:
Summary: Appalling. Terrifying. Altogether Perfect.
Review: This is set in a grimly recognizable version of hell: a paper supply company's office in the unfortunate town of Slough (previously best know for John Betjamin's invitation to "friendly bombs" to fall on it.) Into this environment comes a T.V. crew set on making a fly-on-the-wall documentary about office life. That documentary is what we see. This media attention is a dream come true for the manager David Brent, who is convinced his entry into office life has been a tragic loss to the world of show business, and comedy in particular. He's wrong: he isn't funny. His jokes fall into an oblivion of silence and embarrassment. And yet he is also right as this idle, incompetent, selfish, petty, stupid and self-deluded character, as played by Ricky Gervais, is one of the most painfully, appallingly hilarious creatures ever dreamt up and put on a T.V. screen. If Brent is a monster, he remains perhaps quite likeable compared to his best mate, the appallingly obnoxious "Finchy" and his second in command Gareth, the "team leader". Gareth, brilliantly acted by Mackenzie Crook, is a character, like Brent, largely defined by his Walter Mittyish fantasy of who he would like to be. In Brent's case the fantasy is the Comic Genius, in Gareth's it is The Soldier. He is the perfect representation of the hopeless loser whose sad macho fantasies of being Jean Claude van Damme get played out hilariously scaled down in the appallingly petty landscape of his life. This really ought not to be funny. It's less like watching most comedy than it is like watching a horrible road accident in slow motion. It is desperately funny, the way some passages in Samuel Beckett are desperately funny. It's a picture of modern British (and I suspect not only British) working life at its most unspeakably awful and a study in how not to go about being a human being. What mainly makes it funny is simply that it is so completely brilliant. The writing by Gervais and Stephen Merchant is as good as has ever been done for television by anyone. With a deadly knack for social observation and a marvellous ear for dialogue (and monologue), they have created a wonderful collection of characters who are at once utterly monstrous and utterly believable. That done, they have then managed to get these parts handed out to actors who have managed simply to become them with total credibility. British television comedy has produced nothing better than this. (And the preceding sentence would still be true with the word "British" removed.)
Rating:
Summary: See the Brit original before the American re-make
Review: A new age in sit-coms is dawning, and years from now people will be pointing to THE OFFICE to explain it. Led by Rick Gervais (as clueless, self-absorbed boss David Brent), the cast delivers performances textured with incredible reality and pinpoint humor. Along with CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, we are seeing the end of setup-joke, single-set, annoying laugh track TV comedy. Good riddance. This is the complete first season of THE OFFICE -- only six episodes, sadly. A bonus disc includes cut scenes and an interview with writer/star Gervais and writer/director Stephen Merchant. It's a great DVD, but it leaves you wanting more. The creators vowed to end the show after the second season (which is just beginning to air in America as I write). I can't wait for that DVD. Also, there is a 2-hour TV special that will be airing soon across the pond. And that's it for THE OFFICE. An American remake is on its way, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Many compare THE OFFICE to classic mockumentaries like THIS IS SPINAL TAP and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. I think it takes its place, not only in the pantheon of mockumentaries, but in British comedy. Brent is a character for the ages, and Gareth, Tim, Dawn and even Keith will be long remembered next to Basil Fawlty, Mr. Bean and the dead parrot. 5/5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Too close to home for some...
Review: That is the only way I can see giving The Office one star. The series has a sort of Spinal Tap feel to it, being shot in the documentary style. It is so real that at times I had to cringe...for example, when David plays his little practical joke on the receptionist. The consultant episode is to die for. This is a unique and brilliant series, superbly written and flawlessly acted. Back to the one star ratings: I suspect those that give this one star *are* the people the show is so accurately portraying.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Television Series... Ever
Review: Its a comedy in the style of Office Space, Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman, and This is Spinal Tap... but more hilarious. Its a television show reminiscent of The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fawlty Towers and Seinfield, but 100 times better. In a regional office of a paper merchant in Slough, a dreary suburb of London, manager David Brent explains to the viewer that he's loved by his staff because rather than being a tyrannical slave driver, he's a "chilled out entertainer." Sadly every second the documentary crew follows David, it becomes perfectly clear that he is neither "chilled out" or an "entertainer." The staff includes toady assistant to the manager Gareth, sarcastic sales rep Tim, daydreamer receptionist Dawn, brainy temp Ricky, sleazy salesman Finchy, cleaning lady Joan, the accountants: low-energy Keith, mousy Sheila, and bitter Malcolm, and the warehouse workers cold Lee, goof off Taffy Glynn, and midget forklift driver Monkey Alan. Plus there's wonderful visits from David's boss corporate watchdog Jennifer Taylor Clark and professional trainer Rowan. Yes, it is a painfully truthful at cubicle working. Yes, the acting and writing are top-notch. Yes, its one of the most original television series ever. But simply, the reason you'll keep watching is because it's very very funny.
Rating:
Summary: Best comedy I've seen in a very long time
Review: The Office is hands-down the most original comedy series on television today. Filmed as a mockumentary/"reality" TV show, there is no audience to laugh along with you, which will be appreciated. You'll enjoy watching David Brent, the insecure extroverted idiot who is in a near constant state of self-embarassment through attempts at acceptance, mostly through his self-righteous and forcefully imposed "comedy"; Gareth Keenan, (my favorite) the brown-noising over-confident grumpy geek who knows everything about how to kill a man from his stint in the Territorial Army, as well as office saftey; Tim Canterbury, the everyday man with his almost too-relatable career misery and his crush: Dawn, the adorably sad recpetionist who dreams of being more; quiet and boring Keith: Mr. No personality, Chris Finch - the sleaziest of sleaze jerk-of-a travelling salesman and best friend of David (not suprisingly), Jennifer, the level-headed partner of Wernham Hogg, and many more. The only downside to the 2-disc DVD is the lack of episodes (there are only 6) but its still worth buying since The Office is a comedy series of unusually high quality and wit. Every episiode is a gem, and I can't wait for the season 2 DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Perfuciously halarious.
Review: The moment I melted into my favorite bean bag and pressed "play" on my remote, the laughter began. I was doubled over in severe stomache pains on account I have IBS syndrom. My condition howerver, did not prevent me from watching every second of these
bloddy wankers displaying what I typically experience in my own office environment. I give this obtuse, yet understanable comedy my highly regarded endorsement. You will want to shower me with fine wines and tropical fruits once you have experienced this amazing piece of film making.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I am not a big fan of British comedy sitcoms but I fell in love with "The Office". I was laughing without stop. It is the same kind of mockumentary Christopher Guest became famous with. Whole action happens in the office of some paper company. The acting is very very good, which is amasing considering that it is mostly semiprofessional actors. Ricky Gervalis is very funny. At the same time, despite all this laughing the movie leaves a sad feeling after the first series when you watch as some nice people cannot find thir place in life and how 'office' consumes them. Highly recommended!
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