The Office: Season One
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Movie Reviews of The Office: Season One
Movie Review: Side Splitting Laughs {5 Stars}
Summary: 5 Stars
Saying this show isn't funny when compared to the BBC version is like saying oranges don't taste good because they're not like apples. Sounds pretty stupid, right? Then you get my meaning. The Office is hilarious. Does Steve Carell overdo it or go over the top at times, absolutely...but I think that's part of who his character is.
Anyway, I'd never seen this show until today. Before that, I'd totally written the show off because I assumed that Steve Carell would be rehashing his 40 Year Old Virgin routine (I know, I know...it's sounds lame, but a lot of stars do it, so I thought he'd do the same thing). Let me tell those out there that were in the same boat as me, it's so not true. I happened to be at my parents house and saw a copy of season one sitting in my sister's bedroom. I was curious, I popped it into my DVD player and, well, I've been laughing ever since. As a matter of fact, I'm laughing as I type this.
Those that think the show is centered around Carell are totally wrong. Some of the funniest aspects of the show revolve around other people. Whether it's the ongoing office war between Jim (John Krasinski) and Dwight(Rainn Wilson), Jim's attempts to win over the engaged Pam (Jenna Fischer) despite constantly being shot down, the temp (B.J. Novak) getting...well...the temp treatment, or Michael's (Carell) abuse of power and his oblivious/insensitive behavior toward his underlings, it's all sure to have your sides splitting when you see it for the first time. Diversity Day, Basketball, and Hot Girl are golden episodes in my opinion. I haven't seen any episodes of season two, but I'll be sure to grab that DVD set when it comes out along with my own copy of season one. I highly recommend checking this stuff out.
Movie Review: Hilarious
Summary: 5 Stars
This show is probably the funniest new show I've seen in a very long time. The basic idea is that it's a "documentary" focusing on the Scranton office of Dunder-Mifflin Inc., a paper company. It revolves around the manager, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell), and his ignorant insensitivities.
There are so many different ways this show is funny. Actually, I don't find Steve Carell as the funniest part of this show. The supporting cast is excellent and some of the funniest moments come from the receptionist Pam and salesman Jim conspiring against the absolutely hysterical Dwight Schrute.
The first season provides a good solid base for the second season by introducing the characters and providing its own funny moments.
Also the cast members uncredited in the opening do a great job. They may be relegated to work as extras w/ few lines, but their responses to Michael's lame jokes and misguided efforts cracked me up just as much as any of the main cast did. The humor tends to lean a little to the dry side sometimes, but if you can appreciate Arrested Development then The Office shouldn't be too difficult at all.
The show isn't only about the comedy of the characters. It also adds depth by showing some of the nuances of Jim and Pam's relationship. And a deeper sense of what Michael's all about (which become more fleshed out in season 2).
My only possible qualm with the first season would be that it tends to rely heavily on racist humor (and stereotypes) and might offend some, but if you don't take yourself too seriously it can still be genuinely funny due to the clever use of certain situations. Don't want to ruin it for you. This is well worth the price.
Movie Review: Currently My Favorite Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
The Office is unlike anything else on television. It's about a small paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The boss of the series, Michael Scott (Steve Carrel) is not someone you want to hang out with- he thinks he's funny and "all that" when really he is annoying, and often insulting . But he tries too hard and it usually ends up with comical consequences. Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is the "Assistant to the Regional Manager", he's basically a nerd and thinks of himself as Michael's right-hand man and 2nd-in-command of the place. But he ends up as the [...] of the jokes and is the subject of much teasing from Jim and Pam (John Krasinski, Jenna Fisher). They work in the office as well, and are good friends but Jim has deeper feelings for Pam even though she is engaged to Roy, a jerk who works in the warehouse. Ryan (B.J. Novak) is the new temp who works in the building, and he is a quiet, soft-spoken guy but Michael tends to showoff to him more then anyone else, much to his displeasure.
The cameras are actually supposed to be there, filming all that goes on, most often characters will glance at the camera and there are "confessions" where they talk to the camera in a private room, discussing thing that are going on. The supporting characters add to the comedy, especially Kevin, who is my favorite. No laugh track, no background music, it's realistic. This is the only show currently on that makes me laugh out loud everytime.
The commentaries are very interesting, you learn so many little secrets. I plan to buy the second season which is even better then this one. So if you have extra money lying around the house, see if you can find this, it's a gem.
Movie Review: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll get the obvious out of the way.... the BBC original series, The Office, is brilliant. When NBC started promoting an American version of The Office, I cringed. It seemed flat and unfunny, and I initially refused to watch. I caught a few minutes one week, and I've been hooked since. It is, surpisingly, quite good. I didn't want to like the show, but found myself drawn in, much in the same way that I was with the original.
Steve Carell is funny, although he does pale in comparison to Ricky Gervais. He seems like he is trying a little too hard to play the character, and it takes him a few episodes before he seems comfortable in the role. John Krasinski is not Martin Freeman either, but his "Jim" character is quite charming in his own way. I was a little surprised at his casting at first because I thought he was too much of a "Ken doll" to play the Tim/Jim role, but after a few episodes, he grew on me.
One of the best things about The Office is that it is a comedy that is actually funny (there are very few on American television, so it's a most welcome addition). The writing is sharp, witty, and well done. It does not condescend to it's audience by blasting it with an annoying laugh track.
Although it is difficult not to compare the two shows to each other, if you watch NBC's The Office and judge it on it's own merits, the show is entertaining and worth watching. I'm glad I gave the show another chance. It isn't necessary to choose between the BBC and American versions of the show. It's okay to like them both.
Movie Review: Perfection, American style
Summary: 5 Stars
Perhaps I am not as sophisticated as my anglophile friends but come on people, the NBC version of this show is hilarious. It is not meant to be a copy of the BBC version, just an inspiration. I, personally, tend to not get British humor, I get it but it all seems so dry, wry and slight to me that it doesn't resonate with my jolly self. I am not one for the knee slapping, nook nook humor of some comedies on television. I CAN NOT stand laugh tracks and much prefer something on film than video, so in that regard, I guess I am a pop culture snob. But to out and out criticize something that happens to have the same name and is produced by your British comedic deity, Ricky Gervais, is narrow minded. The British version is funny but it does not transfer with ease to the American office. I have lived many of these painful, uncomfortable scenes in my career far too many times. We tivo'd all the episodes but also bought the DVD for the other material. I can't wait to get it. Are the rest of you people the same people who don't listen to commercial radio, only NPR (i like it too but sometimes just want to chill out to something meaningless and NOT contemplate greater things), never watch regular television, only read books in German and Aramaic and only listen to their music on vinyl. Cultural snobs while shunning culture in general. I am smart enough to expand my horizons a bit. So I am off to listen to my i-pod and catch some Saved by Bell episodes until my DVD's arrive. Sign me, not so smart but laughing all the time!