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 Barnes & Noble Viewer Advisory: This black-comedic gem from BBC America contains scenes of graphic backstabbing and other weasely behavior that may cause shocks of recognition in anyone whos done time as a nine-to-fiver. The Office may also make you laugh out loud -- without the prodding of punch lines, laugh tracks, or sitcom shtick. Shot with handheld cameras in the vérité style of This Is Spinal Tap, The Office is set in a backwater branch of a fictitious British paper manufacturer. The big fish in this very small pond is David Brent, a nightmarish middle manager who gives new meaning to the word "wanker." As portrayed with fiendish glee by series creator Rick Gervais, Brent yo-yos between humiliating his staff and trying to ingratiate himself with groaningly awful jokes. The employees Brent commands are equally vivid characters, from his ghoulish assistant Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) to the odious sales rep Finchy (Ralph Ineson) to the charming but hapless Tim (Martin Freeman), another sales rep whose dreams are repeatedly dashed on the shoals of his dead-end job. While baiting each other like schoolboys, the alpha males engage in much territorial pissing, which rings as true as life (or the latest Dilbert strip). Throughout much of the season, The Office is also threatened with imminent downsizing -- which Brent hangs over his staffers heads while delighting in watching them squirm. Talk about reality TV. Cree McCreeBarnes & NobleSome critics contend that The Office is the best British sitcom ever made -- high praise indeed, given the Beeb’s library of classics. Judging by the superb episodes collected here, one may very well second that opinion. The shows greatest charms lie not simply in its biting scripts and its sterling cast but also in its hilarious (or, to some, distressing) familiarity, with daily office life depicted as a hell on earth. That said, it wont take long for newcomers to be drawn into the little intrigues at the Wernham-Hogg office in Slough. This time around, branch manager David Brent (series creator Ricky Gervais) finds his status undermined when Wernham-Hogg combines the Slough and Swindon branches, placing Neil Godwin (Patrick Baladi) above him in the executive pecking order and setting Brent’s spectacular fall into glorious slow motion. Meanwhile, Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman) continues to find glee in teasing priggishly twisted Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook), and his unrequited love for the receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis) gains a layer of complexity when Rachel (Stacey Roca), the office hottie from Swindon, takes a shine to him. As the Brits like to say, it’s all quite brilliant, really. The Hollywood Press Association handed Gervais the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical and recognized the show as the Best Comedy or Musical for the year; which will likely be its last. Ed HulseBarnes & NobleIn only two short seasons, the BBC comedy-cum-faux documentary The Office vaulted into the public consciousness, becoming the first British series ever to win the Golden Globe for Best Comedy. Fans consider it not only the best British sitcom ever made but the best from any country, period. With these kinds of accolades, creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant could have kept the show going forever but instead decided to go out on top -- but not before wrapping up the series with this hilarious final trip to The Office that originally aired in the U.K. as a two-part Christmas special in 2003. Its been three years since we last visited the offices of Wernham Hogg, and things were left in disarray: Bumbling middle manager David Brent (Gervais) had been made "redundant" (thats "downsized" to us Yanks), and Tim (Martin Freeman) had finally made a play for receptionist Dawn (Lucy Davis), only to be rebuked and have her move to the States with her loutish boyfriend. In that time, the original within-a-show documentary series has aired, and the producers are filming a "where are they now?" follow-up. Brent is now milking his 15 minutes by making appearances as a D-list celebrity, though he makes ends meet as a traveling office-supply salesman. He still makes time -- too much time, perhaps -- to visit his old workplace, seeing himself as a returning hero. Filling his position at Wernham Hogg is wiry, efficiency-obsessed Gareth (Mackenzie Crook), much to the annoyance of Tim, who is still pining for Dawn and suffering from a dead-end job existential crisis. The story culminates around the annual Christmas party, to which Brent has weaseled an invite and resorts to online personal ads to find a date for it. Meanwhile, Dawn isnt quite finding the American Dream in Florida, and when the documentary producers offer to fly her back for the party, she jumps at the chance. While The Office Special offers many of the painfully funny, cringe-worthy moments fans have come to expect, Gervais also allows a little sunshine to come into these characters lives, including one genuine lump-in-the-throat moment. A happy ending for The Office? That might be a stretch, but if a series this funny and perfect has to come to a close, we cant imagine a better finale. Bill PearisCustomer ReviewsWrite your own online review > Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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