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The Office: Season Four | 
 enlarge | Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
Buy New: $25.78
You Save: $24.20 (48%)
New (55) Used (21) Collectible (1) from $23.00
Rating:  143 reviews
Sales Rank: 49
Format: Ac-3, Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 4
Running Time: 405
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 1.3
MPN: MCAD61102114D
UPC: 025195017329
EAN: 0025195017329
ASIN: B001AEF6AY
Theatrical Release Date: September 2, 2008
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/02/2008
Amazon.com
Is a season of The Office with less episodes still a great season? That seems to be the debate among the Emmy-winning sitcom's faithful audience in regard to season four, which like every program in 2007 and 2008 suffered due to the Writers Guild strike. But even a truncated season can't dispel the fact that The Office remains one of television's funniest and most consistently inventive programs. If a theme can be grafted upon season four, it's Things Fall Apart: former temp Ryan (writer-producer B.J. Novak) is promoted to executive position and then squanders that power, while Dwight (series MPV Rainn Wilson) attempts to recover from his breakup with Angela (Angela Kinsey) and her apparent relationship with the hapless Andy (Ed Helms). Elsewhere, HR's Toby (writer-director Paul Lieberstein) finally flees Dunder Mifflin for that long-threatened vacation to Costa Rica (and is replaced by Oscar nominee Amy Ryan), and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) reaches his own breaking point in "Did I Stutter?" The center of office entropy is, of course, boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who is knocked off his pedestal throughout the season; his sweetly naive television spot is disparaged in "Local Ad," he's passed over for the executive outing in "Survivor Man," and in the season's highlights, he is forced to twice endure humiliation at the hands of his own girlfriend Jan (Melora Hardin), first in the heartbreaking "Deposition," and then immediately after in the Emmy-nominated "Dinner Party," which puts their disintegrating relationship in sharp focus. Even office lovebirds Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) experience some rocky moments as Jim anguishes over the right time to propose to her. But don't let that laundry list of disasters fool you into thinking that season four is a downer; if anything, many of the episodes are among the funniest the show has produced to date. Most notable among these are the opener "Fun Run" (the Scranton team participates in Michael's charity race for rabies prevention), "Job Fair" (Michael attempts to hawk Dunder Mifflin to high schoolers, while Jim struggles to land a client), and the aforementioned "Dinner Party" and "Goodbye, Toby." Longtime viewers may wince at some of the broader gags in the season, like Michael and Dwight driving into the lake in "Dunder Mifflin Infinity," but the best episodes are so strong--and Carell and his fellow players so dead-on in their performances--that it's hard to make a case against the season for those relatively few low points. Extras in the season-four set are fewer than in previous releases, though that may have to do with the reduced number of episodes. Deleted scenes are offered for every episode, and many are real gems, most notably those in "Dinner Party" and "Goodbye Toby." A smattering of commentaries is also included; Carell and Krasinski are noticeably absent, but Wilson, Fischer and the writing and directing staff more than make up for their absence. And the featurette "Writer's Block," which includes footage of the writers' panel at an Office convention, gives an amusing alternate to the usual behind-the-scenes coverage. Michael's complete ad for Dunder Mifflin, a battery of amusing faux PSAs for rabies, and a gag reel do much to fill out the supplemental features. --Paul Gaita
Stills from Season Four of The Office (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 138 more reviews...
 A truncated, but great season June 25, 2008
55 out of 65 found this review helpful
It's that time of year again - a magical time when television studios release their most successful shows from the previous season in deluxe and frequently expensive DVD sets. But this last seasons was, of course, different. The writers strike cut the season down to 16 episodes and, as expected, many are starting to complain that the price hasn't been discounted. Paying the same price for less product does seem unfair. That is, to everyone but the media industry. As for me, I'm not surprised in the slightest. I expect to be exploited by the media - it's nothing new. The real question is, with all Office season four episodes already available on NBC's website, will people feel cheated enough to forgo this collection altogether?
Season four seemed like something of a departure from the usual style. Earlier seasons featured many episodes with a more-or-less self-contained story that came to some sort of resolution within 21 minutes. Season four seemed to be mainly episodes dealing with larger story arcs. Yeah, there were always little stories going on (e.g. they lose their parking lot, etc.) but they now feel firmly in the background, totally dominated by the more personal stories going on.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. In one sense, I'm happy that the Office is flourishing and moving beyond a simple (but awesome) comedy show. At the same time, I sometimes miss the lighthearted format of the earlier seasons. It's definitely a matter of personal preference.
Regardless, it's definitely a strong season and it's essential viewing for fans of the series because of all the major plot developments. For those who are considering skipping the season on DVD, I would argue that the bonus features make it worth the extra money. You get plenty of deleted scenes, commentaries, and all that good stuff. Sure, you could watch them online for free, but then you have to use NBC's less-than-stellar video player and you still have to watch advertisements.
Best TV show in a long time... May 12, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This show is witty, clever and comical at the same time. I watched the first season on a suggestion from a friend, and didn't know what I thought. After getting into it and watching every episode after that, I began to love the style and approach. The character and plot development are outstanding! You will quickly grow attached to the characters and their stories... even the challenging times are engaging. I would recommend this show for anyone who enjoys a good laugh, but still wants a story that inspire thought and emotion.
A great show to which almost anyone can relate.
Why It Costs So Much July 13, 2008
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
This was a great season, and I see a lot of complaints about this kind of price for such a short season. There's a reason: MANY of these episodes were a FULL HOUR, as opposed to other seasons where almost all episodes were a half hour. Compare the full running time of this set to seasons 2 and 3 and you'll see it costs less, even though it's only a bit shorter in overall length.
hilarious September 2, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The seasons keep getting better and better. The writer's strike didn't effect the season as much as I thought it would. It's worth the money to purchase this season even though there is only 16 episodes. I highly recommend going out and buying it.
"I Declare Bankruptcy!" September 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have been waiting since May for this set -- I was traveling most of the spring (once the blankety-blank strike was finally resolved) so I missed the final 6 episodes of the season. What a joy to be able to watch the whole season without disruption!
There are so many wonderful story lines in Season 4 - Dwight's beet farm B&B, Michael and Jan's disasterous dinner party, Ryan's big city social life, and the development of Jim and Pam's relationship -- that even with fewer episodes than seasons 2 & 3, the Office crew managed to pack a full season of great writing, acting and directing into a short season.
Yet with all the big stories, there are plenty of small moments that are laugh out loud funny: Darryl's description of his gang cred (I fell off my couch at "Newsies"), the two versions of "Mad Libs," Angela's description of the claw marks on her frozen vegetables, Toby being...Toby.
I'd rate this one a definite "buy."
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