Alan Partridge - Alpha Papa  

I'm a great fan of Alan Partridge, the comedy character created by Steve Coogan - so after watching all the TV series and having collected them on DVD box sets, I was naturally curious to find out what this film version would be like, especially as it has proved a big hit with the critics.

Well, I have distinctly mixed feelings - there were plenty of laugh out loud moments and heaps of the traditional Alan Partridge excruciatingly embarrassment moments - but really, the plot and general setting was too dark for comfort.

I think the Alan Partridge character works best when the setting is mundane and a set of circumstances arise which are quite credible, but which allow him to embarrass himself with his crude attempts at being politically correct (and failing miserably) and his attempts to look cool and trendy, but coming across as a cack handed version of Jeremy Clarkson, or a 1970s Radio One DJ stuck in a time warp. His classic setting was after he was sacked from his TV show and we saw him living in a Travelodge and presenting a dismal early hours radio show on local radio in Norfolk.

The setting we are presented here was basically sound - the above mentioned radio station is taken over by a bunch of venture capitalists and they try to modernise and regiment everything into the profit motive (reminiscent of my own job), which Alan absolutely hates of course. So far so good, and there is some generally very good commentary on the adverse effects that change has on people in organisations. Colm Meamey (better known for playing the chief engineer, O'Brien in Star Trek TNG) plays an old fashioned DJ who can't adapt to the change, snaps, and takes the radio station staff hostage. This is where it went off the tracks for me, because the film sort of turns into a siege thriller, and it's just too dark and heavy duty for my comfort - it just doesn't mix into what is basically a light comedy which explores the meanness of modern Britain and the idiosyncratic personality of someone of modest abilities but who is full of himself.

To be honest, I really enjoyed the development of the Alan Partridge character, it was nice to see the return of the Geordie, the comedy and gags were great and often truly embarrassing - and I very much liked the commentary on the effects of organisational change. I just don't think that a siege thriller was the best environment to place it all into though - so despite its success with the critics, I can only really recommend this to keen, dyed in the wool Alan Partridge officiandos.

20/08/13