Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

While I have a bazillion reviews to my credit here on IMDb, I must tell you up front that I am not the best person to be reviewing this movie. This is because I have never seen the TV series on which this film is based and I am not particularly familiar with Steve Coogan. So, unlike many viewers, this is my first time and I cannot compare the movie with the show.

The film begins with some corporate folks coming to the radio station where Alan (Coogan) works. They are there to make changes and he and the staff are pretty scared. It appears that Alan is the big change and he's going to be let go. But, being a weasel, he manages to focus their attention on someone else--Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney). However, when Pat is instead fired, he loses it and goes on a shooting spree. He also takes a bunch of hostages and it's up to Alan to try to help the police to get the folks out alive. However, being a weasel, he also hopes to gain a lot of attention for himself and thus improve his ratings! In fact, as the film progresses, you really see that this is Partridge's #1 goal.

This movie is a very funny and EXTREMELY dark comedy. Such topics are usually NOT the basis for a comedy and the film manages to tackle a sick topic like this and still make it very watchable. However, at times, the film does have a few lulls--not serious ones but the pacing could have been just a bit better. Worth seeing--especially if you like your humor pitch black in tone.

Radio DJ Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) works at a local station in Norwich. They are taken over by a big corporation. He crashes a board meeting and discovers that it's either him or Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney). He backstabs Pat who gets fired. Later Pat comes back with a gun to take over the station. Pat demands to talk through Alan in exchange for three hostages. The cops press Alan into the radio station.

I was a bit concerned when shoots were fired but the movie never missed a beat. It kept the quick fire jokes going. I'll be honest that I've never heard of Alan Partridge. Although Steve Coogan has obviously honed in on the character. His machine gun delivery is really sharp. Even if you miss one joke, the next one is coming right on top of you. Colm Meaney has the high energy to keep up with Coogan.

There have been numerous movie versions of popular British TV series over the years. And the results have by and large not been good. Most of the time, they seem to go on holiday. At the very least, they always make the story 'more cinematic'. They involve the sitcom characters in a larger than life story. Or they go to Spain. I've never understood the logic of this approach, as the sitcoms are popular in the first place for being about a particular small-scale situation. Once the characters are transported out of this, a crucial part of what makes them work in the first place is lost. I can't help but think that film-makers continually mis-read the public on this point. What we want in a film version of a loved TV show is more of the same but for 90 minutes as opposed to 30. This leads on to Alan Partridge.

'I'm Alan Partridge' was in my opinion one of the funniest TV series ever devised. In particular the first season was comedy gold from start to finish. So, what of the movie version? On the whole it was pretty funny but it did feel the need to incorporate a 'big story' into the narrative. Again, this makes no real sense, seeing as Alan himself is so very amusing because he is a mediocre TV presenter who lives in a realistic world. The humour comes out of the fact that his situations are believable and mundane. In this film the writers have felt the need to involve him at the centre of an armed siege and he gets involved in life or death situations. In a similar way to the 'Are You Being Served?' team going to the Costa del Sol for a group holiday, this story is not true to the character and doesn't really play to his strengths. The storyline is overall a little lame and it awkwardly fits in important characters from the series like Michael and Lynn – both of whom aren't very well used. Partridge himself is funny – very funny at times – but even he isn't really on top form, simply because the writing isn't as good as the TV series. Steve Coogan is always worth watching though and anything with Partridge is as well so the movie is worth seeing if you are a fan of either. It's still a good enough comedy but just pales a bit considering the quality of the TV show and the unnecessarily unPartridge-like story-line. So, overall it's pretty funny but like all cinematic versions of British TV series, a little frustrating overall; although in fairness, it's one of the better attempts but probably only due to the genius of the Partridge character.

Although comedic creations will never get the credit given to dramatic ones, I do consider Alan Partridge to be one of the finest modern characters because of how well developed he is internally and how well Coogan gets him. Partidge is an awful person but he is a normal one at the same time, which makes him all the more realistic in his actions. As a character he is never better than when we are closest to him, to see and appreciate his motives and his feelings – all of which are funny in their awful ways. The problem with this film then, is that we don't get that close often enough because there is a bigger plot to serve and move things forward.

This plot does still produce an engaging story but the film is best in its smaller, awkward moments where Alan's bravado crumbles into reality ("I never knew my mother either") or his selfish, egotistical self comes out in the smallest gestures (his dawning horror when he struggles to find himself on television is brilliant). The film has just about enough of these to work as a Partridge film but not quite enough to make it a great film, instead it is an amusing cinematic outing for a great character, but it is still hard not to feel a little disappointed with that.

The cast are pretty great though. Coogan himself deserved more smaller moments to let his character shine, but whenever he gets them he makes the most of them and is refreshingly free of worry of his own image. Meaney is really good but doesn't overplay or get in Coogan's way. Tim Key, Montagu and others all provide good support, but Coogan is the whole deal and all is well when the focus is on him.

Alpha Papa isn't as great as it could have been and it certainly will not challenge the TV shows for quality, but it is a solid film version, albeit one that is best when it shuns the film narrative and gets close to the human monster of Alan Partridge.

Steve Coogan is one funny guy; he really is funny. He has this quirky sense of humour that is rare. His comedy can range from dry to outrageous. And in regards to this film you see all the variations. It's almost constant; one liners, funny voices,crazy faces, witty remarks, smart references.

It is an enjoyable story which shows how something as simple as a dj's grievance over losing his job can create a barrage of laughs.

Yes, it isn't Coogan's best work, but was good to see Alan Partridge in a motion picture. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and doesn't mind a bit of silly comedy.