****
At long last Steve Coogan brings
his comic creation to the big screen and succeeds in hilarious fashion. Though
the central conceit – a siege at North Norfolk Digital – upgrades Alan’s story
to an intentionally-more cinematic outing, the action stays firmly in Norfolk. It’s
an outlandish storyline but hey, this is comedy and it’s certainly not an
incongruous gimmick like a holiday abroad for the entire cast. The Partridge
Universe is thus expanded while staying close and very true to its roots.
North Norfolk Digital has been
taken over by a large conglomerate and been rebranded as the more youth-aimed ‘Shape’.
A victim of its restructuring, disgruntled DJ Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) comes
back to the station armed and takes everyone hostage. Alan Partridge (Steve
Coogan) is recruited by the police to assist in the negotiations.
The simplicity of the story is
key to its success. The action surrounds one main location - the radio station –
and its sheer lack of glamour is used to splendid comic effect. Nakatomi Plaza
this is not. The mores of the siege genre are followed to the T (negotiation
through bullhorns, media circus etc) but in a quirky and exquisitely Partridge
manner.
Alan Partridge’s shortcomings
are legion: he’s bigoted, shallow, egotistical and selfish, to name just a few.
The film fleshes out that persona, but revealing (even more so) that he’s only
human. His awkwardness is intrinsically English and his behaviour, while not
entirely forgivable, is understandable. Well, sort of. Coogan is wonderful in
the role. You feel sorry for Alan but accept who he is and you’ll always end up
rooting for him.
Declan Lowney has a long and
impressive CV (Father Ted is just one
of the great TV comedies he’s directed) and he’s worked with Coogan before on
the little-seen-but-rather-lovely Cruise
of the Gods. He draws great performances from all and exacts devastating comic
timing. The always-superb Colm Meaney brings bona fide Hollywood heft to the
table and is alternately funny and scary. Solid support comes from Partridge
regulars Lynn Benfield, Simon Key, Simon Greenall, Nigel Lindsay and Phil
Cornwell, along with an effective host of new blood. Writing duo, twins Neil
and Rob Gibbons reinvigorated Partridge with Mid Morning Matters which established the film’s foundation and, I
imagine, helped bring this to fruition. Here they supply a fine, economically-scripted
and stupendously funny cinematic outing.
It’s peculiar sharing the normally-confined-to-your-home
experience of Alan Partridge with an audience who will, undoubtedly, be
laughing their heads off so I cannot recommend this enough. NB: While not as earth-shaking
as some of Marvel’s recent output, it’s worth staying a while as the credits
roll.
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