MINI-REVIEW: Alan Partridge

MOVIE
Alan Partridge

CAST
Steve Coogan, Colm Meaney

RATING
R

RELEASE
February 27, 2014 (VOD)
April 4, 2014 (LIMITED)

DIRECTOR
Declan Lowney

STUDIO
Magnolia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 30 minutes






STARS
***3/4









REVIEW:

Just to simply get this out in the open: "Alan Partridge" is hilarious.  I mean, wow, I did not expect to laugh as much as I did, and yet this 90 minute romp had me on the floor more than once.  Based on Steve Coogan's iconic character, "Partridge" tells the tale of the title character, a relatively popular DJ in Britain, who is being held hostage by his former co-worker who was just laid off due to a new era of "radio" beginning to pour in.  Having heard much praise from friends in the UK, as well as friends who saw it at the New York and Philadelphia Film Festivals, I was pretty interested in seeing this flick.  And once the opportunity presented itself to me, I jumped on it, and I'm extremely glad I did.

Steve Coogan brings so much to the role of Partridge, and that's mainly because of how hilarious he is. Even though the character is a selfish person who seems to only care about his future success after the hostage crisis is over, one could still relate and/or just laugh at the dialogue he's spewing out.  In fact, Coogan was one of five writers for this movie.  Normally that's something that would turn me personally away, but in all honesty, it seems like everyone's ideas in the script worked well.  Even when you think the movie is going to go the cliche route and have that melodramatic moment between the two leads, it one ups you and throws more laughs your way.  Needless to say, this is the funniest and smartest script I've come across since "Nebraska."

Aside from some minor problems here and there in the script, which don't take anything away from the script as a whole, "Alan Partridge" is a freaking hysterical comedy.  Steve Coogan is brilliant in this movie, as is the rest of the cast.  The script is dynamic, clever, and hilarious, with a joke coming in at least every 3 minutes.  Most of all, this movie felt genuine and something from the heart.  Many films these days feel like they're being made only for money and a #1 position at the Box Office.  This movie felt like Steve Coogan and the filmmakers were trying to make a film solely to entertain both fans of the original "Alan Partridge" TV series and people who've never heard of the character.  As someone who had never heard of Alan Partridge prior to the film, this was a pleasant surprise and something I look forward to revisiting in the future.  If you're looking for a smart, hilarious, and awesome indie comedy, then look no more, because "Alan Partridge" is here to save the day.