Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)
Rating- 15
Running Time- 1 hour 30 minutes
Directed by- Declan Lowney
Written by- Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons and Armando Iannucci
Ah-ha!!
Alan Partridge has made the jump to the big screen and it’s a
very successful transition. The film is consistently hilarious and stands above
any comedy made this year or in any other year in recent memory – it is comedy
at its finest. “But what makes it so good?” I hear you ask. Well I’ll tell you.
The main reason is that it is genuinely funny from start to
finish. You may think that this is a prerequisite for a comedy film but in my
experience this is a rarity, especially in recent times, even comedies that I
have thoroughly enjoyed and consider great films have lulls where nothing funny
really happens. That is not the case in
this film though because every scene has something uniquely funny in it which
is a breath of fresh, comedic air. How does it achieve this though? Simply by
not changing the formula that made I’m
Alan Partridge (1997-2002) one of the funniest sitcoms ever made and
translating it to a situation worthy of the big screen. And there lies the
adhesive that holds all of the comedic elements together. The piece of a royal
family jigsaw that has the Queen’s head on it. The film wouldn’t be quite right
without it. While the humour is what makes the film so successful, it’s the
high stakes situation of the siege that allows the humour to work on a
cinematic level. The storyline is exhilarating, high staked and danger filled
yet welcomingly familiar and relaxed in tone which is the perfect formula for a
mainstream comedy film.
I perhaps though am not the best person to give a subjective
view on this film as I am a huge fan of Partridge and find everything he has
ever appeared in hilarious. Having said that I expect that most of the humour
is just as accessible to strangers of Steve Coogan’s greatest creation as it is
to diehard fans. The reason? It’s genuinely funny. It doesn’t rely on gags that
only fans will ‘get’ – it is just pure comedy. But Partridge fans find things
such as his general demeanour and way of speaking hysterically hilarious so
they are, somewhat obviously, going to enjoy it to a greater extent. But that
in no way means that others won’t thoroughly enjoy it because there is much
more to it than that. That’s probably the best aspect of the film: it works on
so many different levels yet is so simple on the surface making it accessible
to almost anyone.
Another positive is the length. It is ninety minutes long,
the perfect length for a comedy. I am very cynical of films that are too long
particularly comedies as they are prone to burning out; too much of the same
thing, no matter how good, can soon become flat. That’s why I’m glad that this
film was kept at a reasonable length as the audience were left wanting more
rather than being worn out by the non-stop comedy which is the way it always
should be.
Overall, this is a must see movie for everyone. Depending on
your position on the Alan Partridge fan scale you will wither leave the cinema
with expectation fulfilled or surpassed but you are definitely in no danger of
being underwhelmed. I think the best way to sum up how good I believe this film
to be is through a personal anecdote: I have seen this film three times within
a week and found it better each time. The primary moments of hilarity that can
be enjoyed over and over again are perfectly complemented with subtle visual
gags that may not be picked up from a single watch, such as a photo-shopped
photo of Alan at a Norwich City football game (sitting just in front of Norwich’s
other treasure, Delia Smith) hung on the wall of Alan’s shed. All of this leads
to one of the greatest comedies I have ever seen and for that it is worthy of
the highest possible rating: five stars.
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| Final Rating. Five Stars. |
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