Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Synopsis: Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) is host of the mid-morning spot on North Norfolk Digital radio. When a media conglomerate takes over the station and fires night-shift Irishman Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), Pat retaliates by staging a siege. He takes hostages and refuses to negotiate with anyone save Partridge. Little does he know that Partridge got him sacked in order to save his own hide.

I’ve never been taken by Steve Coogan’s long-standing comedy persona, Alan Partridge. The bad wig, the daggy clothes, the dental plate and body padding, not to mention the slightly-off jokes, the petty vanity and inept attempts at savoir faire are all a bit too contrived for my liking.

Having said that, the script for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa by Rob and Neil Gibbons with contributions by Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and Coogan himself is consistently funny with plenty of inventive, rapid fire dialogue. If Ricky Gervais’ David Brent had been in the lead role the film would have been brilliant, but as it is, it’s better than average and most viewers will find a few choice moments to savour.  

At a tidy 90 minutes and briskly paced by director Declan Lowney, a veteran of the Father Ted tele-series,  it narrowly misses wearing out its welcome with a storyline that holds together. It only slightly sags with an overly-familiar redemptive style resolution but offsetting that are enough genuinely comedic moments, of both the verbal and physical variety, to make the film, whilst hardly a must-see, worth a big screen outing. And that’s coming from someone who’s no fan of the Partridge. 

 

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