Rating of
3/4
"Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 09/21/13
An ageing, has-been talk show host finds his career may have a new lease of life when a sacked co-worker arms himself and holds the radio station he works at to ransom. The vast majority of much-loved British TV comedy fails to make a successful transition to the big screen for one reason and one reason alone; the studio's insistence at "widening the appeal" of the format and courting a more mainstream (ie "American") audience. This invariably guts the idea behind the shows and destroys the very magic and character that makes them work. Because of this, I approached Alpha Papa with some trepidation, but thankfully Alan has survived the process intact and what we have in this film is really little more than a feature length episode of the programme, but let's face it, that's all true Partridge fans really wanted. The script basically takes the format of 90s stoner comedy Airheads and drops an inept easy listening disc jockey into the mix and it gives the writer's scope to pepper the proceedings with a constant stream of funny one-liners and silly situations, thanks to Coogan's deadpan delivery and a superb straight man in the form of Colm Meaney's desperate kidnapper. Alpha Papa is firmly rooted in the small screen and as such is no Hot Fuzz or Shaun Of The Dead, but it's consistently funny and a welcome return for a national favourite. Back of the net!
