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VOD Pick of the Week

Alan Partridge
Alan Partridge is a character who has been familiar to British audiences for over two decades, having appeared in multiple radio and television programs and specials, but he is largely unknown in the United States. The character is played by Steve Coogan and was created by Coogan along with Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, Veep) and other writers of the BBC Radio 4 program On the Hour. Partridge is a parody of radio and television talk show hosts, and he gets his first feature film with the appropriately titled Alan Partridge.

The film does not go into much of the character’s back story, and the film is a standalone work. I’m sure that there were probably aspects of the film that referred back to the character’s history to appeal to long-time fans, but it also plays for people being introduced to the character for the first time. You get a sense of Alan pretty quickly. He is the midday host at a small town radio station, but you get the sense that he has tasted more success in the past. The radio station has just been purchased by a corporate conglomerate that is looking to rebrand, which has everyone on edge.

Ultimately it is late night host Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) who gets the sack. He returns to the station during the launch party with a shotgun and takes everyone hostage. He states that he will only speak to police through Alan Partridge, so Alan becomes the intermediary. He quickly realizes that this role makes him the “face of the siege” and the media attention can be used to his career advantage.

There are plenty of trademarks similar to previous work by Coogan and Iannucci. They often focus on characters with the fatal flaw of an uneasy combination of egotism and insecurity and how these personality traits can come to the forefront even with major stakes on the line like the rush to war (In the Loop), national politics (Veep), and here with Alan Partridge, a hostage crisis. This is all done through hysterical satire, though one noticeable difference between this film and the other two mentioned works is a much lower level of profanity.

The film also presents a satirical take on other relevant issues of the day. Obviously the radio industry has undergone a massive shift from corporatization of local stations and competition from the Internet. At the core there is the reaction of one generation as they are forced out as the younger generation that threatens to push them into irrelevancy. Also tackled is the current fascination with and desire for fame even if it comes at the price of dignity or something more.

However, don’t mistake Alan Partridge for an issue movie. Its main goal is to be funny and the laugh is valued more than making a point. It is successful at bringing the laughs. If you’re familiar with Coogan, you know the type of humor – fast paced with a mix of absurdity and word play. Alan Partridge is a hilarious treat whether you’ve followed the character for years or if you’re being introduced to him for the first time.
In Theaters and
Available at Amazon
Available at iTunes
Available at Vudu

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