This feature length movie dedicated to Ricky Gervais’ iconic character is surprisingly inconsistent fare – ultimately saved by half a dozen stand-out comedic moments.
The camera crew that helped make David Brent a minor celebrity in the early ‘noughties’ with the hit BBC series documentary The Office are shadowing the now stationery supplies salesman – as he tries to make it as a rock star.
Also managing aspiring rapper Dom Johnson (Ben Bailey ‘Doc Brown’ Smith) – who unbeknown to Brent is potentially the best thing in the band – Brent takes ‘time out’ from his job, hires an expensive road manager (Tom Basden), pieces together his band Foregone Conclusion – and organises a tour across Berkshire paying all expenses (which rack up to more than 20 grand) along the way.
In the film’s weaker moments it looks like Gervais’ character’s trademark characteristics are ‘dragged out’ – leading to a touch of Brent fatigue intermittently through the duration – as the premise is padded to the max, but if you’re a fan of the delusional wannabe rocker it will just about satisfy.
Despite some of the ‘near the knuckle’ jokes – see much talked about racism joke using the ‘n-word’ – the movie is saved by a handful of eye-watering belly-laughs, usually seen with Brent’s lyrics to his self-penned songs.
But those few sequences aside, it does have a slight lack of ingenuity from the controversial regular Golden Globe awards host, and doesn’t stand out in the same way as Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge did in Alpha Papa three years ago.
Fortunately when the laughs do arrive though, they’re bordering on comedy ‘gold’.
Gavin Miller
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Cast: Rickey Gervais, Ben Bailey Johnson, Tom Basden, Jo Hartley, Tom Bennett, Andy Burrows, Steve Clarke, Michael Clarke, Stuart Wilkinson, Andrew Brooke, Rebecca Gethings, Mandeep Dhillon, Nina Sosanya, Kevin Bishop & Peter Andre
Running Time: 1 Hr 36 Mins
Director: Ricky Gervais
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