Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - Dir. Declan Lowney (2013)

The name is Partridge, Alan Partridge.

The signature character of Steve Coogan may not be familiar to American audiences, but he's been a staple in British comedy for twenty years. He first appeared as an inept sports reporter on On the Hour, a spoof of the news broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Since then, Partridge has graduated from recurring character to lead on his own shows across radio and television along with his very own an autobiography I, Partridge. Coogan's portrayal of Partridge was certainly an influence in his brilliant turn as Tony Wilson in Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, a comedic account of the burgeoning Manchester music scene. Now, Partridge has graduated to feature films with a self-titled comedy directed by TV vet Declan Lowney with a script by Coogan, Armando Ianucci (creator of The Thick of It and Veep), Peter Baynham (a co-writer of Borat), and Neil & Rob Gibbons.

Originally released last year in England as Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, the movie finds Alan Partridge as the host of Mid-Morning Matters, an innocuous radio program on North Norfolk Digital. The station has just been bought by the massive conglomerate of Gordale Media. Fellow DJ Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), who works the late night shift, is worried about his job and asks Partridge to speak with the new head honchos. When Partridge discovers the pink slip is going to either he or Farrell, he immediately throws his pal under the bus. He even writes "Just Sack Pat" in bold, red letters. Unfortunately, a disgruntled Farrell returns later that night brandishing a shotgun and taking the radio staff hostage. Unaware of his friend's duplicity, Farrell insists Partridge serve as an intermediary for the police's negotiators. Partridge may be woefully unqualified for the job, but that doesn't stop him from turning the tense situation into an opportunity to elevate his star status.

The plot is a bit slight and the hostage situation was clearly the type of action and drama that was necessary to carry the story to a feature length run time. Also, they're late in the game when it comes to lampooning corporate-owned media and awful morning talk radio. The movie really shines when it unleashes Coogan and allows Alan Partridge to just be Alan Partridge. Here's a guy who is self-serving, narcissistic, and with an overinflated opinion of himself. He's a precursor to the oblivious obnoxiousness of Ricky Gervais's David Brent on The Office. Coogan is on top of his game rifling off one-liners and non sequiturs, such as when he fills airtime with inane chatter ("We're asking, what is the worst monger? Iron, fish, rumor, or war?") or offering advice to his flunky Sidekick Simon (Tim Key) ("Never, ever criticize Muslims. Christians only and…sometimes Jews."). Coogan doesn't shy away from slapstick either. In one scene, he accidentally wanders out of the station and attempts to get back in and winds up standing like Buffalo Bill without his trousers.

Colm Meaney gives a wonderfully understated performance as the unstable Pat Farrell. Plus, the supporting cast includes Monica Dolan as a kindly co-worker inexplicably sweet on Partridge and Sean Pertwee as a humorless SWAT team leader.

Alan Partridge doesn't require any previous knowledge of the character. Coogan hits the ground running and you immediately get a sense of who this guy is. Best of all, the screenwriters didn't feel the urge for Partridge to grow as a human being or learn a valuable lesson. He's every bit the buffoon before and after.

Rating: *** (*****)

The Cold Light of Day

The Cold Light of Day - Dir. Mabrouk El Mechri (2012)

Times must be tough if a movie starring Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver opens domestically to a dismal $1.8 million. Then again, the majority of movie-goers probably weren't aware that The Cold Light of Day was even released on Sept. 14^th. Summit Entertainment must have seen the writing on the wall and didn't waste any of their Twilight money on marketing a surefire flop.

The still-unknown Henry Cavill headlines the picture as Will Shaw, a business consultant reluctantly joining his family on vacation in Spain. Will has an icy relationship with his father, Martin (Willis), a cultural attaché whose work meant he didn't spend a lot of time with his wife and kids. While swimming ashore for supplies, Will returns to their boat to find his mother (Caroline Goodall), brother (Rafi Gavron), and brother's girlfriend (Emma Hamilton) have been kidnapped. Turns out, Martin is really a CIA agent, who stole a briefcase of valuable contents from the Mossad. The Israelis want the case in exchange for the Shaws. Too bad Martin is murdered by his corrupt handler, Jean Carrack (Weaver). American officials at the embassy don't believe him and local police want to arrest him. Will's only help comes from a feisty woman named Lucia (Verónica Echegui), who turns out be his half-sister.

The Cold Light of Day is second rate dreck, produced from a screenplay co-written by Scott Wiper whose biggest contribution to cinema is the Steve Austin vehicle The Condemned. This is the type of Z-grade junk usually reserved for an aging Steven Seagal. Only the presence of Willis and Weaver save it from the direct-to-video wasteland. Both are bigger stars than this film deserves and probably only took part for a quick paycheck and a free vacation. Willis is only briefly seen and when he is onscreen he can barely muster an iota of energy. With a better script, Weaver might have made an interesting villain, but she has nothing to chew on besides a steady stream of stilted dialogue.

The burden rests solely on the broad shoulders of Henry Cavill, a handsome Brit being positioned as the next big thing. Time will tell if Cavill becomes an A-lister or the next Taylor Kitsch. He hasn't shown the type of charisma or acting chops that he must have shown to be cast as Superman in next year's Man of Steel. Then again, neither The Cold Light of Day nor Immortals are the best material to show off Cavill's range. As Will Shaw, he's reduced to playing the ugly American who complains how no one speaks English.

Director Mabrouk El Mechri gained notice for the meta-textual dramedy, JCVD, with Jean-Claude Van Damme playing a version of himself. El Mechri had potential to deliver something stylish considering the opening action sequence of JCVD done as one continuous shot. Instead, the action in Cold Light is utterly pedestrian with shootouts and car chases jarringly edited.

The Cold Light of Day is what happens when you cross Hitchcock with The Bourne Identity, then did it in the most inept way possible.

Rating: * (*****)

Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to the Greek - Dir. Nicholas Stoller (2010)


Pushed out by the Judd Apatow comedy factory, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was a nice shot in the arm to the staid romantic comedy genre. The movie will likely be remembered for Jason Segel’s full-frontal and a scene stealing performance from Russell Brand as the hedonistic rock star Aldous Snow.

Nicholas Stoller, who directed Marshall from a script by Segel, takes over writing duties for the spin-off film, Get Him to the Greek. Brand returns, reteaming with Jonah Hill who plays a different character this time around.

Aldous Snow has settled down since last we saw him. After a stint in rehab, he’s married pop singer, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), and plays attentive father to their son, Naples (Lino Facioli). However, Snow relapses following the utter failure of his latest album (the hilariously pandering “African Child”) and the dissolution of his marriage.

Back in L.A., Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), a low-level talent scout for Pinnacle Records, hopes to impress his boss, Sergio (Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs). He pitches the idea for Snow to perform a live concert at the Greek Theater and wins up having to act as the petulant superstar’s glorified babysitter. Traveling from London to Hollywood, Green gets a first-hand look at the rock ‘n roll lifestyle of sex, drugs, and even more drugs.

Much like its progenitor, Get Him to the Greek examines relationships with just a touch of raunchiness. For Snow, it’s his crumbling marriage and his relationship to his father (Colm Meaney), a lounge act in Vegas. Green ties to hold it together with his workaholic med student girlfriend, Daphne (Elisabeth Moss). When Stoller doesn’t lay it on too thick, the personal elements feel genuine. Yet, the film sputters towards the end when it becomes a little too sentimental.

The comedy is mined from the usual odd couple situations. Greek is like a road movie crossed with The Hangover in dealing with the mischief that overgrown man-children get into. Hill plays off Brand well as the overwhelmed straight man and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs gives a surprisingly funny performance as the overbearing boss. The soundtrack is catchy and the film features plenty of cameos from celebs like, Christina Aguilera, Meredith Vieira, and Kristen Bell reprising her role as Sarah Marshall.

Rating: ** ½

Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen - Dir. F. Gary Gray (2009)


I can see the pitch meeting right now, Death Wish meets Saw. Law Abiding Citizen comes to us from director F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Be Cool) and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer, a true master of subtlety. Wimmer wrote and directed the guilty pleasure actioner Equilibrium and the gawdy video game-esque Ultraviolet. Citizen laughably attempts to pass itself off as insightful, sociopolitical commentary on our faulty legal system when it’s really just a dumb action movie.

Gerard Butler stars as Clyde Shelton, a nerdy inventor. Well, at least as nerdy as King Leonidas can be. Shelton happy suburban life is shattered when two men break into his home and forced to watch as his wife and daughter are murdered. The men are arrested, but one, Darby (Christian Stolte), the fellow who did the actual killings cuts a deal with an opportunistic prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx). He gets a light sentence while his partner receives the death penalty.

Shelton disappears for ten years and returns with a vengeance. He tampers with the lethal injection machine causing the execution to be excruciatingly agonizing. He abducts Darby and cuts him up into pieces. Later, Shelton brags about slicing Darby’s penis off with a boxcutter. Yep.

Despite being placed behind bars, anyone remotely connected to his case are dropping like flies. The defense attorney, the judge, the district attorney, I think Shelton kills a few hapless interns as well. Turns out, he used to work for the CIA assassinating targets with intricately designed deathtraps and devices.

Unable to live up its intriguing premise, Law Abiding Citizen crumbles in the final act. The film grows more and more implausible. Like so many others, the filmmakers run out of ideas and choose to descend into a mess of explosions. Butler is his usual gruff manliness while Viola Davis (who wowed audiences in Doubt) brings more gravitas than this movie deserves in her tiny role as the Mayor.

Rating: **