Alan Partridge (2013)

Im a big Partridge fan, but i went into this ready to be disappointed. So i got up early, went to an 11:30 showing in a town an hours travel away and sat in a cinema that was basically empty.

I did not stop laughing once. I was literally tittering every time Alan so much as breathed (through his nose). The plot was a little underwhelming, the antagonist wasn't very antagonising, and really, the only funny character was Alan. In the series, i always thought the supporting cast were quite funny, especially Michael, but in this adaption, Alan was the only one getting laughs.

But, this film is definitely a solid 8 for me. I'd watch this along with the rest of the series.

Title is still rubbish though.

Fmovies: I thought that this wasn't going to be as funny as the TV series as film adaptations never are.

To be frank (i'm not named Frank BTW) - it was hilarious. Cinema was packed at the 21:30 showing (full of men with a few women that had been dragged along - i bet they actually loved it really) and everyone was laughing out loud and tittering every couple of minutes.

The plot worked - initially i thought it wouldn't be able to maintain itself for the films length but it was like an awesomely long episode of Alan. Alan's character actually has enough weight for several films and more interesting formats i think. Alan Partridge the Musical - i would go and see - and i hate musicals.

True brilliance and genius from those who know Alan's mind inside out.

Long live King Alan. The quality shines through - far better than Gervais et al.

I love Alan Partridge. Great show. Great character. He is a man for the ages... However, all series do not translate well into film, and if you're like me, you're hopeful but hesitant.

Well, I'm happy to say that the film preserves the characters, humor and dynamics of the show. Although in the first fifteen minutes or so I wasn't quite 'sold' that this is the Alan I know, the Alan I've come to love; the film really finds it's stride once the siege starts.

We've seen peevish Alan. We've seen cowardly Alan. It is only now--in this film--that we bear witness to heroic Alan, and I'll be damned if he isn't somewhat, reasonably heroic...

To sum up, the story fits Alan and doesn't venture outside it's station (a lesson that certain secretaries should learn well). It really plays to the series strengths and has some of the best Alan moments we've seen. All of that being said, I'm not sure how those unfamiliar with Alan Partridge will feel about the film, as it does cater to fans of the series for the most part.

Alan Partridge fmovies. There have been numerous movie versions of popular British TV series over the years. And the results have by and large not been good. Most of the time, they seem to go on holiday. At the very least, they always make the story 'more cinematic'. They involve the sitcom characters in a larger than life story. Or they go to Spain. I've never understood the logic of this approach, as the sitcoms are popular in the first place for being about a particular small-scale situation. Once the characters are transported out of this, a crucial part of what makes them work in the first place is lost. I can't help but think that film-makers continually mis-read the public on this point. What we want in a film version of a loved TV show is more of the same but for 90 minutes as opposed to 30. This leads on to Alan Partridge.

'I'm Alan Partridge' was in my opinion one of the funniest TV series ever devised. In particular the first season was comedy gold from start to finish. So, what of the movie version? On the whole it was pretty funny but it did feel the need to incorporate a 'big story' into the narrative. Again, this makes no real sense, seeing as Alan himself is so very amusing because he is a mediocre TV presenter who lives in a realistic world. The humour comes out of the fact that his situations are believable and mundane. In this film the writers have felt the need to involve him at the centre of an armed siege and he gets involved in life or death situations. In a similar way to the 'Are You Being Served?' team going to the Costa del Sol for a group holiday, this story is not true to the character and doesn't really play to his strengths. The storyline is overall a little lame and it awkwardly fits in important characters from the series like Michael and Lynn – both of whom aren't very well used. Partridge himself is funny – very funny at times – but even he isn't really on top form, simply because the writing isn't as good as the TV series. Steve Coogan is always worth watching though and anything with Partridge is as well so the movie is worth seeing if you are a fan of either. It's still a good enough comedy but just pales a bit considering the quality of the TV show and the unnecessarily unPartridge-like story-line. So, overall it's pretty funny but like all cinematic versions of British TV series, a little frustrating overall; although in fairness, it's one of the better attempts but probably only due to the genius of the Partridge character.

When I first discovered the premise of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, which is a siege of the North Norfolk Digital building by a disgruntled former employee, I was concerned that, like many big screen adaptations, Alan Partridge was departing from its humble, unspectacular roots.

By half way into the film, my concerns had unfortunately been confirmed. There are gun shots, fire-extinguishers to the face, explosions, armed policeman; it is by no means an action film, but since when was there such commotion in Alan's life?

It was the desperate loneliness, alienation and banality of Alan's life in the original TV series that made audiences laugh and cringe while pitying and sometimes despising the pathetic central character. When I got home completely deflated after watching Alpha Papa, I reminded myself of just how good Alan could be by watching YouTube clips of the 1997 series.

A single five minute scene of Alan attending a funeral captured the essence of the character. The dialogue is so rich, almost every line provided a laugh and I was cringing at Alan's complete and utter social ineptitude. Throughout the series you learn Alan's behaviour, it doesn't take one long to know when Alan has an agenda; he is so self-centred, immature and incredibly tactless that the viewer can read him like a book. It's both amusing and toe-curlingly embarrassing to see Alan converse with people and deal with his many problems.

All of the subtlety and character study is missing in the film. Alan is no longer a sad-man, a complete liability. He's still cringe-worthy, particularly in scenes where he attempts to court a colleague, but none of the gags even scrape the surface of the programme's brilliance.

The gags are really quite tired. They're predictable and rehashed, particularly scenes that initially appear melodramatic but are then abruptly interrupted by an action or one-liner like a needle scratching across vinyl. There's also a genre-aware armed stand-off scene towards the end where the characters have 'humourous', flippant exchanges despite the immediate danger in an 'In Bruges' fashion, only not funny. More than once I found myself sighing with disappointment and embarrassment at just how off-the-mark and rehashed the comedy was.

Just like the film's premise, Coogan's performance is overblown, he needed to reel himself in. There would be flashes of classic Partridge, but generally both the dialogue and slapstick comedy just died. I commend Coogan's skill for miming perfectly to Roachford's 'Cuddly Toy', however it just wasn't as funny as his air bass performance of Gary Numan's 'Music for Chameleons' in the second series. Also, Alan doesn't look right in the film. His appearance is still demonstrably uncool, however he isn't as awfully square and repellent as he was in the series. If anything, Alan's ageing process seems to be in reverse.

The two principal characters of the programme, Lynn, Alan's devoted and criminally underpaid secretary, and Michael, Alan's good natured friend, seldom appear in the film. These characters were crucial in the series as they revealed many facets of Alan's personality, exposing just how self-absorbed and manipulative he is whilst also showing how utterly dependent he is on their attention.

We have the original team of Coogan and Iannucci, however it lacks almost every element that made the series so funny, eminently quotable a

I went to see this with some friends on the day it came out. As a Partridge fan you will not be disappointed. The film contains all the best characters from the TV Series and Steve Coogan's brilliance as Alan just made the film so funny. There are constant one liners, looks, expressions, silly voices almost every minute. Everyone in the cinema was laughing out loud throughout the full 90 minutes.

There is also a great sound track and lots of familiar tunes and the scene during the credits will have you laughing throughout.

Excellent film go and see it even if you are not a Alan Partridge/Steve Coogan fan because it is a generally funny film.