Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)

2013 was an interesting year for me, cinematically speaking. It was the year I first started making solo forays to the movies, for one thing, and that's definitely proved to be a bit of a life-changer. I'm yet to find another activity that offers quite such a guaranteed sensation of luxury as buying one of the nice seats for a morning or early afternoon showing, stretching out and letting the latest silly superhero blockbuster wash over me like a particularly comforting tsunami. 

Iron Man 3 didn't disappoint, as I recall, and neither has most of what I've seen since, which is why I was thinking about reviewing Avengers: Age of Ultron today. If I'm going to pay cinema prices to watch a film, though, I like to watch as a fan, not a critic, and while I'm sure I'll find lots of holes to pick in a year or two, for now, I'd rather commend it as a couple of happy if ultimately forgettable hours, utterly intellectually unimproving and all the better for it.

There was more to 2013 than that, however, since it marked the release of two comedies set in the two different areas of rural England where I spent much of my childhood. Of course I was interested, even if it was for the nostalgia kick more than the actual content.

I've already spoken a little about The World's End; at some point, I might review it more comprehensively, maybe even Monday if tomorrow's TV listings don't appeal. Today, however, it's the turn of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. 

Created by Armando Iannucci and played by Steve Coogan, the character of Alan Partridge has been going for a long while - since 1991, according to Wikipedia, when he appeared in Radio 4 news comedy On the Hour. Aged 14, I was probably a bit young for Radio 4 (age 38, I probably still am), and so he slipped under my radar for a few years, gradually popping up as a pop culture icon rather than as a character I could identify as being from any one show. I knew the catchphrases, but I'd be lying if I said I found him particularly funny - he was just there, as part of the cultural landscape. 

When I heard he was getting his own movie, therefore, I wasn't particularly excited; my general opinion was that it wasn't for me and, in any case, was probably a decade or so too late. True, the Norfolk setting was appealing, because I'd spent so many years there as a child and young adult, but that wasn't really enough to sell it to me.

Then, bored on a lunchtime at work, I saw the trailer and found myself laughing like an idiot at the combination of finely-honed line delivery and very British references, and wondered whether it might not be worth a try at some point.

In any case, for the uninitiated, Alan Partridge is a TV and radio presenter in his fifties, fronting Midmorning Matters on North Norfolk Digital radio. It's the sort of show that feels instantly familiar in its gaucheness, as socially awkward presenters act as friends to the even more socially awkward listener base in a sort of good-natured but embarrassing symbiosis. The jokes are groaners and the politics is slightly worrying, but it's better than being alone.

Alan's world is shattered, however, when media conglomerate Gordale Media arrives to transform North Norfolk Digital into Shape, a slick, modern station with no room for oldsters like Alan or Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), who runs the late night show. With his job on the line, Alan panics, explaining eloquently why Pat should be first in the firing line. 

What he doesn't bank on, however, is Pat taking his unemployment quite so personally. Before long, there's a siege situation going on, and only one man can save the day...

The good

I thought Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa was a tremendously likeable film; even after several viewings, it retains an unerring ability to make me laugh out loud. There's something about the cosiness of it, I think, and the obvious sympathy and affection it holds for its subject, despite him being a bit of a prat. It's hard to dislike the character of Alan Partridge, because I think that at some point, most of us have felt that we just might be him, if only for a little while.

Objectively speaking, it's a nicely-paced piece, packing just the right amount of story into a 90-minute runtime so that there's always something happening, but not so fast that the characters don't have time to breathe and be themselves. The cinematography is on the better side of solid, making appropriate use of longer takes a rather than ever getting too hectic even when the action scenes kick in. It's all backed by soundtrack that's defiantly dad rock, only taking a couple of detours for comedy value - there's nothing like the judicious use of Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi theme to give a heads-up that a character might, just possibly, be inclined towards taking themself too seriously.

Performances are lovely, of course - Coogan has been doing this for years and is utterly at ease within the role, playing beautifully off safe hands such as Colm Meaney and Felicity Montagu, a delight as Partridge's long-suffering PA, Lynn. Since this is a British comedy made within the past decade there's also an obligatory appearance from Darren Boyd, who I honestly thought was in every British film and TV series made in the past decade, but who turns out to have merely been in every British film and TV series I've watched.

The bad

I couldn't find a lot wrong with this, to be honest. That said, I'm aware that it's an intensely localised film - would it play as well to a younger audience, or one from outside the UK? Possibly not - I'm not sure what sort of an impact it made on the international stage, but I can't see it having been particularly dramatic. Still, there's nothing wrong with being niche, and I found it a lot funnier than most mainstream comedy. It's defiantly low-key, but again, I found this to be just another part of its considerable charm.

The verdict

A really pleasant way to spend an afternoon, provided the Hollywood blockbuster machine hasn't dulled your senses too much to be able to enjoy it. Highly recommended.