Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa clearly makes a conscious choice to avoid such a folly right from the start. This is firmly a film about a 55-year old man from Norwich, who stays within the bounds of Norfolk for the whole movie. In doing so, it inevitably opens the film up to accusations of being a little unambitious, or more of an extended television episode. Realistically, there’s a hint of truth to both of those criticisms. This setup allows Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa to contain its story for the most part in the interior of a small, not very good radio station. And whilst there are some glorious moments later in the film where we get to see Norwich showcased on a cinema screen, we spend much of the film in fairly claustrophobic surroundings. This, though, is prime ground for Partridge, and with gimmicks stripped away, the onus, rightly, centres on whether the film works, and whether it delivers laughs. And unlike the majority of big screen comedies over the past 12 months, Alpha Papa ticks both boxes. Much of the reason for that, outside of the tight script, is down to spending quality time with Coogan’s Partridge. Director Declan Lowney doesn’t fuss over him, rather he takes a step back and lets characters talk to each other, and the delivery of quality lines take precedence. Furthermore, we get the complete range of Alan Partridge here, in a full-on reminder of why he’s one of the most brilliantly realised comedy characters that British radio and television has produced over the past few decades. It almost goes without saying that Steve Coogan’s performance – from the overlong pauses to the facial tics – is wonderful. Credit, too, to the excellent Felicity Montagu as long-suffering Lynn. One of the absolute highlights of the TV series, she gets a solid amount of screentime here, and doesn’t waste a frame of it. It’s nice to see, too, a full fleshing out of Colm Meaney’s character, where you may have feared a less three dimensional creation. In a summer where big comedies have fallen, to a degree, under a weight of gimmicks, bloated running times or straight-out nastiness, Alpha Papa feels like a breath of fresh air. It is a feature length I’m Alan Partridge episode in truth, and cinematics are in short supply. But entertainment certainly isn’t. And, for the majority of its running time, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is very funny, very quotable, very good, and very much worth seeing. Thriker! Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa‘s out on 7th August in the UK. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
