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It’s taken me 3 weeks to get chance to see Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa but it was certainly worth the wait.
I was very sceptical that if an Alan Partridge movie was made – after all this time the character has been around – it would never live up to the his TV appearances, particularly the first series of I’m Alan Partridge (as I was quite disappointed with the second, which suffered largely from a poor script but also from some very bad ‘elderly’ make-up applied to Coogan). Thankfully, he looks back to his more youthful self, even though the character is now aged 55. You could wonder at first if they’ve gone back in time a little for this movie, but a reference to living in a caravan, as well as the fact we know North Norfolk Digital is his latest job – given his “Mid-Morning Matters” Youtube short films – points that this is not the case.
However, I am pleased to report that not only does this film make you laugh loudly, it also does it consistently. And for any film in 2013 to be considered consistent is another plus, given the number of over-long movies we’ve seen released this year, many of which were over two hours long and could easily have had a good 45 minutes, at least, snipped out of them – Django Unchained being the main offender.
A particular case of cracking up came when the theme from Sky Sunday was played. I so wish this had been allowed to be heard in full as the accompanying visuals are expertly handled and I would’ve lapped up so much more. There’s also a rather silly moment where Alan’s trousers come off, but it’s handled so well it could actually be believeable.
Alan Partridge sings Roachford’s Cuddly Toy
which appears as the opening credits in the film.
There’s even a decent story which gives Alan Partridge a reason to be on the big screen: North Norfolk Digital is being taken over by Gourdale Media, headed up by Jason Tresswell (Nigel Lindsay), and has had its name changed to “Shape – the way you want it to be”, basically killing the original station and replacing it with homogonised disposable pop 24/7. This reminded me, particuarly, when a wonderful station in Stockport, KFM Radio, which ran in the late 80s and its DJs included Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne, was changed to Signal Cheshire in September 1990, meaning they changed overnight from the best indie music in the North West… to Kylie & Jason. It was as welcome as a kick in the balls with a rusty razor.
Anyway, as a result of the takeover, long-standing DJ – but a dinosaur in the modern era – Pat Farrell (Colm Meany) is getting the boot and exacts his revenge by holding everyone hostage during a party at the station to celebrate the new beginning. Well, everyone except Alan who’s just nipped outside to talk to Lynn. An additional side plot is also added in a possible romance between Alan and fellow DJ Angela (Monica Dolan).
At this point I’d start to go into detail about how good or bad the cast are, but… this is Alan Partridge. Everyone’s exactly as they need to be to give a piece of top-rate entertainment.
Go to page 2 for more thoughts on the film and my overall score.
Alan Partridge attends the police briefing.
When it comes to the certificate, the 15 stops young children from seeing it. However, my view is that yes, it’s got enough f-words to give it a 15, although a 12 only allows a maximum of 4, but in terms of letting younger people see it, there’s no real violence in it and any sexual references would go over the heads of very young children, a bit like when the same thing happens in the Simpsons. Besides, I was 12 when I saw my first 15-cert film in a cinema anyway. And when it comes to Alan Partridge, children under 15 who are familiar with the character will want to see this and won’t be scarred by anything in it.
A 15-cert can pack a lot more in than it used to. For example, the first two Die Hard films have been re-rated 15 when Fox wanted to put them out in the cinema again – when both were previously an 18 in their uncut form, although the first one is the only one that’s been an 18 in the cinema AND the only one which was released uncut in the cinema. And the third one has long since had all its cuts restored. But I digress.
Alan Partridge – “I am Siege Face”.
The 2.35:1 frame initially took a bit of getting used to, especially for a programme which has been seen in either 4:3 or 16:9, but while this occasionally lends itself to some odd camera angles, I can see they wanted to have a different look whilst retaining the same Norfolk location.
I will definitely need to see Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa again as there aer so many gags in it that I’ll have missed some, and apparently there is a single case of someone says “Ah-aaah!”, his famous catchprase – but not uttered by him here. I missed that, though. The writers have clearly spent a long time perfecting the script, taking out everything unnecessary to the point where you have a tight 90 minutes that doesn’t drag at all, and even extends into the credits.
Watching this film, I’d like to think that, seeing Tim Key with a gun regularly pointed to his head is payback for inflicting those piss-poor poems on us during Charlie Brooker’s TV shows.
And as I exited the Trafford Centre and got in my car, Smooth FM were playing ABBA’s Knowing Me Knowing You, while shortly afterwards, I switched to XFM and heard Hurt by Johnny Cash, referred to in the film as ‘King of the Jews’, the reason for which you’ll find out when you watch it.
Alan Partridge’s guide to cinema etiquette.
Cert: 
Running time: 90 minutes
Year: 2013
Released: August 7th 2013
Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Red Epic)
Rating: 10/10
Director: Declan Lowney
Producers: Kevin Loader and Henry Normal
Screenplay: Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons and Armando Iannucci
Cast:
Alan Partridge: Steve Coogan
Pat Farrell: Colm Meaney
Firearms Officer: Sean Pertwee
Police Officer: Anna Maxwell Martin
Angela: Monica Dolan
Police Officer: Darren Boyd
Lynn Benfield: Felicity Montagu
Michael: Simon Greenall
Jason Tresswell: Nigel Lindsay
Dave Clifton: Phil Cornwell
Simon: Tim Key
Police Officer: Jaspal Badwell
Don: Simon Delaney
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.
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