British actor Steve Coogan is “…that guy!” in the States. Yanks mostly know him from midsize roles in Night at the Museum, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and In the Loop. But it wasn’t until I saw Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa at the New York Film Festival that I learned what a comedic force Coogan is in his own right. This was my first exposure to the character of Alan Partridge, a household television name back in the UK—and he’s hilarious.
Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) is a narcissistic, Thatcherite radio DJ, a local celebrity in the town of Norwich. In Alpha Papa, the inciting moment is fairly classic—the small town radio station is bought out by a glitzy corporate media conglomerate. Rumors of layoffs abound, and Partridge throws old colleague Pat Farell (Colm Meaney) under the bus to save his own job. Things get interesting, though, when the fired DJ goes nuts, gets a gun, and lays siege to the radio station. While Pat holds the employees inside hostage and takes to the airwaves, Alan Partridge has to play the role of negotiator between Pat and the police.
Let’s cut to the chase: see this movie. I was praying that it would get an American release, and I was inspired to track down the original television series to tide me over. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is that rare film-of-a-television-show that actually kicks ass. It was far funnier than last year’s The World’s End if that’s a helpful benchmark for Brit comedy. It has the great execution of dark humor that is one of the best British contributions to world culture.
The cast is brilliant. Colm Meaney and Steve Coogan have an effective rapport. It’s particularly nice to see Colm Meaney exercising his comedic talent—he brings the strength he relies on for much of his normal tough older gentleman fare (Hell on Wheels is worth checking out for this) to bear. It’s an ironic touch that the man who’s had a mental breakdown actually plays the straight man to Alan Partridge.
Alan Partridge’s blend of right-wing politics and goofiness makes him the kind of insane British cousin of American characters like Ron Burgundy, Jack Donaghy, and Ron Swanson. He’s a much less well-meaning Bertie Wooster. He’s a great character, and one for which Steve Coogan deserves greater recognition here in the States. Hopefully a strong interest in the movie, which opens in New York and Los Angeles on April 4th, will give him just that.
