Two mediocre comedic films about serious subjects (workplace violence/hostage-taking and suicide) starring two aging British thespians that are still pretty solid. Of course, it’s a little less impressive that Steve Coogan is the best thing in his film since it’s really a semi-vanity vehicle he created…
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa…It takes Steve Coogan’s clueless radio host character and puts him in a plot where a co-worker takes the station staff hostage. But Coogan’s buffoon soon turns grateful for the publicity and is the only person in history to not want to leave a hostage situation, and that’s pretty much the only joke of the movie. Even though I liked the skewering of the idealistic hero trope (it’s also clever that the artist-villain is fighting to protect mediocre talk radio), the jokes aren’t sharp enough, the staging feels aimless, and the film is at least 15 minutes too long. Grade: C-
A Long Way Down…It’s about four people who separately plan to kill themselves and have the world’s weirdest meet-cute at the top of a London skyscraper on New Year’s Eve. They form a bond and even get publicity, but none of it is very funny or exciting. It reminded me of the old Jon Stewart joke that drama and comedy lead less often to “dramedy” than “coma.” There’s still a coziness to this movie, and a positive message, but it really only takes off in a pair of scenes between Pierce Brosnan (still great, but still needing a great vehicle) and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul. Grade: C