Realizing that he may be fired from his midday disc jockey position by the new owners of his radio station, the titled character (Steve Coogan) persuades them to instead can the other old DJ, his good buddy Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney). When Pat returns to the building with a shotgun and takes his co-workers hostage, it's up to the pompous dullard to save the day. American viewers who are not aware of the cult British comedy character Alan Partridge at all will have a hard time fully engaging with the film and/or be able to stand the selfish boob for 90 minutes; I personally have only seen bits and pieces of Coogan's creation before embarking but I able to push aside my lack of knowing the full canon of the character. As for ALAN PARTRIDGE itself, it's a sloppy yet rip-roaring action-comedy, thanks to Coogan and Meaney's performances, a wry script, and a pretty killer soundtrack of radio favorites. It has some problems with its overall tone, going from a DIE HARD scenario to a watered down ACE IN THE HOLE, but it's able to right itself with some black humor and chaotically comical confusion. Perfect for the BBC America crowd.
FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5
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