I was in two minds about David Brent: Life on the Road when I first heard about it. I absolutely adore THE OFFICE but I fully realise it was made over 15 years ago, when the idea was fresh and novel. Ricky Gervais has subsequently made stuff I wasn't so keen on (EXTRAS and LIFE'S TOO SHORT were watchable but I didn't even bother with DEREK) so I had no idea what to expect from this.
Viewers should note that this is an OFFICE spin-off rather than follow up; the biggest disappointment is that none of the cast of THE OFFICE return aside from Gervais. However, Brent is such a larger-than-life character that it doesn't really matter, and he has an all-new office of characters to support him here. Jo Hartley, of THIS IS ENGLAND fame, brings some surprising warmth to her part of one of his few allies.
Most of the film takes the form of a road trip in which Brent and his band mate buddies go on various gigs around the country, seeking fame and fortune. Gervais is a pretty good singer but he chooses the dumbest lyrics for his songs in order to embarrass his character. And this is a film all about embarrassment and cringe-making scenes, as you'd expect. A lot of the jokes are familiar from THE OFFICE, but somehow it's fun to see Brent back to being the brunt of all the hatred again. Ben Bailey Smith gives the stand-out turn as the rapper that Brent teams up with. I'm not sure about the random Hollywood ending stuff but the rest of the film is a nice reminder of what made Brent such a compelling character in the first place.
Viewers should note that this is an OFFICE spin-off rather than follow up; the biggest disappointment is that none of the cast of THE OFFICE return aside from Gervais. However, Brent is such a larger-than-life character that it doesn't really matter, and he has an all-new office of characters to support him here. Jo Hartley, of THIS IS ENGLAND fame, brings some surprising warmth to her part of one of his few allies.
Most of the film takes the form of a road trip in which Brent and his band mate buddies go on various gigs around the country, seeking fame and fortune. Gervais is a pretty good singer but he chooses the dumbest lyrics for his songs in order to embarrass his character. And this is a film all about embarrassment and cringe-making scenes, as you'd expect. A lot of the jokes are familiar from THE OFFICE, but somehow it's fun to see Brent back to being the brunt of all the hatred again. Ben Bailey Smith gives the stand-out turn as the rapper that Brent teams up with. I'm not sure about the random Hollywood ending stuff but the rest of the film is a nice reminder of what made Brent such a compelling character in the first place.