This is How Movies Should Be Made

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

British actor Steve Coogan's versatility ranges from his talents as impressionist, playing multiple roles (and this includes a female character!) in his stand-up comedy over voice acting, writing and producing and even starring in very serious feature roles like the Oscar nominated "Philomena" (2013) - and whatever he does, he does it with fervor and consequence. In this spirit his alter ego wannabe "star" Alan Partridge was born, a fictional TV personality at first known for radio programmes and an infamous regional chat show, which would be "Knowing Me, Knowing You". An unlikeable character developed that Coogan slips into regularly in his stand-ups as well, later he based a TV series on him and brought him to the big screen. But it all started in earnest with these few chat show episodes. So what's so special about Alan? Well, Alan Partridge is the type of character who's so full of himself that his shameless displays of narcissism combined with his social awkwardness make his interviews prone to go further downhill without even having started at a notable high point. Partridge is one of the first who understood how to make cringeworthy comedy work for the audience, he's embarrassing, politically incorrect, condescending, pompous and whoever shares time with him on screen, he or she is not the issue - it's basically all about him. Throughout the show numerous fake guest stars help us to familiarize us with the phenomenon that is Partridge, but even then he sneaks in guest "stars" that are "famous" for being his namesake, and quite regularly minor and major catastrophes hit the show which eventually goes out with a bang - literally! The appearances of Alan Partridge over time in different formats vary considerably in quality, but all of them contribute to the manifestation of Coogan as a comedic genius in his alter ego. Not even a misfired bullet can kill off Partridge's career, just like Coogan himself can dodge media bullets with elegance as his superb "Everybody's a bit of a c*nt sometimes" performance shows in his 2009 stand-up, which is as snarky and to the point as Alan Partridge's tongue has an aptitude to screw up royally and with precision. Check that one out to get the picture. And on that bombshell recommendation we'll leave you to discover Alan Partridge and the man behind it. Once you get into it there's only one word to describe what you've been missing so far: A-Haaaaa!

Recently I heard an interview with Armando Iannucci on the Sound of Young America. He was promoting In the Loop of course but he was asked about his career and so on and the conversation took in Alan Partridge and other shows. It reminded me that, while I can remember the show from the time, I never really paid much attention to it while it was on and that I should probably borrow the DVD from a friend and try it. I did this recently and managed to wolf the whole thing down in a matter of days (it is only essentially 7 episodes long). Alan "shot to fame" as a sports presenter and has landed his own talk show a bit in the mould of Terry Wogan but on BBC2. He has done this despite being incredibly unsuited to the job – a fact demonstrated by his ratings and his inability to cope with anything beyond his own superficial blandness and punning.As such the show is a good example of the awkward, pained comedy that the British do seem to do well – the comedy of embarrassment. It is a simple concept that, in fairness, probably couldn't have been sustained for much more than the one season and Christmas special that it got, because it does elevate itself to breakdown level within this timer period and the "joke" is essentially the same each time. That "joke" though is the character of Partridge himself – a local celebrity who is a sheen of catchphrases and corny jokes, popular with the elderly in Norwich no doubt but far from being the type of person you want to host a live TV show. He is unable to deal with anything that happens that is out of the ordinary – not only can he not deal with it but he cannot prevent himself being frustrated on air and this is generally what happens.This works as well as it does because of Coogan. He takes some great writing and delivers it with commitment and realism that stops his character being a clown but rather a tragic figure who is floundering at every step, frantically denying reality to himself for as long as he can before moments of resignation or anger reveal that he does know it. It is both funny and painful to. That it happens against the backdrop of a solid lampoon of inane "light entertainment" makes it a very engaging show. I will not say I was rolling with laughter at every minute but it did consistently amuse me because of Coogan. The supporting cast are not quite as good but do still do good work as guests alongside this disaster of a man – some mock him, some go along with it as best they can and some do both. Front is the most varied of the regulars and is good for it but personally I was surprised by how many times Marber essentially did the same character. Schneider is good in a few small turns while John Thompson is brilliant as the only person who comes over more pathetic than Partridge himself.It will not please all viewers but Iannucci crosses a satire on light entertainment with a great car-crash of a character to great effect. Frequently funny and consistently amusing, KMKYWAP is short and sweet as a season, staying around just long enough to do the job and creating a great character in the meantime.

Steve Coogan is Alan Patridge (A-HA) in this parody of talk shows using England's famous perchant for dry humor. Poor Alan doesn't have much luck with any of his guests in the 6 episode series, and his handling of said guest is what makes this series worthwhile and I frequently found myself laughing at the deftly scripted show. I can't believe how great British comedies can truly be and most of the 'comedies' in my native land of, America can be so truly dreadful. The differences truly seem like night and day. If this had an American counterpart it would likely be "the Larry Sanders Show", but whereas that deals with the behind the scenes of a talk show as much, if not more so than in front of the camera, this one just deals with the talk show proper and I believe I like both the aforementioned shows equally.My Grade: A- DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentaries on all the episodes (which are frequently as funny as the shows themselves) ; Promos for BBC America, and "Little Britian" Disc 2) the 46 minute "Knowing me, Knowing Yule" special (with optional commentary); 16 minutes of the Test shoot with optional commentary; 5 minute, 16 seconds of Alan rambling on; 3 skits (totalling 6 minutes and 15 seconds) of Alan's appearance on BBC's "Comic Relief 1995"; 9 commercials for the TV show; photo gallery; Cast & crew Bios; and Trailer for "Men Behaving Badly" & "Manchild"

When I first watched this show, I wasn't sure. My friend told me how funny it was but at first it seemed a bit normal. However, I gave it a chance and watched some more. It was too late, I was hooked.This show is brilliantly written and the jokes are so different to other comedies it feels refreshingly different. It does require a different view point for it's comedy but when looking from that perspective, this show stands tall.The character himself, Alan Partridge, is a wonderful creation and Steve Coogan has cemented his name in comedy history. I love everything about this character and can quite easily watch this show over and over again.The funniest thing is, you seem to be laughing at Alans crashing career which is sick but you just don't care.The best part of this show was the ABBA medley. Truly brilliant.This is comedy at it's very best. The supporting characters are truly wonderful and as for Alan Partridge himself, fantastic and brilliant.AHA.....