15. David Brent: Life on the Road

15. DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD

Director: Ricky Gervais

Release date: August 25, 2016

Ricky Gervais’ forays into filmmaking in the absence of his writing partner and creative sounding board Stephen Merchant have been problematic, to say the least. Ghost Town, The Invention of Lying and the woeful Netflix outing Special Correspondents have all failed to find the emotional depth – and, indeed, darkness – of The Office, Extras and Cemetery Junction. Clearly, Merchant’s involvement is vital.

It was reasonable, then, that fans of Gervais be forgiven for keeping low expectations about the comedian’s return as the character that made him a household name, the tragic and cheeky loser David Brent. In fact, all of the main players from The Office were noticeably absent from the production of Life on the Road, which gave us something of an ominous feeling.

But, in spite of these concerns, Life on the Road was a welcome surprise. It seems that in Brent – who is no doubt an unfiltered, brutally honest depiction of the comedian himself – Gervais inherently knows what works, and the movie feels like a natural continuation of the character, recapturing the tone of the classic series from whence it came.

In 2016, Brent still dreams of being something – ideally a famous musician – and the pain and palpable melancholy of the character imbue Life on the Road with as many poignant moments as there are laugh-out-loud set pieces. Gervais might ham up a few elements – like the horrible treatment that Brent suffers at the hands of his bandmates – but ultimately Life on the Road is both moving and very funny.

A wonderful return to form for the beloved comic.