19QOS19 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 He's back http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/07/ricky-gervais-david-brent-life-on-the-road-trailer Some things should be left well alone but I've every faith in Gervais making this a success. You either love or hate the guy and I'm comfortably in the former camp. I love this character as well and am looking forward to this cuming out in August Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesc Fabregas Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 This is definitely something that should have been left alone. David Brent's character arc was complete at the end of the Christmas special - things looked to be going well with Carol; he got a laugh with his Frank Spencer impression; and, crucially, he told Chris Finch to fuck off. It was a perfect end, and the character had nothing to offer beyond that. The Christmas special was broadcast in 2003 and here we are, 13 years later, and Brent's the exactly same character - desperate to be accepted, desperate for a laugh. Wouldn't he have changed in more than a decade? He's still acting in the same awkward, cringe-inducing manner and it doesn't seem to work this time around. I'm not sure if it's because this brand of humour seems old hat (I think the terrible Life's Too Short might have killed it off) but there doesn't seem to be the same edge to it. With no Tim and Dawn, there's no human element to it either. This might seem a little cynical based on a 90-second trailer but this, added to Ricky Gervais' most recent output and David Brent's appearances since The Office (a Comic Relief special, I think), have done little to get me going. It's all just more of the same but without the intangible magic that made it so good in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Thompson Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 This is definitely something that should have been left alone. David Brent's character arc was complete at the end of the Christmas special - things looked to be going well with Carol; he got a laugh with his Frank Spencer impression; and, crucially, he told Chris Finch to f**k off. It was a perfect end, and the character had nothing to offer beyond that. The Christmas special was broadcast in 2003 and here we are, 13 years later, and Brent's the exactly same character - desperate to be accepted, desperate for a laugh. Wouldn't he have changed in more than a decade? He's still acting in the same awkward, cringe-inducing manner and it doesn't seem to work this time around. I'm not sure if it's because this brand of humour seems old hat (I think the terrible Life's Too Short might have killed it off) but there doesn't seem to be the same edge to it. With no Tim and Dawn, there's no human element to it either. This might seem a little cynical based on a 90-second trailer but this, added to Ricky Gervais' most recent output and David Brent's appearances since The Office (a Comic Relief special, I think), have done little to get me going. It's all just more of the same but without the intangible magic that made it so good in the first place. As much as I love The Office, I tend to agree, particularly about the ending of the character arc. If anything, his character is worse in that trailer, more juvenile, more desperate almost. It could be painful viewing rather than funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 The irritating unfunny c**t has seemingly run out if ideas and gone back to ruin the only decent thing he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkoRaj Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 This is definitely something that should have been left alone. David Brent's character arc was complete at the end of the Christmas special - things looked to be going well with Carol; he got a laugh with his Frank Spencer impression; and, crucially, he told Chris Finch to fuck off. It was a perfect end, and the character had nothing to offer beyond that. The Christmas special was broadcast in 2003 and here we are, 13 years later, and Brent's the exactly same character - desperate to be accepted, desperate for a laugh. Wouldn't he have changed in more than a decade? But he had changed. He was desperate to be taken more seriously and seemed to have developed some form of self awareness by the end of the Christmas specials. It was the perfect ending. Plus the song he talks about in the trailer is horrendous. The genius of Brent came from the fact that his art (Freelove freeway or the poem Excalibur) was horrendous but so so believable that someone like him could have thought he was brilliant. Making a double entendre from the word cumming is just bottom of the barrel. Cringed at that video. It seems like he needs Merchant more than he'd admit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P45 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Gervais has scraped the bottom right out of the barrel with this. A fitting end for a horrible person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightswoodBear Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 That looks terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert Raccoon Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Potentially worse than Ali G In Da House. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virtual Insanity Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Christ, if that's one of the better scenes I'll be steering well clear of this. I think the Office is probably the finest British comedy ever made, but the more you hear from Gervais, the more you think Merchant was the vast majority of the brains behind the operation. Gervais' main talent seems to be playing a thinly disguised version of himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Looks like Gervais is trying to portray Brent who actually hasn't changed from 2003, despite a mini face turn in the 2nd part of the Christmas special. But yep, very un-subtle in that trailer. And he looks weird now Gervais has lost a few stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Tennis Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 This is definitely something that should have been left alone. David Brent's character arc was complete at the end of the Christmas special - things looked to be going well with Carol; he got a laugh with his Frank Spencer impression; and, crucially, he told Chris Finch to fuck off. It was a perfect end, and the character had nothing to offer beyond that. ... It's all just more of the same but without the intangible magic that made it so good in the first place. Spot on. The Office, contained in two series, with the two part Christmas Special on top, was just about as perfect, start to finish, as a sitcom - certainly a British one - can be. This just looks similar, but incapable of being the same. I'll watch it, but I'm anxious about it. I can't imagine it not being something you wish hadn't been made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19QOS19 Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 Time will tell I suppose but I'm excited to see it return. I know what point FF was trying to make, but one laugh from a joke didn't feel like acceptance for Brent in the last episode IMO. It wrapped up the Dawn and Tim nicely but for me I didn't feel Brent had finally saw the light or been accepted in the way he hoped. I can only assume Gervais thought something similar as he's hardly coming back with Brent as he's strapped for cash and he hasn't got a record of milking a series just because it's doing well. With regards to Gervais's other works. Who didn't think Extras was a success?? I thought it was brilliant and in all honesty, the Big Brother monologue from Andy had me in tears more than The Office ending tbh. It was excellent. Derek for me was a success as well in all honesty. I don't think it was ever supposed to be an out and out comedy as there were some real issues raised with regards to the way some folk view care homes. It was another series that did tug the heartstrings at times. I'm somewhat of a Gervais fanboy but I've every faith in him. I've never watched a Gervais production that I've not at the very least 'liked'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesc Fabregas Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Time will tell I suppose but I'm excited to see it return. I know what point FF was trying to make, but one laugh from a joke didn't feel like acceptance for Brent in the last episode IMO. It wrapped up the Dawn and Tim nicely but for me I didn't feel Brent had finally saw the light or been accepted in the way he hoped. I can only assume Gervais thought something similar as he's hardly coming back with Brent as he's strapped for cash and he hasn't got a record of milking a series just because it's doing well. With regards to Gervais's other works. Who didn't think Extras was a success?? I thought it was brilliant and in all honesty, the Big Brother monologue from Andy had me in tears more than The Office ending tbh. It was excellent. Derek for me was a success as well in all honesty. I don't think it was ever supposed to be an out and out comedy as there were some real issues raised with regards to the way some folk view care homes. It was another series that did tug the heartstrings at times. I'm somewhat of a Gervais fanboy but I've every faith in him. I've never watched a Gervais production that I've not at the very least 'liked'. I guess we'll have to disagree but the final episode of the Christmas special brought about a complete 180-degree turn in his character and took him, logically at least, as far as he could go. He looked as though he'd found love and he finally stood up to a bully. Regarding the comment that "one laugh from a joke didn't feel like acceptance for Brent", what were you expecting from the ending? The Office was all about subtle nuances and it hinted that the character had finally turned a corner in his life, however slight. I don't know what else you could have taken that from the final scenes. Compare him to another well-known comedy character like Alan Partridge. Partridge has continued to grow, develop and flourish and (although the Alpha Papa movie was a bit of a misstep) the stuff he's doing on Mid-Morning Matters is arguably the finest in his career. I don't think Partridge was as rooted in the real world as Brent and so he's been allowed to breath and blossom over the last 25 years and become this incredibly well-rounded personalty, brilliantly realised with equally fantastic characters to bounce off (Glen Ponder, Michael, Lynn and Sidekick Simon, for instance); Brent, meanwhile, was just an ordinary man desperate for acceptance; he found it in Christmas 2003, and there is no story left to tell. Extras was very good, absolutely tremendous is parts (Les Dennis, Patrick Strewart and Ross Kemp were all great, while Darren Lamb and "Barry" were always excellent throughout) but I don't think it reached the same heights as The Office - it was the same kind of humour expect on a more grandiose scale, and I think it suffered a little from that. I'll admit to not having seen any of Gervais' movies but Life's Too Short was dreadful and the tired format of awkward, cringe-inducing comedy was really run into the ground, while Derek was just plain uncomfortable and it brought up a lot of difficult questions about Gervais' brand comedy and his writing. He seems like a bit of a dick to be honest, and as others have said, these characters seem to be thinly disguised versions of himself. I watched the trailer for Life on the Road again before posting this and the whole thing seems like an exaggerated version of The Office but with fewer laughs. Look at the way the woman at the start is openly contemptible towards him; the peel of high pitched laughter as Brent ambles towards his co-workers; the way everyone on the phones turns to look at him (remember when all it took was Tim sneaking a glance to camera?); and the dreadful "Rock and Roll" song. MarkoRaj above me sums it all up - stuff like "Freelove Freeway" and "Excalibur" work because they're genuinely dreadful but, because of how well-realised Brent was, there's perhaps some merit in them because Brent believes in how worthy they are. "Rock and Roll" is just trash. I love The Office, it's the best comedy I've ever seen, but I have low expectations for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcat1990 Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 It's been downhill for me since the end of Extras. Life is Short had its amusing moments but Derek spends every episode desperately trying to ram sentimental moments down your throat to make it seem emotional and human. This film just seems like flogging the shit out of a dead horse and a dull safe move from Gervais. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fife Saint Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YER SISTERS YER MAW Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 This kinda reminds me of Only Fools and Horses where I wished they had ended it when they became millionaires. Loved 'The Office' but feel Gervais should let it be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Tennis Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Time will tell I suppose but I'm excited to see it return. I know what point FF was trying to make, but one laugh from a joke didn't feel like acceptance for Brent in the last episode IMO. It wrapped up the Dawn and Tim nicely but for me I didn't feel Brent had finally saw the light or been accepted in the way he hoped. I can only assume Gervais thought something similar as he's hardly coming back with Brent as he's strapped for cash and he hasn't got a record of milking a series just because it's doing well. With regards to Gervais's other works. Who didn't think Extras was a success?? I thought it was brilliant and in all honesty, the Big Brother monologue from Andy had me in tears more than The Office ending tbh. It was excellent. Derek for me was a success as well in all honesty. I don't think it was ever supposed to be an out and out comedy as there were some real issues raised with regards to the way some folk view care homes. It was another series that did tug the heartstrings at times. I'm somewhat of a Gervais fanboy but I've every faith in him. I've never watched a Gervais production that I've not at the very least 'liked'. I'm a fan too and I've liked pretty much everything he's done, to varying degrees of course. The Office however, was his masterpiece and it was rounded off quite beautifully, giving it a total sense of completion. Even if the trailer had been promising (and by Christ, it wasn't), I'd think this was probably a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB-Scotland Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 They aired another clip on Graham Norton which was a bit better, but aye, bad feeling about this, and echo the sentiments about Merchant's writing being a big miss. I'm not even sure why Ricky would embark on such a project without Steve's involvement, not like he needs the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Having a child's grasp of theology and taking pictures of yourself in the bath was probably getting old tbf. You could see the beginning of the end in the second series of Extras when he was adding a soundtrack to highlight if the scene was a sad one and using it as a platform to share his own opinions on everything. The episode with Kate Winslet and the Big Brother episode are probably the best examples of the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The OP Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 A good idea is a good idea forever. So... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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