What annoyed me the most in Ricky Gervais' new film is the total lack of subtlety. It really feels like one of these run-of-the mill US-comedies where every joke has to be understandable to any kind of audience, albeit losing its edge, specially when half of the time, it goes along with the most cringe-worthy feature of intellectually undemanding comedies known to mankind: plucked violin strings.
The misadventure of a radio journalist and his technician who miss a flight and are compelled to fake the news reports from a war zone could have been so much more in any possible way, specially given the talent of Ricky Gervais when it comes to awkward situations and weird characters. Instead, we are presented the bare minimum of what family-friendly entertainment can be. A certainly watchable, albeit totally forgettable show with cliché characters and situations that seems to be targeted at the more easily amused part of the audience and that omits any quality that has built up the reputation of Mr Gervais in the last 15 or so years.
The misadventure of a radio journalist and his technician who miss a flight and are compelled to fake the news reports from a war zone could have been so much more in any possible way, specially given the talent of Ricky Gervais when it comes to awkward situations and weird characters. Instead, we are presented the bare minimum of what family-friendly entertainment can be. A certainly watchable, albeit totally forgettable show with cliché characters and situations that seems to be targeted at the more easily amused part of the audience and that omits any quality that has built up the reputation of Mr Gervais in the last 15 or so years.