Cert 15
90 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language
"There's an elephant in the room,'' exclaimed Alan Partridge as he tried to persuade radio station bosses that he should keep his job.
"Yes,'', I wanted to cry out. "The elephant is that I am really struggling to like this movie because I detest Steve Coogan.''
Actually, it is a testament to Coogan that I laughed as much as I did during Alan Patridge: Alpha Papa.
Mrs W and I took in his much acclaimed comedy at the brilliant Derby Quad last night.
The cinema's press officer has told me how much she had enjoyed it and had loved the fact that all of the audience were laughing too.
Our crowd was a little more split.
They varied from the chap behind us who I feared was going to need paramedic attention because his sides were in danger of literally splitting to Mrs W who chuckled a couple of times but proclaimed the film was "utter rubbish'' as we left Quad.
Despite my prejudices against Coogan, whose sanctimonious and hypocritical rantings about the press have turned me against him, I tried to keep an open mind.
And, I have to report that Alpha Papa made me laugh out loud eight times (more than five represents a good comedy, more than ten denotes the gold standard).
I always enjoyed Partridge in the days before Coogan so publicly disappeared up his own rear end so, to enjoy Declan Lowney's movie, I tried to rekindle thoughts of the character rather than the actor.
It only worked to an extent because even Coogan admits the two are becoming more similar by the day.
Frankly, the storyline to Alpha Papa is pretty crass: Partridge's radio station has been taken over by new owners with funkier ideas and the old stagers are being eyed up for the axe.
Partridge manages to hold on to his slot but the late-night jock (Colm Meaney) gets the chop and comes back to the station with a shotgun to take revenge.
Thus begins a hostage drama with Meaney's unhinged character demanding that Partridge should be the intermediary.
And, after initial trepidation, our hero sees the potential to have his name in lights once again.
Those who fear Alpha Papa is going to too far off the usual thread needn't worry - there are plenty of Patridgisms on the radio and the TV show's characters such as Lynn (Felicity Montagu) and Michael (Simon Greenall) are on hand.
Armando Iannucci and Coogan are among the writing team and in Partridge they have created a wonderful amalgam of a host of 80s DJs I remember so well.
It conjured memories for me of the days when I was a part-time sports reporter at Mercia Sound in Coventry (do DJs still drive around in sponsored cars with their names and that of the garage on the side?).
Most importantly, it is funny. Not I-might-pass-out-through-laughing hilarious but humorous enough for it to be among the better comedies of the year.
Laughs: Eight big ones and more chuckles
Jumps: none
Vomit: retching
Nudity: errr.. yes, sort of.
Overall rating: 7.5/10