13 years after he waltzed off into the sunset and off our screens, David Brent is back with another office job, a new off-the-wall sidekick and a fresh documentary team, all ready to immortalise the cringe once again. What’s new, however, are his aspirations; Brent is taking a three-week break off work (four days holiday, eleven days unpaid leave) to pursue his dream of breaking into the music industry with a revamped version of his old band, Foregone Conclusion.
Fans of Ricky Gervais’ inimitable brand of cringe-worthy comedy will be delighted to hear that Brent’s bravado takes him into ever-more uncomfortable situations, while his advanced years and his temerity to dream make him unpopular with almost every character in the film… but not quite all of them. The laughs come thick and fast, thanks to some clever set-pieces, memorable Brentisms and, more often than not, social awkwardness.
Much like the title of his band, the storyline is predictable from the outset, but that doesn’t stop Gervais from hitting his marks cleanly or from eliciting the emotions he wants from the audience. Hilarity, infuriation, pity and happiness are all paraded onscreen one after the other, and although the ending might seem a little too convenient and somewhat paper-thin, you’ll still leave the cinema with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside in spite of yourself.
Of course, this sort of embarrassing, bury-your-face-in-the-sofa humour isn’t for everyone, and fans of Gervais’ other solo forays Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying who haven’t seen his seminal work The Office (if they exist!) might find the discomfiture a little too excruciating. But for those who love Brent’s desperately human hubris and all its attendant nervous laughter, ill-timed quips and face-palm faux pas, Life on the Road plays like a movie-length episode of the wildly popular and critically-acclaimed series. A real treat.