Alan Partridge
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: April 4, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireDiana DrummMar 28, 2014
Alan Partridge stays true to this small, very specific world of regional British radio and this class of local celebrity while also injecting the high-level drama needed to carry such a story to a much larger audience. It’s this balance that should win the film over for Alan Partridge fans and the general movie-going public alike. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerApr 2, 2014
Director Declan Lowney does an admirable job making a confined film look cinematic without overblowing it into action-comedy mode. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyApr 3, 2014
In taking Partridge to the movies, the writers go broader and deeper than they typically do with the story. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanApr 3, 2014
So clear your calendar. There’s no better time to get to know a character so obnoxiously stubborn that not even his own creator can shake him. Read full review
80
EmpireDan JolinAug 9, 2013
Ruddy hilarious. Just what big-screen comedy needed. Read full review
80
The GuardianCatherine ShoardJul 25, 2013
The genius of Alpha Papa, then, is in remaining faithful to Partridge's small-screen soul while also managing the demands of a big-screen Alan. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramJul 25, 2013
Smartly executed, endlessly quotable and machine-gun quick, this is one of the funniest films of 2013. Accessible for Partridge novices and hugely rewarding for the faithful. Read full review
80
VarietyJul 25, 2013
A scissor-sharp comedy of ineptitude and failure. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiApr 23, 2014
Alan Partridge is one of the more satisfying comedies in recent memory, and with rumors of a sequel, let’s hope that this is the beginning of Alan Partridge, movie star. He definitely wouldn’t have it any other way. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 24, 2014
Alan Partridge is the cinematic equivalent of Marmite: a much-loved condiment in Britain and a puzzlement almost everywhere else. An acquired taste, certainly, but on the basis of this movie, well worth sampling at least once. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 24, 2014
A particular strength of Alan Partridge is that the writers (Coogan among them) don't trade entirely on the audience's familiarity with the character, but rather come up with a flashy, eventful story in which Alan can be showcased in a variety of contexts. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 4, 2014
It’s a flurry of good gags and bad. The good ones are worth sitting around for. Read full review
75
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreFeb 25, 2014
It’s a comedy of sight gags, zingers and awkward pauses — lots of those. Sentimental at times, yes. But funny. Always. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonApr 3, 2014
Though not the finest screen outing for Coogan’s best-known alter ego, this is a worthy addition to the ever-growing Partridge archive, with enough weapons-grade comic zing in the first half to excuse the less sure-footed second. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottApr 3, 2014
The plot of Alan Partridge (also known as “Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa”) is designed not for coherence but to maximize the chances for Mr. Coogan to riff in character and to bring his alter ego to the very edge of either improbable likability or utter awfulness. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlApr 1, 2014
An often funny workplace hostage comedy that doesn't demand prior knowledge of the character. Read full review
70
The DissolveNathan RabinMar 3, 2014
Film doesn’t suit Alan Partridge as well as other media, but Coogan and company have nevertheless delivered a consistently lively satirical comedy that would stand on its own merits, even if it wasn’t weighed down by expectations more than 20 years in the making. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 3, 2014
Like so many reunions, this one starts off all smiles and quickly grows tiresome. Read full review
62
Film.comJordan HoffmanSep 30, 2013
Not many side-splitting jokes, but a goofy glee is smeared across it all. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonAug 8, 2013
The film has plenty to recommend it, thanks to a string of memorable one-liners and Coogan’s unmatched knack for skin-crawling physical comedy. But this is a long way from the back-of-the-net strike it should have been. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJul 25, 2013
Alpha Papa’s biggest laughs explode from moments of pure inconsequence. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc MohanMay 1, 2014
Partridge is a smidgen less abhorrent here than in previous incarnations, but just a smidgen. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayApr 17, 2014
Partridge is such a fatuous, superficial figure that the trick is to make him palatable enough to sustain interest for more than an hour. The filmmakers meet with uneven success. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 7, 2014
Alan Partridge awkwardly tries to wed the episodic spirit of the character with the feature-length demands of a theatrical experience. The result is a mess, but it’s got some choice bits. Even if you forget the film itself, you might find yourself quoting parts of it for years. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle SmithApr 2, 2014
Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge character — a craven, narcissistic, provincial TV and radio host who has been amusing the Brits for more than 20 years — proves too much of a sketch-comedy creation to sustain a film. Read full review
50
The PlaylistDrew TaylorSep 30, 2013
The pleasure and the pain are all up there on the screen; we just wish it was less painful to watch. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineNick SchagerSep 28, 2013
Director Declan Lowney's film operates from a conceit that affords only minor opportunities for true hilarity. Read full review
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