Fans of The Office will enjoy seeing the sitcom’s shabby antihero again, as he tours his pop band towards inevitable disaster, but it’s a patchy comic reunion.
Ricky Gervais very much plays the hits in an undercooked but occasionally funny big screen revival that suffers from a crippling case of de ja vu. Brent’s last goodbye? You’d hope so.
Despite some laugh-out-loud moments, The Office boss's return to the screen is somewhat underwhelming.
Audiences are likely to squirm and cringe as much as they are to laugh at Brent’s misadventures and at his uncanny ability to misread any social situation.
Brent’s big comeback won’t disappoint fans, but would’ve worked fine as another Christmas special. In 2004.
Loyal fans will be suitably outraged, amply amused and might even shed a little tear along the way.
It’s funny in that cringe-inducing laugh-or-cry way that made The Office such a great show.
Ricky Gervais’s comic creation is back, but the repetitive humour makes it torturous.
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General release. Check local listings for show times.