It says Film Review above so it must be a film. There is something not quite right about watching Special Correspondents on a laptop (in bed, if you want to know). Ricky Gervais chose to go with Netflix rather than a cinema release but I’m not sure if it is the right decision. Having said that, Special Correspondents is a great TV movie.
Gervais plays Ian Finch, a sound technician and reluctant sidekick of arrogant, selfish radio reporter Frank Bonneville (Eric Bana). When they miss their flight to Ecuador to cover a war there they decide to fake their reports from a room above an Ecuadorian cafe in New York.
From a small lie things soon start to spiral out of control. Finch’s wife Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) has just left him, but when they pretend to have been taken hostage she sees an opportunity to further her own career.
Eventually Finch and Bonneville do end up in Ecuador and the plot takes a different turn when they really do get into hot water. Needless to say this is a comedy so things never get too nasty and everything is resolved before the credits roll, with Finch turning out to be a corny, unlikely hero.
It’s interesting that Special Correspondents, written and directed by Gervais, was made back-to-back with the forthcoming David Brent movie. That would be the one you would expect to feel more like a TV programme. Maybe it will, but despite the exotic setting Special Correspondents (based on a French movie) feels very much like Gervais’ TV work.
There are the deadpan responses of Brent (“Unebelievable.” “Sexist”), a critique of celebrity which Gervais has already done in Extras. The name Finch could be read as a homage to Office sales rep Finchy, while there’s even a scene of Finch and Bonneville side by side in (separate) beds, a nod to Gervais’ heroes Laurel and Hardy.
And, of course, Gervais sticks to his own limey accent, which would be absolutely fine, but that narrative says that Finch is dull and boring when in fact being an Englishman who has moved to New York seems quite dynamic to me.
What this film isn't, however, is a laugh riot. There are some good gags but not that many. My favourite was when Finch pulls a face when he thinks he hears jazz playing in a rough bar. When he walks in it turns out to be someone having their head smashed against the piano keys.
But moments that really make you spit out your popcorn are few and far between. This is a decent film but when compared to the high benchmark Gervais has set with his TV work certainly not a brilliant film. Gervais' most notable movie-related success is probably hosting the Golden Globes. There’s nothing that special about Special Correspondents.
Available on netflix now.
