Special Correspondents (2016)

Strong and Moving!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

If you wanted concrete unassailable proof that Gervais is losing his comedic religion completely (or that, as some people claim, the real brains of the operation was Stephen Merchant all along), this movie might be it. I doubt that's true, but SC feeds that theory well. There are very few comedies (and I've seen hundreds) that manage to completely lose my interest after only 15 minutes or so, where it was a major chore to get through to the finish line, that moment of relief when the movie finally wraps up its dungation, then wipes itself, flushes, and then lets the viewer off into the sunset i.e. freedom.Very ironically and amazingly, with the hindsight of having "seen" the movie in its entirety (I sort of saw the whole thing, kinda glanced at it now and again while doing other things, because it's literally impossible to watch all 100 min. of this unfunny, boring crap), it turns out that those first 15 minutes or so were the HIGHLIGHT of the movie. That section of the flick actually had a line or two that were solid, and the plot at that point still made some sense. Made some sense, but not that much, either. For example, casting Farmiga as Gervais's wife is not only an example of embarrassing miscasting, but her character behaves in highly absurd and non-credible ways from the very moment she steps into the film. Her first conversations with Gervais are baffling, because not for one second can the viewer buy into this loony set-up that they really are husband and wife, and had been for years. They are a mismatch made in hell. Gervais plays a "loser", yet he has Farmiga as a wife: makes zero sense. Plus, given her ambitious nature and greediness, she should have left him ages ago, or more logical yet: she wouldn't have hooked up with him in the first place. This is just one in a series of idiocies, contradictions and inconsistencies within a script that insults the viewer's intelligence over and over.What comes after the mediocre and increasingly dull first 15 minutes or so is the imbecile plot-twist (the movie's actual selling point!), a premise so illogical and preposterous that only a banal slapstick comedy or very infantile French farce could get away with it - perhaps. But SC is more akin to a satiric drama than an actual comedy, i.e. it plays around with the "real world" (or so its confused writers believe) way too closely to be able to get away with such nonsense.Worse than all the shoddy logic and gazillion plot-holes is the failure of the comedy. The gags bomb wholesale, the dialog is as flat as Nicole Kidman's chest, and every additional plot-twist and event only serves to deepen the viewers' resentment toward themselves for picking this turkey in the first place. I will definitely NOT watch another Gervais film ever again, at least those made in this decade and onwards: so yes, hardship can teach a person some real life lessons. Also, the very notion that the likes of CNN would bend the truth in favour of a right-wing agenda is mind-bogglingly stupid. Gervais either has a grasp of politics the way a child has a grasp of Civil Engineering, or he had sold himself lock stock and barrel to the current left-wing Establishment and the insane sociopaths who "run" it. Either way, one more reason to consider this one of the worst comedies of the century - and that really is saying a whole lot.Gervais has become smug, lazy, unfocused and perhaps distracted by too many projects. Just guessing, though it essentially matters not. I am not really that interested in the reasons why SC sucks, just the fact does it DOES suck. His stand-up comeback "Humanity" is great, and that's what he should be doing more of, that's always been his biggest strength. Film-wise he is more miss than hit, and even his TV projects are becoming weaker.

It's a Netflix-produced project written and directed by legendary comedy mastermind Ricky Gervais, who also stars alongside Eric Bana. A radio journalist (Bana) and his technician (Gervais) fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in Ecuador and try to hide out in New York instead. Also appearing: Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, America Ferrera, Raúl Castillo, Benjamin Bratt et al. Like most of Gervais's movies, it's not as sharp and funny as his famous for based on his other works (TV series, standup, podcasts etc). Sadly, it's also nearly not as mainstream friendly as most of his movies which have at least some memorable LOL moments. It's based on a decent idea and the screenplay is competent, but the humor is rather dry and intellectual, making one go „I see what they did here" rather than really enjoying the show. The satirical pokes about the authenticity of modern media business and the worthiness of the stars it creates gives the story at least some extra depth, even if you won't remember it the next morning. Dialogue and acting are competent, too, but we spend most of the time in the company of two men with no palpable chemistry – just doing their work and being professional about it. Always solid Vera Farmiga gives a more juicier performance as a technician's villainous wife but she can't conquer the overall dryness of it all, either. The movie also looks cheap, which is not a problem in itself because the small budget sets its limits. But I have to say it's overall one of the less exciting Gervais projects I've seen. Sorry. At least it doesn't go on for too long, although at 101 minutes it's not exactly short either. And yes, disappointing Gervais is still better than no Gervais at all. IMDb says it's a remake of 2009's French comedy "Envoyés très spéciaux". Both have mediocre user rating but the newer version has a bit higher score (5.8 vs 5.3 out of 10).

I must admit, as a huge fan of The Office, Extras and Ricky's stand up, I've become used to deep belly laughs aplenty whenever I watch the work of this great comic, and so before I sat down to watch Special Correspondents I was fully expecting a similar comedic experience. I was wrong.To anyone who plans to watch this movie who has a similar expectation - you may be disappointed. Do not, however, deprive yourself of what is a smart, entertaining movie. Once I accepted that there would only be a few chuckles here and there, I was able to genuinely enjoy Gervais' latest outing. This felt very much like a drama/comedy as opposed to a comedy/drama. There is a great chemistry between Gervais and Bana throughout, and for anyone who enjoys light satire this is definitely well worth a watch. I can't stress enough that if you are expecting tonnes of laugh out loud moments, you simply won't enjoy this movie for what it is, all though for fans of The Office, look out for a moment in the movie where Ian Finch (Gervais) attempts to record a heartfelt plea on video camera to the people of America, where he initially gets his tone and demeanor wrong - for around ten seconds he fully channels Brent. Priceless.

Ricky Jervais wrote this for him to act in... This is plain to see. If you take that into account, and the fact that true comedy is serious and unintentional (something that Americans don't seem to understand; I am sorry, but slapstick is NOT comedy), then this film is a masterpiece...The interplay of Characters is extremely well crafted.The Characters have been formed properly and with the perfect intent of the conveyance of the story line.The editing and flow of the film is very good.The overall effect is astounding and I took immense pleasure in watching it...I will recommend this film to everyone. I predict that this film will become a cult classic...