David Brent: Life on the Road

It's fair to say that 'The Office' was a well-observed mockumentary sit-com about the everyday mundanity of office life. A rare thing in a sit-com that seemed to improve as it went, making strong social comment along with laughs.

But since the success of 'The Office', the Gervais-Merchant writing team have delved into difficult areas; the social comment, and laughs, declining as they went. 'Extras' felt indulgent and 'Life's Too Short' short on a lot of things. Much like Steve Coogan with Alan Partridge before him, Ricky Gervais - after some time away in Hollywood - has now returned to the character that first made his name. However, this time Stephen Merchant isn't anywhere to be found.

As explored in the final Christmas episodes, David Brent is now working in the Berkshire area as a sales rep for a cleaning company. But, self-absorbed as ever, having saved some money, he takes some time off work, hires a backing band and sound engineer and organises a 'tour' of the region, living out his dream of being a musician. But, inevitably, his dream falls short for a second time.

The film, therefore, is a building on one of the famous 'The Office' moments, where Brent 'went home to get' his guitar and tells the story of his former dream during a rather unsuccessful training day.  What starts off as an adlibbed piece in a thirty minute episode becomes a feature film. There is a hint of over-indulgence here.

When asked why there were so many songs in 'Bigger, Longer and Uncut', Trey Parker and Matt Stone replied that they 'wanted to be rock stars.' Gervais himself is a former musician, in a band that never quite made it. 'David Brent: Life on the Road', therefore, is a vehicle for Gervais to have his music heard on a wider scale. While these are songs designed to be comical, they are passable as songs written by someone who knows his stuff, rather than coming across as too amateurish. But with so much screentime dedicated to live performances, the songs are neither good, nor funny, enough to justify the focus.

No doubt one of the funniest elements of 'The Office' was Brent's awkwardness when faced with sensitive subjects, such as race, disability and sexuality. A lot of the songs featured are along similar lines (literally), with awkward lyrics bordering on the offensive. While no offence is intended, the fact that it has become such an important part of his comedy over the years shows perhaps the frequent post-irony at play has left Gervais confused as to his own thoughts on the subjects. Moments become awkward, but for the wrong reasons.

There are laughs here: some office bants still feature; and some of the songs do hit the funny bone on occasion. But one thing that's missing here is the others: Gareth, Tim and Dawn were all important parts of 'The Office' structure, and Brent's playing off them is what made it so strong. Here though, they are not present, and his interactions with the band - with the exception of Doc Brown's Dom - are kept on stage, lacking the natural flow of the series.

But, more importantly, it may be the absence of Merchant that is most noticeable. Gervais needed the second writer to reign the Brent within and stop this feeling like life imitating art.

As Richard Herring would say: 'They should have put Tim from 'The Office' in it.'