Good movie but grossly overrated

Good concept, poorly executed.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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).

If there's one thing most people can agree on, it's that Ricky Gervais is a comic genius when it comes to making TV. The breadth of influence from his melancholy character creations on "The Office" and "Extras" has been seen all over the TV landscape.What's curious is that a lot of this innovation is absent in Ricky Gervais's films. "Ghost Town", "Invention of Lying" and this film basically work through the age-old comic method of character and opposing concept like (off the top of my head) guy who wishes to grow up meets adulthood ("Big" or "13 on 30" in reverse), president wielding extraordinary power meets small-town politics ("Welcome to Mooseport"), thoughtless man with no appreciation for present meets eternal present ("Groundhog Day"), or powerless man meets eternal power ("Bruce Almighty") "Ghost Town" is a case of a guy who wishes to be left alone being forced to deal with the dead on top of the living people he wishes to avoid. "Invention of Lying" is a case of man without influence gets power over gullible society. "Special Correspondents" is a case of lazy news reporters meeting real news.With the exception of "Invention of Lying" (which lends itself to home-run-hitting dialogue), none of these have the depth in their premise that could reach the same comic heights. As is, it's a decent film that works at the lower degree of difficulty set in by its script. The quieter moments of character development, though somewhat sitcom-llke, tend to work and the characters hit their notes.Ricky Gervais is a news reporter who has accepted he's a schlub in life (much like his "Invention of Lying" character at the start) despite somehow managing to snag Vera Farminga as a wife. Gervais digs relatively deep although the tone of the supporting cast (Vera Farmiga is pretty arch, America Ferrera is "Latino comical" in a way that mirrors Sofia Vergara's "Modern Family" role) and the film's plot would pick a fight with any sense of pathos. Still, Gervais is likable and kind of sweet and his chemistry with love interest (though the two have an admirably platonic vibe).Why Gervais is so stifled when he apparently has directorial control and is credited as a writer on these films is hard to figure out, but the film is what it is.

In all likelihood it went over many people's heads, considering how inundated we are with pointless comedies that often receive a far higher rating on IMDb or higher ticket sales at the box office.Great to see Eric Bana killing it again, but this time figuratively in a role as a self-confident, rogue reporter at a local news station. So too is the rest of the hilarious character gallery, along with their quirky foibles, from the manipulative money-grubbing sociopath played by Vera Farmiga to the over-emotional America Ferrera. Not to mention Gervais in the leading actor playing a fumbling doofus technician with low self-esteem, but with the redeemable quality of being kindhearted and well-meaning. Until he snorts coke, that is.. The film has a fair amount of subtle humor baked into the dialogue and contains a broader societal satire e.g. on the superficiality of news media, on the obsession with fame in today's docusoap infested society, and on the callous amorality of the drug gangs of Latin America, etc. It's also a feelgood movie you leave with a smile, but that nonetheless doesn't suffer from being syrupy and maudlin which is so typical for the genre. The low-budget remake of the original French film feels like a fresh take in a world where Hollywood constantly churns out focus group-tested flavorless rom-coms.

What annoyed me the most in Ricky Gervais' new film is the total lack of subtlety. It really feels like one of these run-of-the mill US-comedies where every joke has to be understandable to any kind of audience, albeit losing its edge, specially when half of the time, it goes along with the most cringe-worthy feature of intellectually undemanding comedies known to mankind: plucked violin strings.The misadventure of a radio journalist and his technician who miss a flight and are compelled to fake the news reports from a war zone could have been so much more in any possible way, specially given the talent of Ricky Gervais when it comes to awkward situations and weird characters. Instead, we are presented the bare minimum of what family-friendly entertainment can be. A certainly watchable, albeit totally forgettable show with cliché characters and situations that seems to be targeted at the more easily amused part of the audience and that omits any quality that has built up the reputation of Mr Gervais in the last 15 or so years.