David Brent: Life on the Road Review

Life on the Road sees the former General Manager of Wernham-Hogg taking a hiatus from his new job as a sales rep in order to pursue his dream of rock stardom. A documentary team – the same one from The Office, naturally – follow him and his long-suffering band on their underwhelming three-week tour.

Gervais goes all-in – Brent is hideously awkward while interacting with others. When his band repeatedly abandon him to enjoy themselves free of his suffocating presence, it’s honestly hard to blame them. The David Brent character may be better suited to an ensemble piece. Keeping the focus entirely on his cringe-inducing antics often becomes exhausting.

Ben Bailey Smith (also known as Doc Brown) portrays a rapper who has been dragged along for the ride. Essentially everyone aside from Brent serves as a straight man, but Smith brings a certain charm to his performance. The inevitable moment he takes centre-stage is a high point.

That said, Brent’s music is surprisingly good, even if few people in the film think so. Gervais, aided by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, produced a number of new tracks for the film, while also reviving some of Brent’s songs from The Office. The soundtrack is solid, and some of the best jokes of the film are delivered lyrically.

It ultimately comes down to personal taste and whether watching a middle-aged man’s failure to connect to those around him sounds like fertile ground for comedy, or just depressing. Fans of Gervais’ humour will probably find the 96 minutes an entertaining romp. For others, however, it may feel like a long road indeed.

In cinemas August 19