Ricky Gervais is not only back on the big screen this week with David Brent: Life on the Road, but the movie also sees the actor return to the director's chair.
David Brent: Life on the Road
David Brent: Life on the Road is the fourth feature film of his directing career
- The Invention of Lying (2009)
Gervais has directed episodes of The Office and Extras by he didn't make his feature film directorial debut until 2009 with The Invention of Lying.
The movie saw the filmmaker team up with Matthew Robinson as the directed and wrote the comedy film together. As well as working behind the camera, Gervais also took on the central role of Mark Bellison.
Gervais brought together a great cast as Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K. Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey all also starred alongside the actor/filmmaker.
The Invention of Lying was one of Gervais' early leading roles as well as being his feature film directorial debut... and the film did go on to be a success.
The movie is a fun one that allows some great performers to kick back and show off their comic abilities; Gervais and Garner do make a wonderful comedy team.
The film is set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.
The Invention of Lying did open to mix reviews but the film went on to gross $32.4 million at the global box office; easily making back its $18.5 million budget.
So far, The Invention of Lying has been the biggest success of Gervais' directing career so far... but I think we are going to see David Brent: Life on the Road to surpass that and be a big box office success.
- Cemetery Junction (2010)
A year later, Gervais returned to the director's chair for indie film Cemetery Junction, which saw him team up with Stephen Merchant on both directing and writing duties.
Gervais and Merchant and worked together previously on The Office and Extras and it was their first film project together - it was great to see them teaming up once again.
Once again, Gervais was also on the cast list but it was more as a member of the supporting cast instead of the leading role.
Christian Cooke took on the central role of Freddie Taylor in this coming of age drama and was joined on the cast list by Felicity Jones, Tom Hughes, Jack Doolan, Julia Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Burn Gorman and Matthew Goode; at the time, it was a mix of established stars and up and coming young acting talent.
In 1970s England, three blue-collar friends spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls. Freddie (Cooke) wants to leave their working-class world but cool, charismatic Bruce (Hughes) and lovable loser Snork (Doolan) are happy with life the way it is.
When Freddie gets a new job as a door-to-door salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie (Felicity Jones), the gang are forced to make choices that will change their lives for ever.
Gervais captured the period brilliantly and has crafted an interesting story with some great characters. While the movie was met by mixed reviews, it did struggle at the box office upon release.
- Special Correspondents (2016)
After directing television series Derek and Life's Too Short, Gervais returned to a film project with Special Correspondents, which was his first solo directed movie project.
As well as being in the director's chair, Gervais also penned the film's screenplay. The movie was a remake of the 2009 French comedy Envoyés très spéciaux.
The movie saw Eric Bana team up with Gervais as they took on the central roles of radio journalist Frank Bonneville and his sound technician Ian Finch.
Vera Farmiga, Kevin Pollak, Kelly MacDonald, Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera, and Raúl Castillo completed a very exciting and talented cast list.
A radio journalist and his technician get in over their heads when they hatch a scheme to fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in South America and hide out in New York instead.
The movie did go on to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and received a worldwide release on Netflix, which has become a major player in bringing movies to a much larger audience.
But Special Correspondents was not a critical hit for Gervais; in fact, it is the biggest critical disappointment of his directing career to date.
- David Brent: Life on the Road (2016)
David Brent was the character that made Ricky Gervais a star when we saw him in hit television series The Office. He is bringing this character to the big screen for the first time this week with David Brent: Life on the Road.
David Brent: Life on the Road is written and directed by Gervais and sees him reprise the title role. The movie is set twelve years after events of The Office and Brent is looking to achieve rock and roll stardom.
Doc Brown, Andy Burrows, Tom Basden, Rebecca Gethings, and Nina Sosanya complete the film's cast list.
The film catches up with Brent twelve years on from the BBC mockumentary 'The Office' to find he is now a travelling salesman with Lavichem, a cleaning and ladies' personal hygiene products company. However, he hasn't given up on his dream of rock stardom and is about to embark on a self-financed UK tour with his band, 'Foregone Conclusion'.
Assembling a group of session musicians who are just in it for the money, and talented rapper Dom (Ben Bailey Smith) in an attempt to gain street cred, Brent cashes in his pensions and takes unpaid leave in a bid to turn his dream into reality. Get ready to join David Brent on the road as he takes one last shot at fame and fortune.
David Brent: Life on the Road is released 19th August.
Tagged in Ricky Gervais