Fans of the original “The Office” can now rejoice, for Ricky Gervais is reviving his character for a Netflix series.
Gervais has premiered “David Brent: Life on the Road” that follows his character as he explores his new job in the same documentary format.
Gervais’s character, the self-delusional and hypocritical former boss, David Brent, is back and we learn that 15 years after we last saw him, he’s now working as a traveling sales rep for a company that makes bathroom products. His dreams of being a rock star haven’t diminished and decides to finally act on it.
Taking his pension to pay for expenses and a month’s unpaid leave, Brent decides to get his band, Foregone Conclusion, back together and do a UK tour, partnering with a friend who is hoping to be a rapper, Brent hopes to hit it big.
Unfortunately his troubling, hilarious antics and mayhem ensue, such as having to pay session musicians with some of said pension to pose as members after the reunion falls through and his supposedly heartfelt and diverse songs succeeding in only weirding out and insulting people.
Gervais was very pleased to do the film and to reprise his role, saying in Rolling Stone, “This film delves much more into his private life than ”The Office” ever did and we really get to peel back the layers of this extraordinary, ordinary man.”
The British version of “The Office,” which ran for two seasons from 2001 to 2003, was actually the inspiration behind many other international mockumentary series about white-collar workers working crummy jobs under jerky bosses.
This includes the popular American version starring Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski that ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013.
When the movie first premiered in its native Britain last year, it was a pretty big hit with fans of the old show and has since received generally favorable reviews from most critics. Now people in America can see it on Netflix and also watch the original “The Office” as well.
Jacob Kusnerik
Intern