David Brent: Life on the Road

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David Brent: Life on the Road

2016

1h 36m

Musical

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

57%

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77 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

The film catches up with Brent 12 years after the airing of the BBC mockumentary "The Office" to find he is now a traveling salesman. 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, Brent cashes in his pensions and takes unpaid leave in a bid to turn his dream into reality.

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Critics Consensus

David Brent: Life on the Road has its moments, but this further exploration of an established character suffers in comparison to what came before.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Feb 17, 2017

It's missing, entirely, the humanizing elements of the 'Office; series - presumably because Gervias, the sole writer/director/star (and sole performer to cross over from that series) has vastly overestimated the character's appeal.

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Willa Paskin

Slate

Feb 14, 2017

Maudlin and unrealistic, it's also a lot less funny than what came before.

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Josh Modell

AV Club

Feb 13, 2017

C-

Gervais still wears Brent like a tailored suit, but 15 years of age has taken a lot of the bite out of both the performer and the character.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jul 24, 2022

2/5

…feels every bit as much of an irredeemable failure as the main character is…

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Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

May 5, 2021

4/5

The cinematic return of the middle-management moron is the best thing Gervais has done in years.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Nov 3, 2018

2/5

Brent's genius was as a clown reflecting back the excruciating banality of work culture; here, it feels like Gervais is trying to bend the material too much to his own whims.

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O g

@RT76089177 Feb 7, 2026

It's not too bad in the opening twenty minutes, has some decent lines, but overall it's fairly weak.

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Craig H

@DownWeGo Apr 11, 2025

A decent enjoyable movie with some more funny and cringe Brent shenanigans

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derek c

@RT08966020 Mar 10, 2025

Wow, what a let down,a truly pitiful,ending to a once great character. Right from the very beginning,he continues with that pathetic weak ,high pitched laugh, if he ever sadisticly watches this back,he will surely cringe at its weak characters,but that laugh is so cringeworthy! It’s going right through me and it’s only been on 20 minutes! The things he does for money!

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Alex F

@RT75856790 Jul 13, 2024

Gervais plays his iconic character from The Office. Like many characters like this, you either love them or hate them. I personally like this style of comedy and therefore quite enjoyed this film, but I can understand why some people aren't too keen on it.

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Ryan O

@RT29690119 May 15, 2024

I like it a lot! Certainly a departure from "the office" original show on BBC, but I'm definitely glad he made this updated glimpse into David Brent's life. I think Ricky Gervais had some built up material for David that he needed to get out. I can understand why some fans would rather have "the office Christmas Special" be the ending but I thought it was a bit too fairy-tale. So I'm cool with this continuation because it made me laugh quite a bit. Kinda seems forced at times which is why I can't give 5 stars like I would for it's predecessors

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Mark S

@RT34323362 Mar 14, 2024

I don't get all the negative reviews. If you liked/loved the Office you should at least enjoy this a bit. Made me laugh/cringe as expected.

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Synopsis

The film catches up with Brent 12 years after the airing of the BBC mockumentary "The Office" to find he is now a traveling salesman. 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, Brent cashes in his pensions and takes unpaid leave in a bid to turn his dream into reality.

Director: Ricky Gervais
Producer: Charlie Hanson
Screenwriter: Ricky Gervais
Production Co: BBC Films, Entertainment One
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 36m

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