Ricky Gervais’ standing in Hollywood apparently shows no sign of waning. He has just been announced as the master of ceremonies for the 2010 Golden Globes. When asked why he was chosen, Gervais joked: "I don't know! Maybe I'm cheap? They're saving on presenters now because they all need goody bags.”
Gervais Takes Emmy Back from Steve Carell
In reality, the English comedian’s style is more suited to the off-the-cuff nature of the Globes as opposed to the preening self-importance of the Oscars. As he showed in snatching back his Emmy off Steve Carell in 2008, Gervais is the master of mockery, able to build on a cutting verbal confidence when the gag is running on his terms.
The Comedy of Embarrassment
Perhaps, just perhaps, the first signs of cracks are showing in the Ricky Rules Empire. His latest flick, The Invention of Lying has got mixed reviews. You get the feeling, Gervais doesn’t like to put his name to average, but that’s what five out of ten means. The Sunday Times’ critic Cosmo Landesman described it as “an underdeveloped work by an overindulged comic.” The main problem appears to be the film premise itself, the concept that no one is embarrassed by telling truths. Given that Gervais’ best work relies on the comedy of embarrassment, the snitch button is hit in a major way.
Gervais has certainly proved himself to be an able lead in Ghost Town, so the knives should be kept in their sheaths for the time being in respect of his movie career. He may just be a little bit more hurt than he would like to let on though.
David Brent Dance at Concert for Diana 2007
It is his stand-up routines that have provoked the most mixed reaction, most notably when he had to do impromptu ‘filler’ during the Concert for Diana in 2007 which consisted of him doing that David Brent dance and some rather flat material on global warming. Even if he was trying to save material for more ‘official’ dates, it didn’t show Gervais in a great light. Isn’t a master of comedy meant to improvise when the chips are down?
His one man shows have consisted of one subject titles, Animals, Science, Fame and Politics, but often the main humour and the more interesting insights centre on the man himself not the content of the show. Does he have to be so self-centred to be funny? His career never started in the pubs or clubs of England, so the stand up ethos was not an organic part of his armoury.
Extras Not as Funny as The Office
Whether the admiration of the Hollywood set that lined up to star in his second vehicle, Extras, which hardly had the laugh-out loud moments of The Office, will still be there in a few years is questionable. After all, how much self-mockery can be disguised when you keep winning awards?
Gervais once said: “I never tried hard at anything. I was born smart on a very working-class estate. A couple of people I knew went to university apart from me, but all the way through I was the smartest kid in the school. That's luck, but I was proud of it. And I was also proud of doing well without trying.”
Is it just possible, that having enjoyed The Office because of “how hard it was”, the smartest kid on the estate has used his energy on one thing, albeit great?
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