Two journalists fake their kidnapping during an uprising in Ecuador
​and hide in New York, only to captivate people with their story.

COMEDY

Special Correspondents (2016)

Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais

Starring Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, America Ferrera, ​Raúl Castillo, Benjamin Bratt

Remake of 2009's Special Correspondents

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Connor Eyzaguirre

July 20, 2016

7/10

Special Correspondents is not nearly as horrendous as critics have claimed. For a remake, it's surprisingly entertaining, even if its subject matter gets old awfully quick. I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais's comedy, so I was willing to give this film the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, without him and Eric Bana, this would be a huge disaster. They're the only two people keeping this film together, as everyone else is either two-dimensional or just plain infuriating.

Ricky Gervais plays bumbling technician Ian Finch, assistant to ace reporter Frank Bonneville (Bana). When Finch accidentally throws away their passports and plane tickets to Ecuador, the two hatch a scheme to fake their radio report of a rebel uprising and hide out in New York City. They manage to convince everybody that they're in the midst of the action, so much so that the government intervenes and wants to get them out of there. Knowing that their scheme will be uncovered, they fake their own kidnapping. Special Correspondents is a film that relies on one big thing after another happening in order to justify the ridiculous scheme of the two leads. It's funny to watch them bicker, especially when they actually go to Ecuador to set things right (sort of).

I think that if Gervais hadn't had complete control over the project, it would've been much more well-received. I think he's good at writing for himself, but not really for other characters, unless all of them are terrible people. For example, Vera Farmiga's role as Finch's wife Eleanor was well-written because she was a despicable human being. Kelly Macdonald, however, did a decent job with what she had, but her character was given very little depth beyond the fact that she's in love with Finch. Special Correspondents is a mildly entertaining movie that could've and should've been a great deal more.