Ricky Gervais Meets... Garry Shandling

Ricky Gervais has had one of the most successful and highest selling BBC comedies ever with The Office and with Extras was able to engage Hollywood stars not normally found on television. However he has turned down Hollywood roles and million dollar endorsements so how does he benefit from his success? He meets his idols – on this occasion Garry Shandling.

After meeting Christopher Guest, Ricky Gervais goes back to LA to meet up with Shandling and during the interview he declares that he is not a real interviewer. He says this but then annoyingly continues to make himself the centre of the film rather than using restraint and working with Shandling. This has been a common problem with all of the "Meets…" films is that Gervais has to say whatever comes to his mind. With Larry David it seemed to work because that suited David, whereas with Guest it didn't quite work because he wasn't like this. With Shandling it is immediately evident that this approach won't work with Shandling because he's not really having any of it.

And it is tremendous to see Gervais put on the back foot for the majority of the film. For some reason Gervais doesn't quite get it and gradually gets his confidence back and starts blurting things out but it doesn't seem to phase Shandling. So for the most part then this "Meets…" is better than the first two because Shandling does not allow Gervais to dominate him and it is much better for it. It helps that he is a difficult person to interview and makes it clear that he won't be making it an easy ride. He can be funny as a result but when he is given room his chat is actually pretty good with plenty of personal insight and comment into his work. Keeping Gervais down also stops it becoming a love-in as some of the other films do, although it does get a bit like that here and there.

Overall then this is actually a pretty interesting and funny chat. There is no chemistry between the two men but the controlling patience and difficult nature of Shandling puts Gervais on the back foot and sees him sit back and allow Shandling to flow (for a while, then he forgets again). Worth seeing because Shandling is very smart and funny but also because he doesn't allow Gervais to be the show in the way the latter often can be.