Unterwegs mit Mum

At the beginning of the movie I would agree with some of the sentiments of the reviewers (see the scathing reviews on Rotten Tomatoes), however I stuck with it and was rewarded.

The second half really picks up and everything comes to frankly a touching and satisfying conclusion with great performances.

Which just confirms that many reviewers must have skipped out after only watching about 30 minutes of the movie and reviewed it based on the first weakest segment.

As the movie progresses the performances, the chemistry between Rogan and Streisand, the story and the comedy takes off and it becomes the movie you hoped it would be. It really has a heart, you just need to be patient for it to come along. Hang in there ;-)

Filmmakers take note - you HAVE to grab your audience in the first 20-30 minutes, especially if some of them are jaded reviewers watching screener DVDs that they might just skip if they get the least bit bored and publish a scathing review as punishment.

The Paramount marketing department would have you think this film is a wacky laugh fest. Which is a pity, since more people would enjoy the film if their expectations were different. They go in thinking the film is one way. When in reality, it's a whole other thing. The film is much more touching, funny, and real. I cared about the two main characters, and how they interacted. I was interested in what was at stake for them. For me, the smaller moments of the film made it enjoyable. It was delightful to see Streisand and Rogen working off each other like they have known each other for years. Be sure to stay for the credits to see just how well they played off each other.

"You want to drive cross-country in a car with me?" Joyce Brewster (Barbra Streisand)

Trust me –you don't want to take this trip. The problem with The Guilt Trip is that most of the lame comedy takes place in a subcompact car with two not very interesting characters, a Jewish mother, Joyce (Streisand), and her son, Andrew (Seth Rogen). You will want to get out as soon as you can, and you will feel guilt for wasting 95 minutes.

Not that more of that clichéd Jewish guilt wouldn't have been welcomed after the first act's slow setup (Andy asking mom to join him on a trip out West). Not even those stops along the way would relieve your boredom, given the pedestrian set pieces in a strip bar, a steak house, and a casino, among other seemingly random choices except that inventor Andrew visits those cities to hawk his edible cleaning product.

You can amuse yourself by counting the number of product placements ("They know me at The Gap!"), some from K Mart, Costco, Budget Rental Cars, and other businesses. For those companies, their products come off very well from Andrew's tepid pitch. Only when he finds his selling voice, does the film come alive and Rogen awakens from a sleepy first hour for him.

Making comedies is a Las Vegas gamble: Witness the uneven but far more amusing This is 40, a Judd Apatow production that at least tries to be witty about social issues for aging youngsters. The Guilt Trip tries one bit—the overbearing Jewish mother and wimpy son—and doesn't get it right (Whatever happened to that Oriental girl?").

Now I'm feeling guilty.

I almost turned this off about a half hour in; I couldn't figure out how a comedy with Streisand and Rogen couldn't be sharp & fresh and frankly, the first 30minutes or so seemed sort of dull and tired.

Anyhow, as says my summary, I'm happy I stuck it out because it picked up, came together a bit and turned into a really sweet, funny and thoughtful movie, with a lovely ending thankfully NOT so pat and perfect that it makes you want to barf.

Streisand and Rogen have an easy and convincing mother-son chemistry and naturally it is always a kick watching Streisand transform from a serious, self-controlled operatic diva into these goofy, playful, self-deprecating comedic roles.

While "The Guilt Trip" is not the type of comedy that will have you spilling your drink from laughing so hard, this is a movie not to miss out on. Why? Well, because it was a great story and the movie was nicely told.

The story is about Andrew Brewster (played by Seth Rogen) who travels across the USA with his mother Joyce Brewster (played by Barbra Streisand). Andrew has invented a fabulous cleaning product and is struggling to get companies interested. Their cross-country roadtrip gives them plenty of opportunities to get to spend time with one another in various situations.

"The Guilt Trip" is really a beautiful movie, because Seth Rogen and Barbra Steisand really play their characters so well, and the writers did a wonderful job in fleshing out and detailing the characters. The script is well written and there is a great sense of wholeness to the story.

I was surprised by "The Guilt Trip", because I hadn't at all expected this outcome from it, especially not with Seth Rogen being in one of the leads. I am not saying that I have anything against him, but his movies tend to be rather generic and following the same mold of how to make a comedy over and over. But "The Guilt Trip" surprised on many levels, and it was a great pleasure to sit down and watch it.

This is the type of movie that draws you in and makes you care and have an interest in the characters, because it is so nicely detailed and so well played. Rogen and Streisand really have great chemistry together on the screen and it shows all throughout the entire movie.

"The Guilt Trip" is not a movie to just flicker off with the wave of a hand. Watch it, enjoy it and take it to heart.