The Trip

If you have 2 minutes to waste reading this review, I suggest instead you go to Youtube, search "the trip michael caine" and watch it. If it makes you laugh, expect more of the same in this movie. If it doesn't do anything for you, then don't bother watching the film. Although I can't imagine any human with a pulse not being tickled by that great scene.

"The Trip" has no real story. As explained in the first 10 seconds of the film, it's simply about Steve Coogan (played by Steve Coogan) who reluctantly invites his quasi-friend Rob Brydon (played by Rob Brydon) in on an assignment reviewing restaurants in northern UK.

What follows is 172 minutes of bizarre, awkward and painful humour which, like in the "Michael Caine" clip, centers around the 2 quirky characters and their polite antagonism of each other. If you haven't already seen the Coogan-Brydon schtick (as in "Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story") I can only describe it as classic. It's almost a throwback to Laurel & Hardy or Abbot & Costello but with intelligence rather than slapstick. Coogan plays the somewhat superior egotist while Brydon plays the clown (who always gets the better of his counterpart).

"The Trip" was originally a 6-part series that aired on BBC in 2010, strung into a feature film released in 2011. The whole show was largely improvised, and in the excellent bonus features on the film DVD we can see the evolution of their routines as well as some other gags that didn't make it to the final version (such as the hilariously surreal "C-NT SONG" and accompanying dance choreography).

The pacing of the film is somewhat slow, but that works to its advantage. It makes the whole experience flow realistically, not contrived. The gags are like islands of hilarity in a sea of Coogan's otherwise dreary life. Also note, even though I said there's no story, there actually is if you read between the lines. Ironically, it's a rather heavy story touching on the themes of loneliness, dissatisfaction and Shakespearean "sound and fury signifying nothing". I was extremely impressed that director Michael Winterbottom could make such a funny film within such a bleak premise.

Watch it closely and you'll be both entertained and affected. Films I'd compare this to are "Tristram Shandy" (another excellent Coogan-Brydon-Winterbottom collaboration), "Coffee and Cigarettes" (also featuring Coogan in a stylish, artistic comedy by Jim Jarmusch) and some of the Christopher Guest films, such as "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show".

I thoroughly enjoyed The Trip. Not only did the movie capture British humor perfectly but the scenery of Northern England's Lake District and the Pennine mountains made me want to go there. This movie did borrow somewhat from Sideways but in a less substantial way. This was a lighthearted, humorous road movie in the British tradition which also required you to think! The literary references throughout the movie such as the poet Coleridge and others was thought provoking and humorous at the same time.

If you are a fan of American comedy that is unfortunately coming out of Hollywood at the moment, such as The Hangover, Horrible Bosses etc, this will not be your cup of tea. I wonder after seeing this, how would it have been if Monty Python ever created a road movie of this sort?

What a winning combination can be found in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in Michael Winterbottom's comedy The Trip. Utilizing every inch of British humor that they can, Coogan and Brydon take the witty script even further, making real characters out of themselves and playing it straight, whether it's hilarious or a little heartbreaking. Set up as a mockumentary, Steve Coogan (playing himself) is asked to make a country-wide tour of England and explore the best restaurants in the country. Unable to take his girlfriend, he ends up taking his actor best friend Rob Brydon (also playing himself), and the two must endure the trip together, which becomes quite a challenge for Steve and Rob. They make quite the pair from there, often feeding into one another's humor brilliantly and in only a classy way, as they try to pass the time. They deal with their (sometimes dismal) outside life, which helps the film get some weight, but mainly focuses on the silly things they do when they are on the trip, which is usually impersonating people they admire or dreaming about roles and films they wish they would and I suppose could make. Even when their humor starts to repeat itself, it is surprisingly still intriguing. This is probably because it is such a refreshing contrast from the loud and obnoxious comedies we have been accustomed to in the Hollywood market. This film is quieter, but it's so damn funny. It finds its humor from not playing dumb to the audience, and higher minded viewers will appreciate that while simpler minded viewers might even find the film dull or droning. What I found is a hilarious, classy, British comedy that never tries too hard, and in doing so, it succeeds where other comedies only wish they could. A-

The Trip is one of the odder on the road, buddy movies. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, playing themselves, take off on a road trip to northern England's finer restaurants. Coogan is assigned to sample their dishes and author a review on them for the Observer. He invites Brydon along for the ride after his girlfriend and several other friends decline the invitation first.

90% of the film is just back and forth banter between the two British comedians, mostly impressions. They compare their Michael Caine impressions and they are amazingly spot on. They also try out Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellan, Roger Moore, and a host of others. Intercut between these impressions and other comedic diatribes is a deeper and more personal story. Brydon has a wife and newborn waiting for him back in London but Coogan is in a rough patch with his younger American girlfriend and proceeds through a few one night stands during the trip. There are scenes showing his insecurity with her and a few which show the two friends comparing careers and who is more successful. Coogan is more internationally known but Brydon gets recognized more on the street in northern England.

The last film starring these two was Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story which was about how utterly hard it would be to film the novel Tristram Shandy. That film was comedic genius and still makes me laugh to think about it. The Trip does not rise to that Tristram Shandy's level, but there are plenty of moments to enjoy here, especially if you are at all familiar with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. If you have never heard of these guys before, you will not get too much out of The Trip except for some laughs at their impressions and a spectacular scene in their Range Rover about improving the line "We rise at dawn."

The Trip is a trip. It is a hilarious talkie-talk film made for an intelligently critical, foodie-obsessed, British humor-junkie like me!

I admit/know that many WILL hate watching this film about two British comedians (Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing "loose" versions of themselves by reprising their "characters" from the earlier film Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story) driving around the North Country (of England) eating in pubs and fine-dining restaurants while making fun of wine, food and culture snobs with little witticisms, bon mots and uncanny impersonations of some of Britian's top exports. There is also a lot of film and pop culture references to go along with the literary history thrown-about as the pair trek the highlands of some of Britian's late-greats (poets, writers, historians) and explore castles, manors and northern Moors.

The "story" is that Coogan has been tasked by The Observer (a British magazine) to travel the northern portions of England and write a food/wine/travel piece about his experience. As Steve's girlfriend backed-out of the trip at the last moment to fly to the states and his other go-to friends have all declined his invite, Steve reluctantly asks his old friend Rob to accompany him. Too bad for Steve; but "hahaha" for us!

The film is NOTHING more than these two getting on the other's nerves; making fun of snooty things (themselves included); eating in fine-dining establishments (glorious food prep/food porn here!); and making people laugh. If you aren't a British humor enthusiasts, avoid this one! It isn't slapstick/Benny Hill bawdy comedy here ... it is all understated, subtle humor in the delivery of lines of what these two men observe.

I found this to be somewhat of a treat to listen to (these are two highly gifted comedians) ... the beautiful Lake District and countryside of Britain was just an added bonus to it.