The Trip

You can read the story synopsis elsewhere on these pages. My review is all about how thoroughly enjoyable it was to see two intelligent men on screen. It's something rare in American male testosterone driven films which are aimed at the teeny bopper male group. This film ran a gamut of references fro Coleridge to ABBA and never missed a beat.

I really just want to salute the movie as a triumph that says you don't need bombs, explosions or farts to make a film enjoyable. The conversations ran so smoothly. One would have thought them natural as in a cinema verite...........I knew nothing of the stars nor their UK experience and CV.............I just enjoyed listening to them without any prior historical context...........it also made me want to visit northern England to enjoy the food, scenes and outdoors. Worth a watch on a nice quiet peaceful American night. Maybe it will rub off on us.

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?

The first thing I noticed about this pair up was that the two were made for each other. Their dialogues are so easy, so effortless follow there was no awareness of the intrusion of false, unnecessary dialogue. This is for the movie version. I had a hard time buying the notion that this was a piece of fiction when it most likely was, but that's how smooth the personal and theatrical mixed in. The other lovely part is how the theatrical structure for the piece, the necessary obstructions, personal dilemmas, blended in so seamlessly. These people weren't acting. Oh yes they were! The story, low key as it is, is set against the bleak north country with snow on the ground and complemented by the considerable sophistication of the restaurants. It takes a genuine student of human character to illuminate human behavior in a way this comprehending of the slight struggles for control, as well as the peculiar side effects of self indulgence. It looks simple and easy. To make it this recognizable and entertaining is not. Or maybe it is if you're in their profession in a non Hollywood sort of way.

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-