IFC Films | Release Date:June 10, 2011 | Not Rated
Summary:When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon. As the brilliant comic duo, freestyling with flair, driveWhen Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon. As the brilliant comic duo, freestyling with flair, drive each other mad with constant competition and showdowns of competing impressions, the ultimate odd couple realize in the end a rich amount about not only good food, but the nature of fame, relationships and their own lives. [IFC Films]…Expand
Outstanding film. As we were leaving the theater, three 40-something women were bashing it as pretentious, self-indulgent, and overlong by 30 minutes. I can't believe they watched the same film we did. It has enormous laughs, and some seriously touching moments. I'm now a huge fan of RobOutstanding film. As we were leaving the theater, three 40-something women were bashing it as pretentious, self-indulgent, and overlong by 30 minutes. I can't believe they watched the same film we did. It has enormous laughs, and some seriously touching moments. I'm now a huge fan of Rob Brydon - what a tremendous talent. It's also a visually beautiful film, with some amazing food/restaurant moments. The impressions and off-the-cuff conversations are side-splittingly funny.…Expand
Went in with no expectations as I was unaware of the actors previous work. Attended in a small theatre in Portland (The Living Room) with an audience who was both open and discerning. This film was well paced, beautifully filmed and extremely funny and brilliantly executed. Other audiencesWent in with no expectations as I was unaware of the actors previous work. Attended in a small theatre in Portland (The Living Room) with an audience who was both open and discerning. This film was well paced, beautifully filmed and extremely funny and brilliantly executed. Other audiences might have been disappointed due to the lack of car chases or crude humour but for those who value well crafted work this is one movie you must see.…Expand
After seeing both the film and miniseries version, I prefer the former. Still, the same idea. Take two talented comedians, throw them in a Land Rover together and send them off to England's rustic and picturesque Lake District. On the way, they annoy each other (or rather Brydon annoysAfter seeing both the film and miniseries version, I prefer the former. Still, the same idea. Take two talented comedians, throw them in a Land Rover together and send them off to England's rustic and picturesque Lake District. On the way, they annoy each other (or rather Brydon annoys Coogan), attempt to out-do each other in terms of impressions (Michael Caine, Al Pacino, Richard Burton, Woody Allen) while visiting hoity-toity restaurants, sipping all kinds of wine, taking in the wild and wondrous scenery and for Coogan, being naughty with several ladies. The movie uses the characters to present meaningful contrasts in life choices. Coogan (both comedians are playing 'versions' of themselves) is ambitious but conflicted and wonders if he shouldn't go off to America and take on bigger, flashier roles. His girlfriend is already there, doing work and during their abrupt phone chats, you get an idea of tension. Meanwhile, Brydon is happily married, and new father and Coogan can't help but feel envious while hoping to rebuild his relationship with his own son. Layered over this wayward inner/outer journey is Michael Nyman's spare piano pieces, adding a meditative and wistful tone. Highlights include: the scenery, the impromptu impressions and Coogan, while out on a hike, encountering a know-it-all amateur geologists who knows everything about limestone rock formations. It is very British but in a mildly snobby, but charming, cheerful way.…Expand
The acting is spectacular - this proves to be the only actual good component, making this film one actually worth watching. Otherwise, you'd be wasting your time on a boring food fest bursting your desires to spend an insane amount of money on relatively bland food.
The Trip is a 2010 movie I downloaded from Netflix, partly because I was very impressed with Steve Coogan in Philomena, where he starred and co-wrote the screenplay. The Trip is a romp, and it’s one of those romps that turn out to be more fun for the actors than the audience, although that’sThe Trip is a 2010 movie I downloaded from Netflix, partly because I was very impressed with Steve Coogan in Philomena, where he starred and co-wrote the screenplay. The Trip is a romp, and it’s one of those romps that turn out to be more fun for the actors than the audience, although that’s not to say that the audience can’t enjoy it too. But it’s always a problem when actors play themselves in a movie. What is to be gained by playing yourself in a movie that creates an otherwise fictionalized setting? In The Trip, it turns out to be very little. Actors usually hide behind their characters, and they can freely play out the best and worst instincts known to humanity—that’s what actors do; it is their profession. But when they play themselves, which is not recommended, they hide behind their character only selectively, wanting to aggrandize their best characteristics, and when the human foibles are portrayed, well, that’s just the fictional part, or at the very least, as Coogan insisted in an interview, it’s an exaggeration. Trying to figure out which parts are real and which are exaggerated or just pure fiction becomes the challenge for the audience, who has better things to think about than the faults to be found in Steve Coogan and his co-star, Rob Brydon,
In short, The Trip centers on Coogan getting a magazine commission reviewing the best restaurants in Northern England, where one can find exquisite haute cuisine that would rival Paris. England is generally not known for such superb fare, a reputation that goes back at least a couple of centuries. (Heinrich Heine traveled to England in 1827 and said that when he left, he threw himself at the feet of the first French chef he met.) Coogan admits that in real life he would never accept such a commission, and that he has no skill in the art of culinary critique. In the movie, he also has no such skill. He never once inquires about ingredients, never once savors a trace of rosemary or marjoram, and when given an elaborately mixed green drink that was the pride of the house, his only remark was that it looked like snot. That’s fine for real life, but in the fiction played out in the film, how did Coogan earn his commission?
Instead, the trip is an excuse to celebrate a bromance between two very talented, attractive, and charismatic British actors, because that is who they are in real life. They rib each other, put each other down, and enjoy a rivalry that centers on who can sing the most octaves and who can do the best impersonation of Michael Caine, James Bond (differentiating between Connery and Moore), and Woody Allen. Coogan wins hands down with Woody Allen—his impersonation of the famous Brooklyn stutter is so perfect, it almost sounds like a voice-over.
The two actors are charming, almost irresistible. But when it comes to women, Brydon has thrown in the towel and is faithfully married (both in the film and in real life), while Coogan is a real jerk with women (both in the film and in real life). The film has him a little depressed, because Mischa (Margo Stilley), his girlfriend, refused to go on the trip with him and instead went to the States to further her career. But in spite of his romantic grief, he still picks up a pretty clerk in his rural hotel. The next morning he barely bids her adieu; it’s not clear that he even knows her name. This behavior, it later comes out in the plot, is routine for Coogan. In real life, Coogan is happily paired up with a woman half his age (he’s 49), who is a model best known for her cheesy lingerie ads that make her look like she’s a 40DD. Now, was that an “exaggeration” in the film when he was depicted as being a cad who has minimal respect for intelligent women? Will the real Steve Coogan please stand up?
In the future, Coogan should stick to fictional characters who allow him to forget himself. It’s for the best. Nevertheless, The Trip entertains even as it bewilders.…Expand
A double-bill of the film versions of BBC series THE TRIP, the first season is in 2010, Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour Northern England’s finest restaurants, but his then girlfriend Mischa (Stilley) back-pedals in the last minute, so Coogan asks his friend, the comedian andA double-bill of the film versions of BBC series THE TRIP, the first season is in 2010, Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour Northern England’s finest restaurants, but his then girlfriend Mischa (Stilley) back-pedals in the last minute, so Coogan asks his friend, the comedian and impressionist Rob Brydon to come with him instead. The second season is released this year, and the pair embarks on a trip to Italy for the another restaurant review tour. Both seasons are separately compressed into two film features by its director Michael Winterbottom.
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No,Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon doesn't "play themselves".They are trying to somehow attract visitors to English countryside.And to boost sales of Range Rover cars.Looks like a long and boring commercial.But there is a funny side as well.Food,that ostensibly they are being served,by wellNo,Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon doesn't "play themselves".They are trying to somehow attract visitors to English countryside.And to boost sales of Range Rover cars.Looks like a long and boring commercial.But there is a funny side as well.Food,that ostensibly they are being served,by well trained staff,you will hardly encounter in top London restorants!…Expand