The Trip

Name: The Trip
Genre: Comedy
Released: June 10, 2011
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 82

2011

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 33 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

See All

6.5

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.5	Your Score
6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Trip

Now Playing: The Trip

Movie Details & Credits

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

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 109 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Mick LaSalle

Jun 16, 2011

So it's two guys traveling, eating and talking. Doesn't sound like much. But it's terrific. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Jun 8, 2011

The Trip looks like a lark - and is - yet there's a sneaky resonance to the way it celebrates what acting means to these two rogue cutups. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

Jul 14, 2011

Screamingly funny. Like I said, terrific stuff. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Jun 6, 2011

The central appeal of The Trip is that it's only a comedy in bits and pieces. Overall, however, Winterbottom constructs a thoughtful and generally sad portrait of Coogan's persona as a man unsure of his next move. Read full review

J. Hoberman

Jun 7, 2011

The verbal jousts are droll and the countryside is splendid, although the food - an endless succession of fussy little presentations - may be an acquired taste. Read full review

Roger Moore

Jun 17, 2011

The riffing, the one-upsmanship, the off-the-cuff zingers and the singing (ABBA, a great favorite of Coogan's most famous creation, the dizzy talk show host Alan Partridge) make The Trip an easy-going trek down a road well-traveled by these two. Read full review

Ray Bennett

Jun 7, 2011

The project suffers badly from being largely improvised as the pair fall back on familiar impressions and old jokes. Lazy and indulgent, it smacks of being what the British call a "jolly," that is a freebie with no obligation to turn in work afterward. Read full review

SEE ALL 33 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

MarcDoyle

Jun 13, 2011

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

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Greatwhitenorth

Aug 26, 2011

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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Flipje

May 26, 2021

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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

House0fWolves_

Dec 16, 2011

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ClariseSamuels

Dec 24, 2014

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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

lasttimeisaw

Dec 15, 2014

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.

continue reading my review on my blog, google: cinema omnivore, thanks… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

dillettante

Aug 17, 2011

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

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

SEE ALL 20 REVIEWS