The Trip (2011)

So much average

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Steve and Rob are both well known comedians and actors who have been friends for over 11 years and have worked together on several projects. The Trip has them taking on a small, filler job, touring the north of England to write a few restaurant reviews. The movie is about their friendship and how hard it often is for male friends to move beyond the superficial and amusing and to let their guard down with each other long enough to be real and thereby, vulnerable. Steve is in denial about his aging, his relationships with women, and about the scope of his career. He is a man whose ego is fragile and he goes to great lengths to protect it. Rob is much more comfortable and philosophical about his own life. Contented and happy, he sees no need to compete with Steve, and so a true friendship is able to blossom. It's brilliant!

Another example of British self indulgent "comedy", if I was able to speak to these two I would tell them they are not half as funny, ingenuous, witty or even deep as they think they are: they are in love with themselves!!!! but you cannot fuel a movie with cheesy imitations of Michael Caine, nice (but average after all) landscapes, and incoherent scenes of people eating and cooking; the only aspect that I found interesting was the depiction of the decadence of Coogan as it was matching melancholy of the scenery; but again, this does not make it entertaining or worth watching; there is an overflow of arrogance and a smell of moth in this humor that only can be enjoyed if you are of the same class, but guys, the rest of the world has moved on decades ago while you stand still watching it from the perspective of the metropolis versus the colonies, this humor has no future, fortunately for us, and it is rarely enjoyed outside of England or Britain, thank God.

There is much to like about this unique little film - witty often improvised dialog, unbelievably beautiful landscapes of rural northern England, the food (THE FOOD!). The 2 main characters are on a road trip assignment to review various high-end restaurants. The movie captures these dining experiences and the shared time between these 2 long-time friends. The leads are very engaging although at times the underlying competitiveness of their relationship is a little off-putting and repetitive, but probably an accurate portrayal of such characters.Originally a British TV series, the film is an condensed version of one season, and the result (for time purposes) feels a little short-changed in the development of the characters. However, the overall fun in watching the movie makes this flaw acceptable.Be sure to watch the DVD bonus feature focusing on the food eaten throughout the movie as the bonus feature details the plating and preparation which are a little hurried during the main feature.A recently released film documenting this twosome on a journey in Italy should be a worthy follow-up.For my other movie reviews, please visit: https://nomorewastedmovienights.wordpress.com

This film strikes the viewer with its captivating simplicity ,from start to finish you can hardly believe that the people in the movie were actually acting ,the brilliant performances by Coogan and Brydon augments the already witty and well written dialogue that came off very naturally as an everyday conversation of two friends eating in a restaurant ,with hardly any impression of "synthetic" dialogue, but nonetheless keeping it fun and interesting to watch ,with enough jokes to keep you smiling for a good part of the movie. And if it isn't for the dialogue , "The trip" is definitely worth watching for the beautiful shots of the beautiful English countryside.