Edited down from a three-hour BBC miniseries, the road movie The Trip stars British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as “themselves,” as they eat their way across north England on a restaurant tour and argue about which of them is more brilliant. Coogan and Brydon are funny men who were hilarious together in Tristram Shanty: A Cock And Bull Story, directed by Michael Winterbottom, who also helmed The Trip. They’re frequently funny in The Trip as well, as they do dueling impressions of Michael Caine and Bond villains, or compare their respective careers—Coogan’s has stalled a bit, while Brydon’s is trucking along nicely. But somewhere in the process of cutting six half-hour TV episodes down to feature-film length, Winterbottom seems to have lost some sense of what The Trip really is. Is it enough just to record scattered moments of inspired Coogan/Brydon riffing, or mightn’tThe Trip have had a little more… purpose?
Movie Synopsis
In an effort to impress his gourmand American girlfriend, Misha, Steve Coogan has accepted a commission from The Observer newspaper to go on a restaurant tour of the north of England. However, when Misha (who was meant to accompany him on the trip) insists that they take a break from their relationship and returns to America, Steve is forced to invite colleague and friend-of-sorts Rob Brydon.
Throughout the series the two constantly bicker and attempt to undermine and outdo each other, especially in the presence of any attractive women they encounter. Steve has a number of one-night stands but is increasingly revealed to be in a rut both professionally and personally, with Rob at one point – as Steve gets stuck attempting to cross a river using a series of stepping stones – shouting out to him, "You're stuck in a metaphor!"
The competitive atmosphere between the two is occasionally broken by passages of amicable and spontaneous comic improvisation, with each riffing off the other's ideas.
Movie Trailer
The Trip Trailer
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