The Trip essentially stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as themselves. The film has main characters loosely based on the people acting them, and you will keep losing track of whether you're watching a film or a documentary. Is this real or isn't it?
Coogan is an actor who aspires to appear in mainstreamHollywoodfilms. He's carved a successful career for himself in British TV and art films, yetUSfame eludes him. His old friend Brydon is a Welsh comedian and mimic who is also moderately successful in theUK, but unlike Coogan, he is content with his lot in life. Coogan has been commissioned to review a bunch of fancy restaurants scattered aroundNorthern England, and he takes Brydon along for the week-long trip after his on-off girlfriend Mischa (Stilley) bails.
On paper, it sounds rather sparse and empty, and in a way it is; yet it's still really funny. This is a no-frills production and there's absolutely nothing fancy about the whole film; except for the food, which consists of fancy multi-course meals made by top European chefs. If you're a fellow cooking show devotee, watching snippets of the food being prepared is just as entertaining as the comedy.
Shot mostly in the countryside, the film's breathtaking scenery provides gorgeous views despite the dreary English skies. Also, while there is nothing out of the ordinary about the camera work and the editing; it works perfectly to keep the focus on the two leads. Pretty much everything in the film takes a backseat; allowing both Coogan and Brydon to shine.
Regardless of whether these two are old friends in real life or not, they definitely convey it convincingly. And while Coogan is rather blasé about their friendship and frequently gives the impression that he finds Brydon rather irritating, it's also obvious that Coogan is getting more out of the friendship and depends on it more than Brydon does. Brydon has his wife to fall back on, whereas Coogan has an ex-wife who isn't exactly his biggest fan and his relationship with his girlfriend is rather rocky. Brydon's goofy, down-to-earth persona is the perfect foil to Coogan's prima donna, and they play off of each other perfectly.
Their banter carries the whole thing. They bicker, squabble, have ABBA sing-alongs in the car and impersonate famous people. This reviewer's personal favourite was Brydon's Woody Allen impression with his hilariously accurate Al Pacino and De Niro impersonations coming in close seconds. Celeb impressions notwithstanding, the funniest parts were probably Coogan's two dream sequences, one of which stars Ben Stiller as himself.
The Trip is for fans of straight-up comedy with dark undertones, for people who don't need a lot happening on screen to hold their attention. Yes, you will be basically watching two (very funny) blokes argue for the better part of two hours; but it's so worth it.
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Staff Writer for Cairo 360
Original article on:Cairo360
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