The Trip

They say that to really know someone you have to travel with them and after The Trip it becomes very clear that you should never enter a car with two British comedians. In The Trip, which is both hysterically funny and mind numbing at the same time we get to better know England’s Steve Coogan and Wales’ Rob Brydon.  Originally conceived as a six-episode television series The Trip has been edited to produce a feature length film. In it Steve Coogan plays Steve Coogan, a British actor who is trying to break free of his television persona and become the star he’s meant to be in American films, and Rob Brydon who plays Rob Brydon, a popular British television star who is beloved in his home country.
 
In the beginning Steve has accepted a writing assignment from a magazine to tour the north country of England and sample various culinary hot spots and country inns. He took the assignment to impress his “foodie” American girlfriend, but she abandons him at the last moment to take a job back in the states. This leaves Steve scrambling for a traveling companion and the task falls to his old friend Rob.
 
Since both men are playing variations of themselves it is hard to know where the truth ends and the fiction begins, but according to the film Rob and Steve have known each other for eleven years and have worked together in television. Rob is a happy sort. He has a wife, child and a successful career. Steve on the other hand is very frustrated. After a few critically acclaimed roles in American film his career has stalled and he feels his celestial clock ticking. He has been forty-one for the past three years and feels that if something doesn’t happen soon he’ll lose all his momentum.
 
On the road Steve takes every opportunity to ridicule his friend and make sure that he is always viewed as the bigger star, but Rob takes it all in stride. He feels like the luckiest man in the world and he doesn’t resent Steve’s his American success. But Steve is indignant that his romantic trip is now being shared with a short, loutish Welshman. Steve is miserable and doesn’t mind sharing his discontent.
 
What makes this movie so funny is the constant banter between the two comedians and their clash of personality. Steve is supposed to be critiquing food but after his first meal enjoying some tomato soup all he could come up with is that it tasted very “tomatoey” and very “soupy”. Rob counters with an equally inane description, which leads to an extended comic riff. Steve and Rob compete over everything from celebrity impressions, to line readings, to who has the better room. And Steve must always come out on top. But Rob doesn’t care; he’s just enjoying the ride and time spent with his sparring partner. You can’t put a happy man down and that makes him even more annoying.
 
I really enjoyed this movie and found myself chuckling throughout. Some have said that it worked better on television being divided into smaller doses so it’s easier to take, but I don’t know. I’ve been around guys like these and the constant need for affirmation can be exhausting, but for me that’s what makes this film work. Underneath the laughter is the insecurity found in most comedians and Steve’s character is in a delicate place. In truth he is jealous of Rob and envies his modest life.
 
I love the contrast in this film. On one hand you have these posh, elegant dining establishments full of pretentious servers and serious chefs and on the other hand you have these two guys getting loud and doing dueling impressions trying to decide who does the best Michael Caine. You have the inns, the country, the historical significance and then you have a guy pouting because an old lady was more excited about meeting a TV star than an award-winning film actor. I found the juxtaposition poignant and funny. And like any road trip if your companion becomes too tedious and begins to drive you crazy, just put on your sunglasses, nod a lot and enjoy the scenery out the window. This movie may have felt long to some but for me it was a pleasant ride. Besides, the good thing about roads trips is that they always end. This one may have been long, but for me it was a good one. I wouldn’t mind traveling with them again.

Rating: First Run Posh food, country inns, and dueling Michael Caines