This movie really is a trip in more ways than one. British TV star and indie movie actor Steve Coogan, playing himself, is commissioned by ‘The Observer Newspaper’ to do a mini tour of some of the fine new restaurants that have sprouted up in unlikely parts of the North of England and to write a review of his Trip. (It’s reputation is mainly for a deprived area that has as much fine dining as Ohio!) His very glamorous on-off girlfriend has taken time out from their relationship and trotted back to the USA, so a desperate Steve recruits his friend and fellow comic Rob Brydon (also playing himself) to be his traveling companion. Strictly platonic as he often points out.
What occurs on this weeklong adventure aside from some excellent mouth-watering superb cordon bleu food, is two buddies verbally sparring with each other and showing off their very impressive talents of impersonation. The result is a delightfully quirky oddball very Brit comedy/mockumentary that is as appetizing as the food they continually consume on camera.
The movie directed by the ingenious Michael Winterbottom, has been adapted from a TV series of the same name that was such a hit on British small screens last year. Running through it is very fine and often invisible line between reality and drama, and with no writer credited on–screen, its possible that this very au natural ‘script’ was essentially the work of these two masterful and very witty improvisators simply bantering away. The story line portrays Steve Coogan as an embittered actor who feels he has never got the parts or the accolades he deserves, and even as I write this blog, I am still unsure of how real that was meant to be of Steve Coogan, or Steve Coogan playing Steve Coogan. Duh.
This is the 2nd Winterbottom movie that brings these funny men together, and there are many similarities between these two off-the-wall odd mockumentary films. The first movie the totally manic ‘Tristan Shandy : A Cock and Bull Story’ which was not a movie of the book (of the same name) but actually a movie about making a movie about the book, which one of the characters describes as Tough call that one! I’m happy to confess that I really loved it, but then again I love humor that touches on the absurd. And to try and put the whole thing in prospective, I’ll add that ‘Tristan’ won two awards, one of which was from the Istanbul Film Festival which is both baffling and fascinating as the movie itself.“a masterwork of postmodernism before there was any modernism to be post.”
If you liked ‘Tristan’ you’ll love ‘The Trip’ BUT it’s an acquired taste that will not appeal to all. In my research I came across a critique from an American viewer who gave it 7 out of 10 even though he got none of the cultural references, or could understand the British actors at all, BUT he loved the seven restaurants they visited. I hope, like me, you like much more than just the food.
★★★★★★★★
Click for Trailer
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