Home » Reviews » The Trip movie review: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon concoct a hilarious road-trip mockumentary
The Trip movie review: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon concoct a hilarious road-trip mockumentary
2010’s The Trip follows actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as they journey to the north of England, in an attempt to explore the various foods consumed, for an article that Coogan writes.
3.0/5
Jan 21, 2022
The Trip
Story: Steve Coogan almost bribes his longtime friend and fellow co-star Rob Brydon into accompanying him on a food tasting trip to Northern England. As the two journey through picturesque locales and quaint eateries, their interpersonal dynamics come to the fore.
Review:
The Trip, released in 2010, was a wackily decked film, pumped with generous dollops of the famous ‘British humour’. A fictional account of sorts, the film follows Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (who also featured together in 2005’s Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story) as the two savour multiple British delicacies.
The mock premise is based on the invite that Coogan has received from the Observer newspaper to write an article about dining traditions in Northern England. With a chip on his shoulders (the only criteria that he fulfilled for this role was the fact that he was born in Manchester and was a hardcore foodie), Coogan thinks of embarking on this delightful journey. Only, his girlfriend refuses to accompany him.
Quick with a solution, Coogan asks his longtime friend Brydon to join him. He even generously offers Brydon 45 percent of his fee for the trip. An offer too lucrative to refuse, Brydon promptly bids a temporary farewell to his wife and kids and begins the journey with Coogan in his Land Rover.
Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom peppers his story with delightful moments of humour and introspection. Both Coogan and Brydon command the narrative with their impeccable comic timing.
Proficient in mimicry, the two actors (with Brydon being the better one) and their tête-à-têtes provide a smooth canvas for The Trip to develop. Much like lame teenagers, the two get involved in mimicry face-offs that include imitating Hollywood icons like Sean Connery, Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Ian McKellen, among others.
The film not only handles the comedy well, but gives a keen insight into Coogan’s mental space (at least in the film). Winterbottom underscores a continual sense of animosity in his narrative.
Audiences find Coogan in a conflicted state of being where he feels his status as a comedy stalwart is being ignored by the industry and that he is still to get his due as an artist. There is also a driving one-upmanship with Brydon who (according to Coogan) is less handsome, less fit, and less successful.
However, almost as a purposeful move, Winterbottom hardly pays attention to the meals Coogan and Brydon eat, focusing more on their character arcs through the journey.
North of England gets beautifully captured by Winterbottom’s lens.
Slow subtle sequences give audiences the taste of suburban life in England, nestled between quiet greenery and quaint eateries. Even though for the director, food is never the bonding factor for his characters, he is conscientious about entering the kitchen and shooting the making of each dish that the two eat.
The high point of the film is easily when the two visit the picturesque Lake District area, the land of Wordsworth and Coleridge. The two geek out on Coleridge’s works and launch a quote-the-poet session. This segment is particularly heartwarming as it depicts two English actors seeping in the best their land can offer, talking about a rich legacy that their ancestors have left behind. There is also a point when Coogan and Brydon ruminate on the effects of opium on Coleridge.
On their return, Winterbottom again paints a picture of disparity. While Brydon has a family to return to, Coogan just has a sleek modern apartment and an estranged son back in the city.
Verdict: The Trip does not list any scriptwriters, maybe because it wanted to give the impression of being an honest documentary. Even though none of us will ever know how true all of this is, the film provides an enjoyable account of their first escapade together.
Watch The Trip here .
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