You don’t need to be a fan of “dry British humor” to appreciate The Trip. Filmgoers eager to witness the very best in improvisational comedy with an edge of pathos need look no further.
Failing to snag his foodie American girlfriend for a car trip around northern England reviewing restaurants, Steve Coogan, playing himself (or is he?), has a not so good idea. He’ll invite actor/impressionist Rob Braydon along to co-pilot. We wonder why Steve’s initially reluctant to bring in Rob, figuring it must have to do with Steve’s sadness about his girlfriend, who also may be leaving him. Turns out Rob has an obsessive need to do impressions (albeit really good ones) practically 24/7. Scenes of Steve and Rob trying to outdo each other with competing impressions of Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Woody Allen are priceless.
The Trip is Coogan’s and director Michael Winterbottom’s third feature together (see the remarkable 24 Hour Party People). Coogan, best known in England for his portrayal of spoof talk-show host Alan Partridge, seems very self-revealing on the week-long road trip. He’s also not above exploiting his celebrity for the sake of exploring the good graces of various female hotel hostesses and media members, although he never seems too caught up in it. Coogan’s aloofness is offset by Braydon’s directness, his knowledge of food debonair by comparison with his pal’s. In between the clowning, we get a good feel for Coogan’s vulnerability, reagarding his girlfriend, a distant son, and various agents. Of course how-much-of-it-is-autobiographical is the elephant in the room, but does it really matter?
Winterbottom’s impressive film catalog brags an unparallelled variety of styles and themes, from the excellent documentary The Road To Guantanamo to the nefarious X-rated 9 Songs. Here he’s managed to make a film about two guys visiting a different high end restaurant every night, sharing a camaraderie yet squabbling every chance they get, affectionately bickering while managing to critique each other earnestly along the way.
The Trip was originally a much longer British TV series. Let’s see those outtakes.
8 Black Puddings (out of 10)
