The Trip (I) (2010)

Steve Coogan has been asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, but after his girlfriend backs out on him he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Stars:

Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Paul Popplewell

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Steve Coogan	...	Steve
Rob Brydon	...	Rob
Paul Popplewell	...	Paul
Margo Stilley	...	Mischa
Claire Keelan	...	Emma
Rebecca Johnson	...	Sally
Dolya Gavanski	...	Magda
Kerry Shale	...	Steve's US Agent
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mercè Ribot	...	York Arms Receptionist

Storyline

When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | reference to elvis presley | reference to dustin hoffman | based on tv series | reference to james bond

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Taglines:

Eat, drink and try not to kill each other.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2011 (Greece)

Also Known As:

A Viagem

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$77,904 (USA) (10 June 2011)

Gross:

$2,014,922 (USA) (23 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the film, the car stereo plays "Atmosphere" by Joy Division, which Steve Coogan explains he has chosen as the "soundtrack" for their trip, Though neither the song title nor the band are mentioned, in 24 Hour Party People, Coogan played Tony Wilson, the producer who signed Joy Division to his Factory Records label.

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Quotes

Rob: You could have a costume drama here, couldn't you?
Steve: I would love-I'd absolutely-I'd just love to do a costume drama in these hills, leaping, vaulting over dry stone walls with a scabbard, with that dead look in my eyes, 'cause I've seen so many horrors that I'm sort of immune to them, and I'd say something like, "Gentlemen, to bed! Gentlemen, to bed, for we leave at first light. Tomorrow we battle, and we may lose our lives. But remember: death is but a moment. Cowardice is a lifetime affliction...
Rob:
Steve:
Rob:
Steve:
Rob:
Steve:
Rob:
Steve:
[...]

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Connections

References Top Gear (2002)

User Reviews

Watch the TV Series Instead

The Trip, the television program, is a poignant, rambling, beautiful little series, starring comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as fictionalized versions of themselves.

The Trip, the film, which I was able to catch at a packed SIFF screening, is an edited version of the television show. The six episode series clocks in at about 180 minutes, and the film, at 107 minutes, feels truncated and rushed comparatively. Both follow these hilarious gents as they review restaurants in the English countryside, but with those seventy-so minutes edited out, much of the nuance and poignancy is lost—the tone shifts from somber (but funny), to seemingly desperate for laughs. The film does often get those laughs (Coogan and Brydon, in their largely improvised conversations, are very humorous), but it fails to really make much impact beyond providing entertainment. The more melancholy scenes retained from the television series often feel tacked-on, and the transition between jokes and sentiment clunky, with quiet moments and breathing time largely cut out.

Audiences looking for droll popcorn fare will not be disappointed, but those wanting to be genuinely moved should skip the flick and instead seek out the superlative television series, using whatever means they can.