The Trip to Italy (2014)

Two men, six meals in six different places on a road trip around Italy. Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and ending in Capri.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Michael Winterbottom

Stars:

Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Rosie Fellner

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Steve Coogan	...	Steve
Rob Brydon	...	Rob
Rosie Fellner	...	Lucy
Claire Keelan	...	Emma
Marta Barrio	...	Yolanda
Tim Leach	...	Joe (Steve's Son) (as Timothy Leach)
Ronni Ancona	...	Donna
Rebecca Johnson	...	Sally (Rob's Wife)
Alba Foncuberta Bufill	...	La Suvera Receptionist
Flora Villani	...	Villa Cimbrone Receptionist
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alessandro Cuomo	...	Mario

Storyline

Years after their successful restaurant review tour of Northern Britain, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are commissioned for a new tour in Italy. Once again, the two comedy buddies/rivals take the landscape as well as the cuisine of that country in a trip filled with witty repartee and personal insecurities. Along the way, their own professional and personal lives comes in as these slightly older men's friendship comes through.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | englishman in italy | italy | tuscany | restaurant | 

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Taglines:

Anyone for seconds?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve's on-screen son, Joe, wears a The Big Bang Theory (2007) t-shirt that diagrams "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock".

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Goofs

Toward the end of the movie (33 minute to the end), they are showing and commenting about a fruit they call "kumquat" which is in fact a "Physalis" also called "Cape Gooseberry", a fruit originally from Chile and Peru. A Kumquat is like a miniature orange, which can be eaten whole, or used in making marmalade. It has a very sharp flavour. A physalis has a paper-like husk like a tomatillo and is very sweet when ripe.

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Quotes

[Steve is driving while listening to Alanis Morissette's Hand in My Pocket , lifting his hand to mock high five when the song lyrics are such]
Rob: Keep your hands on the wheels.
Steve: But that's what she'd...
Rob: She's not driving the car that I'm a passenger in.
Steve: Yeah, but she's like...
Rob: Yeah, if she were driving the car, I'd say the same to her, "Alanis love, both hands on the wheel, please."

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Connections

Followed by The Trip to Greece (2020)

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Soundtracks

Mahler: Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen [Rückert-Lieder]
Written by Gustav Mahler and Friedrich Rückert (uncredited)
Performed by Violeta Urmana
Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon
Under license from Universal Music Operations Limited

User Reviews

Disappointing but for the Performances

The Trip to Italy is an entertaining but ultimately unengaging comic travelogue of Italy, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon traveling across the Italian peninsula while entertaining each other with imitations and listening to Alanis Morissette. Although both lead actors provide excellent performances, they do not make up for a flimsy plot.

The main strength of the film is the magnetism of Coogan and Brydon. Both are extremely skilled impressionists, doing masterful impersonations of, among others, Michael Caine and Al Pacino. Furthermore, when the script gives them an opportunity, the actors show greater depth. Occasionally, they go past the impersonations to show their characters' insecurities. In one scene where is preparing for an audition for a Mafia movie, he goes from endless impersonations of Pacino to a conversation with himself that reveals his lack of confidence.

The Trip to Italy also benefits from some good photography. Admittedly, it is not much of a challenge to take beautiful photographs of the Italian countryside, but the film features a number of truly awe-inspiring locations and shots. The ending shot of the Mediterranean in the sunset is fantastic.

Unfortunately, great impersonations wear thin after an hour, while great scenery does not a good movie make. The film just barely has a plot, with little real character development as our protagonists drive from one great meal to another. More damningly, the film does not end so much as stop, with an abrupt conclusion that will leave viewers unsatisfied.

Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Trip to Italy

Filming Locations:

Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$71,712, 17 August 2014

Gross USA:

$2,880,537

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,132,875

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 175 min (mini-series)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1