The Guilt Trip (2012) User Reviews

Enjoyable

[mls4182 · 6/10 · 29 May 2022]

This isn't a laugh until you cry comedy, nor is it a deeply touching movie. It is still fun, mostly because of Streisand.

Its nice so see Babs finally relax again and do some comedy. She really shows off her lighter side and she's fun and endearing.

Glad I stuck with it!

[dariabengtsson · 7/10 · 14 May 2013]

I almost turned this off about a half hour in; I couldn't figure out how a comedy with Streisand and Rogen couldn't be sharp & fresh and frankly, the first 30minutes or so seemed sort of dull and tired.

Anyhow, as says my summary, I'm happy I stuck it out because it picked up, came together a bit and turned into a really sweet, funny and thoughtful movie, with a lovely ending thankfully NOT so pat and perfect that it makes you want to barf.

Streisand and Rogen have an easy and convincing mother-son chemistry and naturally it is always a kick watching Streisand transform from a serious, self-controlled operatic diva into these goofy, playful, self-deprecating comedic roles.

Delightful comedy that sinks right in...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 9 August 2013]

While "The Guilt Trip" is not the type of comedy that will have you spilling your drink from laughing so hard, this is a movie not to miss out on. Why? Well, because it was a great story and the movie was nicely told.

The story is about Andrew Brewster (played by Seth Rogen) who travels across the USA with his mother Joyce Brewster (played by Barbra Streisand). Andrew has invented a fabulous cleaning product and is struggling to get companies interested. Their cross-country roadtrip gives them plenty of opportunities to get to spend time with one another in various situations.

"The Guilt Trip" is really a beautiful movie, because Seth Rogen and Barbra Steisand really play their characters so well, and the writers did a wonderful job in fleshing out and detailing the characters. The script is well written and there is a great sense of wholeness to the story.

I was surprised by "The Guilt Trip", because I hadn't at all expected this outcome from it, especially not with Seth Rogen being in one of the leads. I am not saying that I have anything against him, but his movies tend to be rather generic and following the same mold of how to make a comedy over and over. But "The Guilt Trip" surprised on many levels, and it was a great pleasure to sit down and watch it.

This is the type of movie that draws you in and makes you care and have an interest in the characters, because it is so nicely detailed and so well played. Rogen and Streisand really have great chemistry together on the screen and it shows all throughout the entire movie.

"The Guilt Trip" is not a movie to just flicker off with the wave of a hand. Watch it, enjoy it and take it to heart.

Call your mama!

[abcvision · 6 December 2012]

Mama don't let your boys grow up to be cowboys or better yet organic chemist. In this fun tale you see Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) is on a mission to sell his discovered organic cleaning product and find a distributor. In a caring move he invites his mother Joyce Brewster (Barbra Streisand) to come along for the eight day cross country trip. Most movies feature two guys or girls in a crazy road trip but never a mother and son. Freud was right, we all have mother issues and Andy finally deals with his overbearing mother as he sets out to discover his own identity. This movie is fun, touching, and is above the bond between mother and son. In the preview I saw I took my own mother and she enjoyed it. In a special live simulcast with Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen they took questions about the Road Trip. According to Streisand, she was pursued by director Ann Fletcher for the role. It was not until she read the script out loud with her own son that she fell in love with the role. Streisand did a phenomenal job and you get the feeling that the role is way below her pay grade. They did accommodate all her request. All the scenes were shot within forty five minutes of her house in Malibu, California and she did not even have to drive. According to the pop diva, she has not driven for over a decade. She was also asked if she would ever like to take a road trip with someone and she said Marlon Brando. She did take a day trip with him once to check out the desert wild flowers once and had fun. When asked if Babs had any resemblance with his real life mother, Rogen said that they are both strong Jewish women but that his mother resembled more a past character that Streisand played in Meet the Fockers. His mother is a Jewish hippie type of woman. The Guilt Trip opens December 19, perfect for the holiday season and a fun tale of love, joy, and celebrating life. In the end it will make you appreciate your mother and the characters discovered that they were more alike than different.

If Streisand and Rogen Are Your Stars, Do You Really Need a Plot?

[bbrebozo · 6/10 · 27 December 2012]

Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen are a great comedy team. In fact, the best part of Guilt Trip is when the credits are rolling at the end, and there are several scenes that the two of them apparently improvised during the filming. If the whole movie had been as entertaining as those outtakes, I would have given it a "10."

Unfortunately, the makers of Guilt Trip appear to believe that a movie requires a plot, and sadly, this one was clunky. For a comedy film to work, you either have to completely put reality aside (Blazing Saddles or Rocky Horror Picture Show), or somehow believe an unbelievable story (Airplane or the Blues Brothers). This film didn't fall into either category. The plot just wasn't strong enough to support the premise that any son would be crazy enough to take his mother on a long business trip with him, and there was no reason why he kept bringing her to all his business appointments. And his mother's nutty revealing of her deepest family secret, and her insane baby-naming system, were clearly tossed in just to provide somewhere for this film to go.

Don't get me wrong. I'd really like Streisand and Rogen to do another road trip together. But next time, let's just say that space aliens abducted them and forced them to travel together. And let both of the stars ad lib their way through the adventure. I'd pay to see that one.

Enjoyable film, Streisand carries it

[avenuesf · 7/10 · 21 April 2013]

Like another reviewer here, I'm also perplexed why people have given this such negative reviews. As a kid my parents took me with them to see "Funny Girl" and even at that young age I was impressed by Barbra Streisand; however, as her career progressed I became less enamored of her and found most of her performances to be mechanical and pretty narcissistic. When she directed herself, camera angles always seemed to be engineered to show only one side of her face, and she really didn't seem to be able to concentrate fully enough to be able to do any serious acting (as an example, her crying scene in "The Way We Were" always embarrassed me, it seemed so forced and artificial).

"The Guilt Trip" is a small, enjoyable comedy that wasn't meant to be side-splittingly funny. The refreshing thing, though, is that Sreisand carries the film, and she's relaxed, confident, totally unself-conscious, and a very good actress. There's a quick shot at the end of the film where she looks as though she's about to become tearful, and it seemed totally authentic and I actually found myself choking up for a second. Somehow the last few years seem to have made her into a very different person, and her the character she created came across to me as a very likable individual. Sure, parts of the script reminded me of a t.v. sitcom, but they weren't excruciatingly bad (I'd like to have seen more of an explanation as to why the mother became so disappointed upon learning why her son had arranged the final trip to San Francisco; it didn't make total sense to me.) I'm disappointed this film didn't last longer than it did when it was released; it deserved a better run.

A second rate movie despite the stellar cast

[cinematic_aficionado · 5/10 · 9 March 2013]

How is it possible that when you put together an esteemed actress with the ambassador of a new generation comedy that you get a second rate movie? For starters this film started off as a wannabe comedy. It was as if the cast were trying their hardest to make us laugh but it just did not work. The obsessive neurotic mother with the geeky kind of son was somewhat off for laughs.

Then the conversation developed, the story unfolded but despite the charm and warmth it conveyed as well as being engaging, it never really went beyond making the audience smile, so the supposed comedy never happened which is a shame as the ingredients were there.

Better than expected family-based comedy

[zhamilton05 · 7/10 · 10 June 2013]

If you liked Due Date or Wild Hogs, then The Guilt Trip isn't for you. Those movies were broad and inconsistent, with a few funny moments scattered across forced schmaltz or ridiculous crude gags.

If you liked something like Dan in Real Life, than get in the car with Rogen and Streisand. Formulaic? Mostly, but the plot gives enough curveballs (especially at the end) to be its own animal. The chemistry between mother and son is touching, humorous, and believable. Both characters grew and developed throughout their road trip in a way that didn't seem contrived, but rather genuine.

No need to feel guilty for liking The Guilt Trip, even if most critics didn't.

Outtakes were funniest parts of the movie

[ssaftler · 2/10 · 25 December 2012]

At the beginning of the movie, Seth Rogen uses the line "Bad Chemistry Alert" line in his presentation. I think he should have said "Bad Movie Alert" instead. The movie was cliché, cloying, and just plain idiotic from start to finish. Thank goodness we saw it on the super matinée pricing, about half the normal weekend price.

I have to wonder how much money Streisand owes and to whom. So far this year, we have been subjected to her 2012 Farewell Tour, which I understand had tickets STARTING at $100 in the SF area. The newspaper reviews made it sound like you got about 3 or 4 songs from Barbra and the rest was from the (admittedly good) warm-up group "Il Volo". Now along comes this poor excuse for a comedy, which our local theater on opening weekend had the good sense to relegate to the smallest screen in the building, and that was half full.

The two best parts of this movie were its brevity (90 minutes or so long) and some of the outtakes at the end were worth a chuckle.

enjoyably sweet, surprisingly low key film, makes the most of the chemistry between its two stars even tho its a little flat in places

[mbs · 7/10 · 20 January 2013]

Sweet movie with a few well handled sour moments that shows you the gradual reconnecting of a somewhat strained mother/son relationship. Its not that the two don't like each other, just that they're way too easily annoyed by one another (yes especially rogen by streissand with her constant phone messages consisting of nothing but questions, but also the other way around too in a couple of quick scenes where Streissand is seemingly all too aware of how annoying her son finds her, which leads to her surprised reaction at being asked by him to go on this road trip.) The film does a very good job of showing you (and not just telling you) the two characters starting to not just like each other but appreciate each other as actual people throughout the course of the film even if it is a little slanted on the side of the mother (but of course it would be--its barbra steissand after all) I especially liked the recurring scenes of the two of them listening to a book on cd of Middlesex throughout the film--all 22 discs of it! Its a cute device that could double as a nice representative of the film as a whole--a little hokey at first, the jokes made are a little shopworn at first as well (Rogen is rather uncomfortable with the subject matter of the book, which is understandable given that its so not the kind of book you'd wanna experience with your mom at your side) but the recurring scenes throughout the movie as both characters keep coming back to that book on cd (rogen gradually giving in to the narrative as well despite its over length) are effective. The film itself started to have that kind of effect on me as well in that the film is a little on the hokey shopworn side but you kind of connect to them as people as the film goes on and hope they manage to work out whatever differences they have. The film is actually full of recurring things like that that start out kind of corny but become effective thru repetition. Like, Streissand's character loves m and m's--she's seen waking up or going to bed and covered in wrappers in a scene at the beg and then again in the middle and then towards the end when Rogen spots a big m and m figure his pointing out of it to his mom was a cute moment that was well built up to. Details like that are really nice touches that to me go a long way to keeping the film's characters likable and human and not just stick figures in a movie. The movie could probably be best described as cute, but there are some very funny one liners throughout as well as some scenes that do a good job wringing drama out of the situation as well without being too heavy handed about it.

Its been mentioned here as well but this is also a fundamentally nice film too-there aren't many scenes here that would make you squirm if you were sitting next to your mom watching it--and i think to their credit the writer and director did a good job making a mother/son film that successfully exploits the gap between the two without piling on what could have been really obvious and labored jokes--there's a very nice sense of low key chemistry between the two stars that even when the two of them are confronting one another on their shortcomings, never quite crosses into uncomfortable hostility despite the fact that it could have very easily done so. Also despite some predictable stretches, and some scenes that don't really add anything except minutes to the running time, there is a nice lived in and somewhat laid back vibe to the film as a whole. (for example the quick breakdown of the car in the middle of the highway and them having to wait for the tow truck to arrive while at a strip club scene while nicely low key might not really add anything plot wise, but it is fairly plausible that's that how the 2 characters would react in that situation and thankfully at no point does the film threaten to descend into shrill unpleasant characterizations and unlikely "comedic" things happening which a lesser film like the meet the focker sequels that streissand herself appeared in would've indulged in.) I think for me the best parts and prob the meat of the film were the ones that involved streissand in rogen's attempts to sell his cleaning product--throughout the film he's bombing at his various sales presentations where he's supposed to be enticing the store buyers (including Costco and K-Mart) into wanting to know more about his new product--and its only at the end when he finally gets over himself long enough to actually listen to what his mom had been telling him earlier in the film that he starts to actually change his sales tactics--and again i think this was just a very nice and effective way to show the character growth without hitting you over the head with the fact that the son managed to learn a couple things from his mom after all, despite the very annoying tendencies of his mom to couch the actual valid arguments in rather nagging tones that would of course lead him to discard anything she might actually have to say. Its a sweet little film and thankfully it doesn't hit you over the head with its own sweetness or hostility or mawkish sentiment, going down smoothly and pleasantly enough. (well maybe the big grand speech at the end overdoes it with the sentiment--but again its barbara streissand in the central role--if she can't get a nice somewhat big moment to play then what's the point in having her right?)

boring

[jlj9675-1 · 2/10 · 2 January 2013]

I looked forward to this film, thinking it would be a hilarious showcase of not only Streisand's talents but an expose of the difficult relationships between mothers and grown sons. I got neither. It was boring just a few minutes into it. I felt Mr. Rogen's acting was plausible and done well. However, hers was lackluster and not up to her usual standards. There were very few laughs at all. The difficulties of the relationship were not highlighted very much either. Some of the dialog was nonsensical to say the least. I also thought it ridiculous to have her considering 50 year-olds for dating and trying to convince us she was under 60; usually it's the other way around. All in all I was very disappointed in this movie and had to concur with another woman leaving the theater at the same time when she said "what a waste of time!"

Streisand and Rogen Bring Considerable Comedy Chops to a Lightweight Road Trip Movie

[EUyeshima · 8/10 · 19 December 2012]

Aside from her near-cameo appearances in two ensemble comedies, Barbra Streisand has not starred in a movie in sixteen long years, not since 1996's "The Mirror Has Two Faces" which she also directed. Her output as an actress has been meager since around 1980 when she started directing films, building houses and returning to the concert stage periodically, so it was with both great anticipation and some trepidation that I saw this light- hearted 2012 comedy. What a relief to find she hasn't missed a beat in her sharp comedy timing. I think she's terrific as Joyce Brewster, the energetically overbearing mother of Andy, an organic chemical engineer who long ago moved to California and has recently invented a cleaning solution he is pitching to various store chains headquartered across the country. He plans a weekend visit with Joyce in New Jersey, but upon an intriguing discovery about her past, he invites her on an eight-day cross-country road trip with him.

As directed by Anne Fletcher ("The Proposal") and written by Dan Fogelman (the underrated "Crazy Stupid Love") who based his script on his own late mother, the film is about how their two mismatched personalities unsurprisingly clash at every stop as their relationship twists and turns with each new humiliation for Andy and each new revelation for the both of them, a few of them quite poignant. The film is at its comedic best when she and co-star Seth Rogen as Andy volley back and forth with her well-meaning thoughts and antics at odds with his spiky annoyance at anything she says or does. Rogen plays against type as the coiled-up Andy since his stoner-dude personality has been the basis of much of his previous comedy. Here he needs to show some dramatic gravity (as he did earlier this year in "Take This Waltz") and again does surprisingly well when necessary. There is a confrontation scene between the two characters that I wish could have gone on a bit longer and deeper than it did, but he manages to bring a real edge to the film in ways I didn't quite expect from him.

Of course there are predictable comedy pieces that also work like a steak-eating contest in Texas where Joyce has to down a fifty-ounce piece of beef in an hour to avoid a $100 tab. There's also quite a supporting cast here, but like Streisand movies of yore, the familiar actors contribute moments that amount to nearly bit parts. Kathy Najimy and Miriam Margolyes are among Joyce's Weight Watchers friends in a quick dinner scene early in the story, while Adam Scott and Ari Graynor show up at the very end of the road trip in San Francisco. In between are appearances by Brett Cullen as a cowboy who becomes smitten with Joyce during the eating contest and Nora Dunn as an officious HSN TV hostess. But that's fine since Rogen really lets Streisand dominate the movie all the way from pushing off potential suitors at a mature singles mixer to getting into the wrong car at a mini-mart pit-stop to getting drunk in a motel bar to sharing her innocently ignorant perceptions of stereotypes. This is only her 19th film since her extraordinary debut in "Funny Girl" 44 years ago, reason enough to enjoy the warm, accomplished performance she gives here.

Generic plot but great acting.

[user-571-911395 · 7/10 · 2 January 2013]

Although I thought the plot was a little generic, the movie is less about the road trip and more about the relationship that develops between Andrew and his mother throughout the trip. Streisand does an excellent job at portraying the over-caring Jewish mother, and Rogen's character is the distant son who went off to college to do great things, and hasn't had much time to spend with his widowed mother.

Andrew drags his mother along with the hope of bringing her back into the dating world despite the fact that they both know the trip will be slightly awkward and a little uncomfortable. And it is. But as a comedy, there are several typical shenanigans that the pair get into, and the interaction between the two actors is absolutely amazing.

There are also a couple very intense arguments which are even a little uncomfortable, but gives the movie more depth than most comedies. But overall, the individual scenes are very funny and I would watch this movie again just to see Streisand and Rogen's performances.

Tony Napalm, Instantreviews.info

A Comedy Without Humour

[BharatSamra · 4/10 · 20 March 2013]

When the previews before the main feature show about as much promise as a toddler would in a university seminar, your hopes for what you paid for on your trip to the cinema certainly diminish. The Guilt Trip is a high-concept film that revolves around a mother named Joyce (Barbra Streisand) and her son Andy (Seth Rogen) as they embark on a (you guessed it!) road trip across the US for Andy's career, and throw some romance in there too for no apparent reason.

It's never a good sign if you leave a supposed 'comedy' film being able to count the number of times you laughed with just one hand (I tallied three). The first hour or so of The Guilt Trip just continues to play off of the same non developing character traits and one archetypal joke. Joyce is the stereotypical, overly-attached mother whose incessant nagging and unwanted presence in her son's life is a fact oblivious to her. The film continues to regurgitate this one aspect of their relationship, and in no way deals with it with any style or substance.

It's as if screenwriter Dan Fogelman conjured up a single sentence for the bond between the two protagonists, then when he could write no more, just decided to rearrange the words of this sentence, hoping nobody would ever notice. The writer's intentions were clearly to be annoying but funny, but instead it is annoyingly unfunny just the way that this mother and son interact. It honestly felt as if my brain cells were being violated by hearing the same joke over and over again.

To be more optimistic, The Guilt Trip certainly leaves its worst qualities in the first half of the film. Midway through their trip, they refuel and begin to gain some momentum that makes the 95 minute journey considerably more tolerable, and my desire to punch the unlikable characters did in fact decline. The humour begins to become less one- dimensional but still can only manage to extract a minute amount of audience laughter. Nonetheless, this is most definitely what the picture needed following its motionless first half; the successor provides more instances of cheap amusement that keep you engaged enough to appreciate the minor modest revitalisation in cinematic quality. One way to have fun throughout The Guilt Trip is to try and guess the punch line of every joke during the time that the set up is being told. This is probably the only feeling of accomplishment one could obtain from their time experiencing the film.

The Guilt Trip is not a dreadful film by any means, but nor is it a good one. This is easily the least entertaining and most forgettable Seth Rogen film that his catalogue of comedies has to offer. It's predictable, it's a comedy without humour and the only thing that could make some of jokes more awkward (not in a good sense) would be if Barbra Streisand's character was sitting beside you, behaving in her annoying role. The only reason I would have for recommending you devote your time and money to this 'comedy' would be if you desire to occupy some time and nothing else appeals to you. Even then, I would suggest waiting until a Wednesday to use your Orange code and throw in your student card for extra discount, as full admission price would almost unquestionably make you feel a sense of guilt for making the trip after you leave the cinema screen.

Enjoyable and real

[eacoy51 · 12 January 2014]

Is it funny? Yes, if you can laugh at yourself.

Critics are flat wrong to give this film a bad review. The touching story tells about the adult relationship - at least its improvement - between a mother and son. Actually a lot of it reminded me of my daughter and me. "No, Mom, I do not want to join you in pilates."

The mother's out-of-control phone call frequency and tendency to unrealistically reassure her son of success are measured out between restrained and very real grinding gears as they try to share time together. My least favorite bit was the $100 meal, but it set up nicely her last phone call. Even as they said goodbye at the airport, they mistimed their interactions spot on. They separated with an improved mother-son bond. Delightful.

Not a slapstick comedy. I did find specific scenes side-hugging hilarious, mostly because I could see myself and my children splashed incongruently across the scene. Where you laugh will be as individual as you are as a viewer.

The sauciest scene involves Streisand tackling a four pound lump of meat

[Buscatcher · 6/10 · 10 March 2013]

About fifteen minutes into this road movie it dawned on me to change my expectations. With Seth Rogen in the lead and being mindful of his back catalogue I was expecting a more raucous affair.

Rogen is Andrew Brewster inventor of an eco-friendly cleaning product. Brewster is virtually broke and with his last few dollars is about to travel east coast to west coast, pitching his product on route to various conglomerates. Our co-pilot on the road trip is Barbra Streisand playing Andy's widowed mum Joyce a stereotypical Jewish mom. This she does well, it would have been easy to be completely OTT and annoying in the role but to Streisand's credit she keeps a lid on it.

The movie begins when Joyce tells Andy the story of how he is named after her first love who ultimately rejected her, to which she settles for second best with Andy's father. Andy traces his namesake down via Google to a company in San Francisco, and decides to invite mum on his business trip so as to reunite them; without telling her.

With the set-up established I settled in waiting for the hilarity involving drunkenness, sex, drugs, fights etc. to ensue. This is after all a Seth Rogen flick. Instead we are treated to a quieter, more gentle, and thoughtful comedy drama were the sauciest scene involves Streisand tackling a four pound lump of meat ( a steak that is).

The interplay between the two leads feels very natural and you believe in their relationship. The script kept me involved throughout, but there were too few laughs for me. I could envisage this produced by BBC 1 as a Sunday evening one off starring Julie Walters and Rob Brydon (I'll never be a casting director). And I dare say it would be very entertaining.

If you enter the theatre with the right frame of mind (take a packet of Werther's originals) I think you will be rewarded more than I, it will be worth taking the bus for.

From Golden Globe false hopes to Razzie!

[Hellmant · 6/10 · 12 January 2013]

'THE GUILT TRIP': Three Stars (Out of Five)

A mother and son bonding road trip film starring Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand! As odd as that sounds it does kind of work. Not entirely successful but it's funny at times and touching (if you love your mom or son). The film was written by Dan Fogelman (who also wrote the outstanding 'CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.') and directed by Anne Fletcher (who also directed such popular romantic comedies as 'THE PROPOSAL', '27 DRESSES' and 'STEP UP'). It's the 70-year-old Streisand's first starring role since 1996's 'THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES' (she did do supporting turns in 2004's 'MEET THE FOCKERS' and 2010's 'LITTLE FOCKERS' though).

Seth Rogen plays Andrew Brewster, an inventor that has spent the last several years of his life (and all of his money) developing a completely safe cleaning product made from healthy foods. He's about to go on a road trip promoting his product to potential buyers when he learns his mother, Joyce (Streisand), had a long lost love before his father. Feeling compassion for his mom he looks the man up on the internet and finds out where he lives. Andrew then invites Joyce on his road trip to go see the man again (without telling her that's the real reason he wants her to come along). Joyce loves her son and misses him so much that she jumps at the chance to go on a trip with him. The adventure of course becomes a nightmare for Andrew as his product doesn't sell and his mom annoys the hell out of him.

The studio putting out the film was so sure Streisand would get a Golden Globe nomination that they started running a commercial saying she had received one (for actress in a comedy) and then had to pull the add when she didn't get one. Then she just recently received a Razzie nomination for worst actress for the film. She definitely wasn't great in the movie and doesn't deserve any award nominations but she wasn't bad either. The chemistry between her and Rogen actually works (as a mother and son duo) and although nothing in the film is hilarious there are several funny moments (a lot of them improvised I'm sure). The two characters' relationship is also touching at times (if even in a somewhat cheesy way). So you could say 'THE GUILT TRIP' is a good 'guilty pleasure'. It works kind of.

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The next best thing to actually taking your mum on a road trip

[Karl Self · 5/10 · 21 April 2013]

Nice movie with strong, likable actors. I'd call it a holistic movie, it's so complete. The only thing missing from the movie is the point. Why on earth would I want to see another middle-aged man take his dear mom on a road trip? Marveling at why I don't take my mum on a lengthy cross-country trip in an uncomfortably small car hasn't really kept me awake at night. I'm not surprised that it might get awkward. Coz it's her motherly duty to make me feel awkward. My job is to stay the feck clear of her. That's called son-mom-dynamics. Unlike Andy, I did study on the other end of the country to get as far away as possible from my parentals. The quality of the institution had nothing whatsoever to do with it. If I'd had the choice to either study brain surgery in my mum's basement or to attend the Compton Council College for assistant janitors on the other coast, my job would have been as clear as a spring day in the Mohave. That's maybe not very nice, but it sure is healthy.

Also, the movie is predictable. When the Southron gentleman introduces himself to Joyce, we KNOW she won't get to meet her puppy love object in Frisco. And I was waiting all through the movie for Andy to finally drink his cleanser, knowing that this would be presented in the movie as a brilliant selling point, which it isn't.

Better than expected...more of a comedy/drama

[Tigerleaping · 7/10 · 22 April 2013]

After reading the reviews here I avoided this movie for a while, then was happy I tried it. Its not a straight comedy and not a typical Seth rogen movie. It has comedy, human drama, and a mother-son story which is pretty meaningful and pretty smart I thought. Most parent child movies focus on father son or mother daughter, but here is a likable comedy with believable and very real mother son challenges. I expect only son's with a single mother will very much relate to this and warm to the story. I'm not sure how this was marketed in the States but probably a mistake by the marketing people to pitch it as a real light hearted comedy. Better than I expected, keep an open mind and don;t have expectations and see what happens.

Not a very fun road trip

[estebangonzalez10 · 4/10 · 23 April 2013]

¨If all the kids in the world were lined up and I was to pick one kid for myself Andy, it will always be you.¨

The Guilt Trip had several things going for it considering it was directed by Anne Fletcher who in my opinion has made some decent films like The Proposal, 27 Dresses, and Step Up. They may not have received a lot of love from the critics, but I appreciated those films, and especially liked The Proposal. The script was written by Dan Fogelman, who in 2011 wrote Crazy Stupid Love, a movie which was in my top 20 films of the year list. And to top it all off the film was teaming up the always hilarious Seth Rogen with the beloved Barba Streisand. Despite being really famous, Streisand hasn't made many films recently so fans were really looking forward to this film. I was very disappointed with The Guilt Trip because it was pretty predictable and plain. This road trip movie between a mother and a son won't appeal to a broad audience, especially considering that Rogen plays a much more serious and restrained role than he usually does. I can only imagine an older target audience enjoying this film, and Streisand fans will be pleased. She gives a strong performance, and Rogen does a decent job as well, but in my opinion the script was just too weak and it really hurt the movie. This is one of those movies that everyone will forget about by the end of the month.

Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen), has just invented a safe cleaning product, but is having a lot of issues trying to pitch it to important sales companies. He may have invented an innovative product, but he really doesn't know how to market it. His mother, Joyce (Barbra Streisand), constantly calls him and tries to keep up with him although he gets a little annoyed by her involvement in his life. When he discovers that his widowed mother had a past lover he decides it would be a good idea to hook her up with him in order to get her less involved in his own life. He doesn't tell her this of course, but brings up the idea that they should take an 8 day road trip together across the United States while he meets up with different companies to sell his product. Along the way they experience new things and meet some interesting people.

The Guilt Trip isn't a laugh out loud comedy, instead it tried to be a more serious and dramatic film building on a mother and son relationship. It has its touching moments, but for the most part the film is very predictable and seems to be heading nowhere. A more mature audience might enjoy this film, but it is being pitched as a comedy which it really isn't. Don't get me wrong, the film has several funny moments, but it isn't your typical buddy comedy. Streisand and Rogen give strong performances, but it's not enough to save the film. I prefer Rogen when he plays his usual wacky character, but here he still manages to deliver a credible performance and has great chemistry with Streisand. At the end the film is about these two people trying to connect with each other and build on their relationship. As usual a road trip seems to be the best way for these two people to get over their differences and fix their problems. This could have been a much better film if the script was better, but I was disappointed. Don't go see this film unless you are a Barbra Streisand fan

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An Unexpected Surprise with Depth

[bg11215 · 7/10 · 22 March 2014]

Based on reviews, I did not expect much of this movie, but was really surprised. It deals with some really big life issues, such as one's relationship with their mother, and not being afraid to date when you're middle-aged. Streisand plays her character with incredible nuance; her performance was for me makes this movie what it is. Of course she and Seth Rogen are superb together. Together they each brought a depth of character to the roles, and I felt as though I saw the world through each character's eyes. They start off so different, miles apart from each other, but grow close in a way that was really heartwarming to watch. This movie was a diamond in the rough.

Road Trip on the Skids

[cattjones · 5/10 · 20 December 2012]

This is one of those films where I really don't have a lot to say. Basically the film is about a mother and son on a road trip to try and sell a newly invented product. There were no surprises to be had in this film and it turned out to be pretty corny, although I do think that there is a demographic that will enjoy it. Barbara Streisand (Joyce Brewster) is the over-bearing mother who totally dotes on her son. If I had a mother like her, she would absolutely drive me crazy. There were times during the film that I just kept thinking to myself, I wish she would just shut up. I am not sure if this was a tough script for Barbara to learn, but I do know that there was a lot of it. There is one scene in the film that involves Barbara that is just so absurd and really unbelievable that it had me shaking my head. Seth Rogan (Andrew Brewster) was the typical son that is generally embarrassed by his mother's behavior. He did have some funny moments, but not enough to make me laugh out loud (although there were other folks in the audience that did). Most of the parts that did get a chuckle were in the trailer, so there was really nothing new to laugh at. I just felt like I was watching reality television about a Jewish mother and son on vacation. I do have to say that I think Barbara and Seth both nailed their characters pretty well, I just don't think that they had a whole lot of depth to them. There really aren't any other roles to talk about since the other actors were only on screen for a few minutes. The only other actor that I really recognized was Kathy Najimy (Gayle) who was one of Barbara's friends in the film. I have to say that I do support female directors whenever possible, but I think that choreographer turned director, Anne Fletcher is probably better at putting together dance numbers then directing. I don't want to be too hard on her since this film is her directing debut, so hopefully she will get better at it. I didn't hate the film and like I said before there is definitely a demographic for it. All that being said, I am giving this film an amber light.

Ignore the Commercials. See Film on it's own Merits

[Curly-4 · 8/10 · 21 December 2012]

The Paramount marketing department would have you think this film is a wacky laugh fest. Which is a pity, since more people would enjoy the film if their expectations were different. They go in thinking the film is one way. When in reality, it's a whole other thing. The film is much more touching, funny, and real. I cared about the two main characters, and how they interacted. I was interested in what was at stake for them. For me, the smaller moments of the film made it enjoyable. It was delightful to see Streisand and Rogen working off each other like they have known each other for years. Be sure to stay for the credits to see just how well they played off each other.

This is a great movie that shows the connection between a mother and a child

[srr-596-877781 · 7/10 · 13 May 2013]

Many people considered it as an awful movie because it hasn't got that terrific comedy, but if we see it from the others side it really has got a good moral.

This movie is just great if it comes about describing a mother and child relationship, normally not many movies come out these days like this.

Seth Rogen, A chemist who is lost, couldn't sell his products, sets himself on a road journey to sell the product to door to door. But when he hears about his mothers old relationship, he tracks that guy down and finds that he lives in LA. So thinking that he could help his mother(Barbra), he invites his mother to the road journey,this probably wasn't good idea, there were little bumps on the way, at first he was totally frustrated and couldn't stand her mother but soon he learned be a nice kid, mother(Barbra) also tries to give me hand in selling the product and gives him some ideas which her son would never accept, but soon somehow her ideas helped him get his product liked. That made son happy, mother happy.

the trip turned into a great journey, at the end of journey they go and try to meet mother's lost love but he was already dead, son thinks that trip didn't go as plan but the trip made mother-son relationship more strong.

Boring Movie except for Ending

[junaidrules · 5/10 · 19 April 2013]

Well I kinda would like to say that the storyline of the movie is hollow, it could be far better.

Seth Rogen was a very bad choice for the lead role, his role as a failed organic product selling chemist was indeed different but 'different' doesn't always help. Moreover, Seth Rogen is more of a supporting artist, its better that way, for example he did well in 50/50. However, Barbra Streisand as supporting actress performed a good job acting well all the way.

Other small yet important features like dialogs and music of the movie are not mind catching either. Dialogs could be able to help a lot to make this movie extremely funny, but I think that aspect was ignored.

The ending of the movie however is better than other movies of its kind, the moment Joyce (Barbra Streisand) finds out that the name of Andrew Margoulis' daughter is also Joyce. Its kind of heart touching and hence the movie makes a good ending.

Overall (5/10).