One of the TV highlights of 2010. Coogan and Brydon are superb, the oddest of couples as they bicker about their careers and try to outdo each other with impressions ranging from Al Pacino ('whatta ya got?') to Alan Bennett ('Peter and Dudley, Dudley and Peter'). It's beautifully shot with some stunning locations and also manages the tricky feat of segueing from dark comedy to oddly touching drama and back again. It could so easily have been self-indulgent tripe, and there are admittedly times when you want to reach into the screen and punch the preening, self-obsessed Coogan, but The Trip manages to walk that finest of lines, delivering a love song to the north and a funny, thoughtful meditation on fame and the ageing process. Here's hoping for a second series.
18 Reviews
A Near Perfect Gastro-Comic Excursion
eddiez6128 June 2011
One part Gourmet Orgy, one part North of England Postcard, one part Buddy Road Picture, and one part Indulgent Vanity Piece, The Trip serves up thoroughly sating entertainment. While on a one week sojourn through the picturesque countryside to review haute cuisine for a Sunday newspaper, Steve Coogan's character - a rather melancholic version of himself - struggles to salvage a failing relationship with his distant American actress girlfriend over awkward, difficult cell phone calls. It's a clever ploy that personifies Steve's escaping opportunities to land a substantial role in a major Hollywood production. His spirit is so crushed by his fractured romance, or by his unfulfilled professional ambitions, or by both - you decide! - that it casts a shadow over his days' adventures.
Though he indulges his libido at will with a string of attractive young ladies along the way, he still implores us to empathize with his misery. It is hard to commiserate with a guy who's meanwhile indulging, at every meal, in spectacularly sumptuous delicacies and exquisite vintages, all the while engaged in wonderfully hysterical banter with a fellow comedic master, Rob Brydon, who is sarcastically presented as just a casual work acquaintance. Steve's spot on executions of Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, and even Woody Allen are nearly matched by Rob, whose uncanny Hugh Grant he employs in his ridiculous nightly phone sex calls to his wife back home. Rob seems unaware of just how awful is his Al Pacino, which he isn't shy to use. Even Rob's lesser talents, especially his trademark Small Man in a Box, are very entertaining, at least in as much as they severely irritate Steve, who secretly envies the amusing skill.
The conceit that drives the six episode series is that we are in fact encouraged to despise Steve to some degree for his prideful self obsession, all-the-while vicariously reveling in the bacchanalian indulgences. Rob's genial, boyish charm is just as likely to provoke as it is to dampen a condescending, scolding retort from Steve. Rob, it seems, is content to have such a knowledgeable, if critical, audience for his theatrics. The heavy moods, however, are overplayed a bit, prodded by Mr. Coogan's genuine(?) desire to be recognized as an artist. Apparently true comedians are not satisfied with their rare talent for making people laugh. It's a dilemma similar to that explored by Ricky Gervais in Extras series 2, where Ricky's character, Andy, is often despondent over his stalled career, trapped in a low brow sitcom, mechanically repeating a tedious, tiresome catch phrase. The Trip manages to avoid Alan Partridge's signature "Aha!" for all but a few utterances where it's used to great effect. The Trip also shares considerable psychic terrain with the 2004 film Sideways with Paul Giamatti as a morose failed writer and Thomas Haden Church as a better adjusted minor TV star on a cross country wine tasting excursion. The Trip plays it much less dramatically, more subtly.
As brilliant as this hybrid amalgam is, I left off one half a star for it's less-than-funny, even distracting, self fascinated pathos. Steve's hubris is initially compelling but it eventually grew just a bit tiresome. In all fairness watching the six episodes straight through in one sitting may have contributed to this impression. Even so, that leaves nine and one half gleaming stars of supremely fulfilling rich humor and stunning visual treats, plus a few savory historical morsels.
Though he indulges his libido at will with a string of attractive young ladies along the way, he still implores us to empathize with his misery. It is hard to commiserate with a guy who's meanwhile indulging, at every meal, in spectacularly sumptuous delicacies and exquisite vintages, all the while engaged in wonderfully hysterical banter with a fellow comedic master, Rob Brydon, who is sarcastically presented as just a casual work acquaintance. Steve's spot on executions of Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, and even Woody Allen are nearly matched by Rob, whose uncanny Hugh Grant he employs in his ridiculous nightly phone sex calls to his wife back home. Rob seems unaware of just how awful is his Al Pacino, which he isn't shy to use. Even Rob's lesser talents, especially his trademark Small Man in a Box, are very entertaining, at least in as much as they severely irritate Steve, who secretly envies the amusing skill.
The conceit that drives the six episode series is that we are in fact encouraged to despise Steve to some degree for his prideful self obsession, all-the-while vicariously reveling in the bacchanalian indulgences. Rob's genial, boyish charm is just as likely to provoke as it is to dampen a condescending, scolding retort from Steve. Rob, it seems, is content to have such a knowledgeable, if critical, audience for his theatrics. The heavy moods, however, are overplayed a bit, prodded by Mr. Coogan's genuine(?) desire to be recognized as an artist. Apparently true comedians are not satisfied with their rare talent for making people laugh. It's a dilemma similar to that explored by Ricky Gervais in Extras series 2, where Ricky's character, Andy, is often despondent over his stalled career, trapped in a low brow sitcom, mechanically repeating a tedious, tiresome catch phrase. The Trip manages to avoid Alan Partridge's signature "Aha!" for all but a few utterances where it's used to great effect. The Trip also shares considerable psychic terrain with the 2004 film Sideways with Paul Giamatti as a morose failed writer and Thomas Haden Church as a better adjusted minor TV star on a cross country wine tasting excursion. The Trip plays it much less dramatically, more subtly.
As brilliant as this hybrid amalgam is, I left off one half a star for it's less-than-funny, even distracting, self fascinated pathos. Steve's hubris is initially compelling but it eventually grew just a bit tiresome. In all fairness watching the six episodes straight through in one sitting may have contributed to this impression. Even so, that leaves nine and one half gleaming stars of supremely fulfilling rich humor and stunning visual treats, plus a few savory historical morsels.
Just the best TV comedy series I've ever seen
Good-Will18 September 2011
Since my major interests are conversation, food and scenery (And it helps that I was brought up in Yorkshire) then this hit every nail on the head.
I got hold of the DVD with all the extras, and after loving watching the series with its perfect execution of the relationship between the two main characters, then the extras provided a great insight into the amount of improvisation that was going on throughout.
It won't appeal to everyone, particularly those who have some sort of grudge against Coogan and the BBC as a whole (although how you can lump the two together is a mystery to me), but I thought that the willingness of Coogan and Brydon to caricature themselves as perceived by the media and seriously take the mick out of each other was not only brave, but quite touching.
The "To bed Gentleman, for we rise at daybreak!" scene was a highlight, as was the "Michael Caine-off" competition, for want of a better description.
But there is also pathos, as the Coogan and Brydon characters are at very different points in their respective relationships, and that's what holds the whole thing together.
Well, basically, it's brilliant.
Cheers, Will
I got hold of the DVD with all the extras, and after loving watching the series with its perfect execution of the relationship between the two main characters, then the extras provided a great insight into the amount of improvisation that was going on throughout.
It won't appeal to everyone, particularly those who have some sort of grudge against Coogan and the BBC as a whole (although how you can lump the two together is a mystery to me), but I thought that the willingness of Coogan and Brydon to caricature themselves as perceived by the media and seriously take the mick out of each other was not only brave, but quite touching.
The "To bed Gentleman, for we rise at daybreak!" scene was a highlight, as was the "Michael Caine-off" competition, for want of a better description.
But there is also pathos, as the Coogan and Brydon characters are at very different points in their respective relationships, and that's what holds the whole thing together.
Well, basically, it's brilliant.
Cheers, Will
Subtlety and reality combine to create sublime television
mutewitness7623 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is the second time that Coogan and Brydon have played semi-fictional versions of themselves on screen together. The first being in the enjoyable full length feature A Cock and Bull Story in 2005 which, like this series, was directed by Michael Winterbottom.
This series of six half hour vignettes follows Steve and Rob as they tour a scenic region of the north of England visiting top-end restaurants under the auspices that Coogan is writing a review on each establishment for a broad-sheet national paper. I think it's well known that Coogan and Brydon are long-time friends and Steve's Production Company Little Cow Productions (a reference to his popular comic creations Paul and Pauline Calf) has produced a number of Brydon's TV shows. Personally I am a big fan of both men but ultimately that meant that I went into this with high expectations. I was not let down.
The key words which kept coming to mind throughout this series are 'subtlety' and 'reality'. The main comedic platforms of the series are the mostly-improvised conversations the two men share whilst eating their extended lunches. These interplays tend to descend into ego-fuelled, petty verbal sparring and competitive point-scoring. Both men are well known for their spectrum of impressions of famous, mostly British celebrities (Coogan started his career voicing many of the puppets on Spitting Image, the satirical comedy show of the 1980's). We are told at the start that Coogan has invited Brydon because Coogan's companion of choice, his ex-girlfriend is in L.A, and others who he has asked have said 'no' to joining him. This theme that Brydon is a late stand-in is repeated and referenced throughout the series and is the fundamental dynamic running through most of their time together.
What's particularly wonderful about these interactions are the hints at underlying historical frustrations the two men feel towards one another as they try to win a series of mini verbal victories, very often whilst in the character of the celebrity they are impersonating. It makes for some really amusing and genuinely funny viewing.
Throughout the piece there are references to well known rumours about the two men. In particular the image of Coogan as an insecure, rather clumsy sex-addicted womaniser who struggles with his own professional achievements set against his much publicised history of indulging in excessive drink and drugs. He also references the frustrations he encounters as he tries to gain mainstream acceptance as a bonafide leading actor in Hollywood. Sending themselves up and playing out the characters that the media portrays them as having is a very clever (and I suspect cathartic) way of making light of those very same stereotypes.
Brydon portrays himself as a less complicated 'family man' who more often than not defers to Coogan in the heat of witty combat (perhaps because Coogan is paying the bill for each meal and paying Brydon to join him on the trip). He appears to play the reluctant apprentice to Coogan's Master and, in doing so, he comes across as the more grounded and likable of the two main characters. Coogan, playing the slightly bitter and unfulfilled alpha male, regularly reminds Brydon that (on paper) he is the more successful performer. Brydon's need to constantly communicate in the guise of one his characterisations, disguising his often clever and sometimes cutting observations clearly annoys Coogan. We get the impression that Coogan looks down on Brydon because of his less ernest 'light entertainment' career and because Brydon so readily jumps into character to impress or amuse, almost as a social defence mechanism. Coogan on the other hand is too cool to need to do this and it's very evident in way he reacts to Brydon's mimicry. The dynamic of the contempt/respect relationship that the two play out is both brilliant and sharp. Playing oneself on screen must be very difficult and, in this series, the line between reality and fiction is deliberately and wonderfully blurred. One genuinely gets the feeling that this is not far away from how these two friends might interact in real-life although one hopes with a little less ego-driven competitiveness.
Apart from the restaurant settings, we see Rob and Steve visit local historical places of interest such as Samuel Coleridge's home and the verbal point-scoring is not restricted just to the dinner table. It is whilst the two men tour the countryside in Steve's Range Rover (a brand of car he can often be seen in) that we get to see some breath-taking scenery and if I was feeling a little more pretentious I would say something about this part being a visual love-letter from the Lancastrians Coogan and Winterbottom to their beloved North of England.
This is hugely rewarding television and I can not recommend it highly enough.
This series of six half hour vignettes follows Steve and Rob as they tour a scenic region of the north of England visiting top-end restaurants under the auspices that Coogan is writing a review on each establishment for a broad-sheet national paper. I think it's well known that Coogan and Brydon are long-time friends and Steve's Production Company Little Cow Productions (a reference to his popular comic creations Paul and Pauline Calf) has produced a number of Brydon's TV shows. Personally I am a big fan of both men but ultimately that meant that I went into this with high expectations. I was not let down.
The key words which kept coming to mind throughout this series are 'subtlety' and 'reality'. The main comedic platforms of the series are the mostly-improvised conversations the two men share whilst eating their extended lunches. These interplays tend to descend into ego-fuelled, petty verbal sparring and competitive point-scoring. Both men are well known for their spectrum of impressions of famous, mostly British celebrities (Coogan started his career voicing many of the puppets on Spitting Image, the satirical comedy show of the 1980's). We are told at the start that Coogan has invited Brydon because Coogan's companion of choice, his ex-girlfriend is in L.A, and others who he has asked have said 'no' to joining him. This theme that Brydon is a late stand-in is repeated and referenced throughout the series and is the fundamental dynamic running through most of their time together.
What's particularly wonderful about these interactions are the hints at underlying historical frustrations the two men feel towards one another as they try to win a series of mini verbal victories, very often whilst in the character of the celebrity they are impersonating. It makes for some really amusing and genuinely funny viewing.
Throughout the piece there are references to well known rumours about the two men. In particular the image of Coogan as an insecure, rather clumsy sex-addicted womaniser who struggles with his own professional achievements set against his much publicised history of indulging in excessive drink and drugs. He also references the frustrations he encounters as he tries to gain mainstream acceptance as a bonafide leading actor in Hollywood. Sending themselves up and playing out the characters that the media portrays them as having is a very clever (and I suspect cathartic) way of making light of those very same stereotypes.
Brydon portrays himself as a less complicated 'family man' who more often than not defers to Coogan in the heat of witty combat (perhaps because Coogan is paying the bill for each meal and paying Brydon to join him on the trip). He appears to play the reluctant apprentice to Coogan's Master and, in doing so, he comes across as the more grounded and likable of the two main characters. Coogan, playing the slightly bitter and unfulfilled alpha male, regularly reminds Brydon that (on paper) he is the more successful performer. Brydon's need to constantly communicate in the guise of one his characterisations, disguising his often clever and sometimes cutting observations clearly annoys Coogan. We get the impression that Coogan looks down on Brydon because of his less ernest 'light entertainment' career and because Brydon so readily jumps into character to impress or amuse, almost as a social defence mechanism. Coogan on the other hand is too cool to need to do this and it's very evident in way he reacts to Brydon's mimicry. The dynamic of the contempt/respect relationship that the two play out is both brilliant and sharp. Playing oneself on screen must be very difficult and, in this series, the line between reality and fiction is deliberately and wonderfully blurred. One genuinely gets the feeling that this is not far away from how these two friends might interact in real-life although one hopes with a little less ego-driven competitiveness.
Apart from the restaurant settings, we see Rob and Steve visit local historical places of interest such as Samuel Coleridge's home and the verbal point-scoring is not restricted just to the dinner table. It is whilst the two men tour the countryside in Steve's Range Rover (a brand of car he can often be seen in) that we get to see some breath-taking scenery and if I was feeling a little more pretentious I would say something about this part being a visual love-letter from the Lancastrians Coogan and Winterbottom to their beloved North of England.
This is hugely rewarding television and I can not recommend it highly enough.
The finest Comedy Pleasure for 2010
Jason-Boulton30 November 2010
Words cannot describe how wonderful this comedy is. Steve Coogan has moved up to genius with his wonderful portrayal of 'himself?'. Sad and bitter he feels the world still doesn't appreciate him for the genius he is. The self depreciation is wonderful as is his partner in these adventures Rob whose everlasting cheerfulness and wish to truly help Steve stop worrying about things and just enjoy the comedy he can give to people. I will never tire of 'Whaddyagot' Pacino and 'Mr Chrissssstian' Hopkins from Rob and Steve's bored look as he delivers these lines week in week out.
Finest comedy moment - almost to a Chaplin level of pathos - Steve Coogan's vain attempts to recreate in a hotel room mirror Robs 'Man in a Box'. True genius. 30 minutes each week of unbelievable terrific comedy snuck away on BBC2 at 10pm. I have rewatched each episode several times on iplayer and will get the DVD when released. This is one to mention up there with the best and please please watch as many episodes whilst you can. Genius - nothing more or less. Congratulations to all concerned.
Finest comedy moment - almost to a Chaplin level of pathos - Steve Coogan's vain attempts to recreate in a hotel room mirror Robs 'Man in a Box'. True genius. 30 minutes each week of unbelievable terrific comedy snuck away on BBC2 at 10pm. I have rewatched each episode several times on iplayer and will get the DVD when released. This is one to mention up there with the best and please please watch as many episodes whilst you can. Genius - nothing more or less. Congratulations to all concerned.
The Trip:The 3 Hour TV Cut.
morrison-dylan-fan11 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Ever since me and the rest of my family spent a very rainy summer holiday being entertained for the whole time via some video tapes of a TV show called Knowing Me,Knowing You With Alan Partridge that we picked up from a near by car boot sale,I have always done my best to keep a bit of an eye on what projects Partridge actor Steve Coogan and lead writer Armando Iannucci (now an Oscar nom!) have each been up to,with even the low point in their works(Dr Terrible's House of Horrible,The Armando Iannucci Show)featuring some very good moments.
Whilst waiting for this series to arrive in the post (which I had intentionally made sure not to watch on TV) I began to hear that the BBC were going to do a "Man From U.N.C.L.E." and bring out a slashed-down 90 minute version of the series as a film in the US,which made me decide that I would not take any short cuts,but instead go for the full 3 hour,wonderful trip.
The plot:
After being given a job by a newspaper called The Observer to be their guest food critic for the month,actor Steve Coogan rings up his American girlfriend to ask if she will come along with him on a week long tour of restaurant's in the north of England,Sadly for Coogan,he finds that his girlfriend is doing what he has been attempting to succeed at for the last 10 years:working in America.
Desperate to not go alone on this tour of the north,Steve eventually rings up his best friend Rob Brydon, who he gives a nudge until he eventually accepts Coogan's offer.As the pair start to go on their travels,Steve begins to feel that he's lowed himself by accepting The Observer job,due to feeling that whilst Brydon is happy being a "populist" entertainer in the UK, he should instead be focusing on the opportunity that he has been searching after for years,which finally may transform him into an A-List Holloywood "autor" actor:a HBO series.
Initially being thrilled to jump for the offer,Coogan begins to have doubts on his current path,when he begins to realise that his best friend has a much better personal life than he has ever had.
View on the film/series:
When checking up for details of Steve Coogan's third (and Rob Brydon's second) collaboration with director Michael Winterbottom,I began to get a strong suspicion that with the series/film's basic plot of: two men travel to posh café's,eat,drink and chat-the end!,there seemed to be a very strong chance that the latest collaboration between all three would choke on its own self indulgences.Lucky the largely improvised script balances itself on a tightrope between a post-modern,meta comedy and a touching melodrama about ambition and friends.
Compared to the rough "acid" look that Winterbottom gave to his tremendous Coogan co-starring film based around the late 70's-late 90's music scene in Manchester (24 Hour Party People),the film/series has a extremely stark,crisp appearance that allows Winterbottom to show all of the natural "faults" with his cast,Along with making the beautiful filming location's look like places that you almost instantly want to get in a car and visit for yourself.
If,like me you have experience sleepless nights due to wondering about question's such as:"How would Woody Allen sound if he was Welsh?","What is Richard Gere looking at off-screen?",and of course the main question: "How would it be to take part in a Michael Caine battle rap?" Well,I am pleased to announce that you can now sleep peacefully now, thanks to the stunning dinner conversations that Steve and Rob have over the six episodes being jam-packed with hilariously good impressions that will keep you laughing for the whole 90 mins/3 hours and also features moments that will stay in your head long after the viewing.
At around the half-way mark of viewing the series,I began to realise that the main highlight for me was starting to become seeing how much the real and the fake Steve Coogan would blend into each other as Coogan gives what is impressively the strongest performance of his whole career,as Rob Brydon's charming performance of a family man allows Coogan to create a character of himself who seems to have come off the set of HBO's amazing The Larry Sanders Show,thanks to him ripping any protective mask into pieces as the character (and perhaps Coogan's real) flaws get placed on the table for the audience to see in the open,which gives this film/series the chance to end on a perfectly pitched,delicate melancholia note.
One bit that I do have to say about the different cuts,is that whilst no big plot twist gets left on the cutting room floor,the 3 hour TV version stands proud as the definitive cut,due to the extra 90 minutes letting a whole lot more punchlines be included and also gives the Coogan Brydon friendship a lot more depth,thanks to the extended running time.
Whilst waiting for this series to arrive in the post (which I had intentionally made sure not to watch on TV) I began to hear that the BBC were going to do a "Man From U.N.C.L.E." and bring out a slashed-down 90 minute version of the series as a film in the US,which made me decide that I would not take any short cuts,but instead go for the full 3 hour,wonderful trip.
The plot:
After being given a job by a newspaper called The Observer to be their guest food critic for the month,actor Steve Coogan rings up his American girlfriend to ask if she will come along with him on a week long tour of restaurant's in the north of England,Sadly for Coogan,he finds that his girlfriend is doing what he has been attempting to succeed at for the last 10 years:working in America.
Desperate to not go alone on this tour of the north,Steve eventually rings up his best friend Rob Brydon, who he gives a nudge until he eventually accepts Coogan's offer.As the pair start to go on their travels,Steve begins to feel that he's lowed himself by accepting The Observer job,due to feeling that whilst Brydon is happy being a "populist" entertainer in the UK, he should instead be focusing on the opportunity that he has been searching after for years,which finally may transform him into an A-List Holloywood "autor" actor:a HBO series.
Initially being thrilled to jump for the offer,Coogan begins to have doubts on his current path,when he begins to realise that his best friend has a much better personal life than he has ever had.
View on the film/series:
When checking up for details of Steve Coogan's third (and Rob Brydon's second) collaboration with director Michael Winterbottom,I began to get a strong suspicion that with the series/film's basic plot of: two men travel to posh café's,eat,drink and chat-the end!,there seemed to be a very strong chance that the latest collaboration between all three would choke on its own self indulgences.Lucky the largely improvised script balances itself on a tightrope between a post-modern,meta comedy and a touching melodrama about ambition and friends.
Compared to the rough "acid" look that Winterbottom gave to his tremendous Coogan co-starring film based around the late 70's-late 90's music scene in Manchester (24 Hour Party People),the film/series has a extremely stark,crisp appearance that allows Winterbottom to show all of the natural "faults" with his cast,Along with making the beautiful filming location's look like places that you almost instantly want to get in a car and visit for yourself.
If,like me you have experience sleepless nights due to wondering about question's such as:"How would Woody Allen sound if he was Welsh?","What is Richard Gere looking at off-screen?",and of course the main question: "How would it be to take part in a Michael Caine battle rap?" Well,I am pleased to announce that you can now sleep peacefully now, thanks to the stunning dinner conversations that Steve and Rob have over the six episodes being jam-packed with hilariously good impressions that will keep you laughing for the whole 90 mins/3 hours and also features moments that will stay in your head long after the viewing.
At around the half-way mark of viewing the series,I began to realise that the main highlight for me was starting to become seeing how much the real and the fake Steve Coogan would blend into each other as Coogan gives what is impressively the strongest performance of his whole career,as Rob Brydon's charming performance of a family man allows Coogan to create a character of himself who seems to have come off the set of HBO's amazing The Larry Sanders Show,thanks to him ripping any protective mask into pieces as the character (and perhaps Coogan's real) flaws get placed on the table for the audience to see in the open,which gives this film/series the chance to end on a perfectly pitched,delicate melancholia note.
One bit that I do have to say about the different cuts,is that whilst no big plot twist gets left on the cutting room floor,the 3 hour TV version stands proud as the definitive cut,due to the extra 90 minutes letting a whole lot more punchlines be included and also gives the Coogan Brydon friendship a lot more depth,thanks to the extended running time.
"The Trip" (2010)
MartinTeller12 January 2012
What we've really got is two series. One is the comedy of "Steve Coogan" and "Rob Brydon" exchanging barbs and doing impressions and making witty observations. These parts generally occur over the six meals they share, and I really enjoyed them. Some of their banter is hilarious... I had already seen the Michael Caine routine several times on YouTube and yet I still laughed at it. The other film involves the contrast between these people/characters: Steve, trying to bolster his acting career and struggling with a relationship that's starting to crack, and Rob the less successful but content family man. And I really enjoyed this part as well. Rob's calls home to his wife are amusing but also quite touching. Steve's existential midlife crisis is engaging and insightful as well. The two halves of the film do bleed into each other a bit, but I genuinely appreciated the separation between them. Winterbottom knows that it's okay to just let these two guys play off each other with their natural comedic chemistry and not worry about whether or not it's pushing the "plot" forward. The photography is mostly functional, concentrating on the personalities, but quite lovely when capturing all that gorgeous English countryside. While the film isn't as post-modern as the previous collaborations (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and TRISTRAM SHANDY, both of which seem to get minor callbacks in the first episode, though it may be merely coincidence) it still maintains an unconventionality.
The Trip
jboothmillard5 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I heard about this programme a little while it was broadcast, but I must have missed it, and I was keen to try it, so I was very happy when I noticed it was being repeated, so I watched with great expectations, directed by Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart, Everyday). Basically comedian and actor (BAFTA winning) Steve Coogan has accepted a commission job as a restaurant critic for The Observer newspaper, touring the North of England to experience many places that offer good food and fine dining, he is doing it to try and impress his American girlfriend Mischa (Margo Stilley), who has asked to take a break from their relationship. Originally Misha was meant to come on the trip with him, but she has returned to America while they are on a break, so at the last minute the only person he can think of to invite is his fellow comedian and actor friend-of-sorts (British Comedy Award nominated) Rob Brydon, and the two of them set off on their road trip. While on the road, eating the well prepared and presented food, drinking the fine wines and exploring the various landscapes the series revolves around mostly improvised scenes between them, as they experience the meals, and try to outdo and undermine each other in conversation and doing celebrity impressions and movie line clichés. During their time together of course they have a good laugh and enjoy themselves in most ways as well, but also we see Rob missing home and talking to his partner in a pleasant and jovial manner, while Steve tries to get back in Mischa's good books, sort things with his agent, and has one night stands with various women. Coogan and Brydon play mock versions of themselves really well, and both do great celebrity impressions that work really well while they bicker and have some kind of imitation-off, they know how to make those watching laugh, whether it is funny or cringeworthy, or both. It also works really well as a fun road trip, seeing the many beautiful sights, seeing the preparations of the delicious meals at The Inn at Whitewell, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, Holbeck Ghyll in Windermere, Hipping Hall near Lancashire, Yorke Arms at Ramsgill in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire and Hetton in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, and they also meet and on the phone talk to a few interesting characters, one episode even guest stars Ben Stiller. If you are looking for a show with two great comedy stars, material mostly being made up along the way, a road trip with interesting places to go and things to see, and tasty looking food served to them, this all combined makes for a fantastically funny and interesting comedy sitcom. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy, and it was nominated the British Comedy Award for Best New TV Comedy. Very good!
The standard for pseudo-fictionalised comedy
harrylosborne20 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Whilst a niche title to give to a series, The Trip is genuinely the premier example of geniuses at work. With Steve Coogan the mastermind behind the whole premise, Rob Brydon's exceptional chemistry and amicability allows the improvisational script to flow effortlessly. Coogan's subdued, biting and critical input grates against Brydon's endless optimism, providing the recipe for the perfect comedy dialogue as they move from restaurant to restaurant. The entire plot takes a backseat for most of the episodes, with life's trivialities becoming distant to the two of them; yet, this beauty of this show is its ability to bring you straight back to the present, using small interactions (like phone calls) to provide each character greater depth.
The genius of the show, however, comes from the blurring of the lines between fiction and fact, and how the viewer can decide for themselves where that line is. Coogan seems intent on presenting himself as the downtrodden, past-his-time actor/comic, bored of his bachelor life but intent to power through with it. This plays perfectly off of Brydon, who has the polar opposite life, settled down with a wife and daughter. Even if you believe their self-presentations, the interactions with staff, co-workers and family members, as well as their awareness of their own ageing, allows you to empathise with them more, becoming the main point of the show (rather than the loose premise of food reviews).
However, the crown jewel of the show is the straight dialogue between the two. As they trade veiled insults and brilliant impressions of past and present actors, they show their vulnerabilities both to age and to never reaching the peaks of their idols and stars. This manifests further throughout the second season, culminating with a tragically beautiful scene on the coast of Italy, as they come to terms with their heroes beginning to fade.
Whilst no episode is a dramatic piece on its own, when combined they paint a detailed picture of both characters and their lives, as well as their images of themselves. Food reviews? Less so.
The genius of the show, however, comes from the blurring of the lines between fiction and fact, and how the viewer can decide for themselves where that line is. Coogan seems intent on presenting himself as the downtrodden, past-his-time actor/comic, bored of his bachelor life but intent to power through with it. This plays perfectly off of Brydon, who has the polar opposite life, settled down with a wife and daughter. Even if you believe their self-presentations, the interactions with staff, co-workers and family members, as well as their awareness of their own ageing, allows you to empathise with them more, becoming the main point of the show (rather than the loose premise of food reviews).
However, the crown jewel of the show is the straight dialogue between the two. As they trade veiled insults and brilliant impressions of past and present actors, they show their vulnerabilities both to age and to never reaching the peaks of their idols and stars. This manifests further throughout the second season, culminating with a tragically beautiful scene on the coast of Italy, as they come to terms with their heroes beginning to fade.
Whilst no episode is a dramatic piece on its own, when combined they paint a detailed picture of both characters and their lives, as well as their images of themselves. Food reviews? Less so.
Seemed like a vanity project
gbill-7487721 July 2020
Beautiful scenery and some occasionally funny banter (e.g. the 'Gentlemen to bed, for we leave at 9:30' bit), but these two guys were so shallow and tiring that it killed most of my enjoyment, and I was glad when it ended. Some of the impressions were pretty funny the first time, but to hear them trotted out again and again was tedious. The cuts to the gourmet food being plated in the kitchen before being brought out to them were not only throwaway shots, but they emphasized just how entitled these guys are, and their snarky commentary didn't help. We don't get any real introspection or humility to show some humanity and this seemed like a vanity project, complete with one-night stands and lame cell phone calls to family and agents while out on the road. It's unfortunate because I loved the concept, and the landscapes are so stunning.
oddly hypnotic
893loses14 March 2021
The Best Parts are Minus the Characters
westsideschl11 February 2021
Positives: The scenery.
Negatives: Lots of screen time preparing and then eating a very expensively prepared/presented conveyor belt of shrimpy sized meals accessible primarily to the wealthy; in this case our two main characters. Does such exorbitance help the many whose lives are painful & brief from lack of nourishing food? Lots of screen time eating or driving while doing impressions that quickly became redundant; mostly late 1900s famous male leads.
Self-aggrandizing from our two protagonists (mostly common knowledge). Most frequent when young women are around & makes one wonder what good there is in human nature.
S1: Good idea, sporadically very funny but needed more substance to really deliver on the potential
bob the moo19 February 2011
One of the things I did enjoy about 2005's Cock & Bull Story was the relationship between Coogan and Brydon in terms of how funny their discussions were but also how informed by their own insecurities and jealousies they were. It wasn't the whole of the film of course but it was a small part of it that worked well and I was definitely interested to see that idea and that relationship explored a bit more in The Trip. Although a shorter film version exists somewhere, in the UK I saw it as the six-part sitcom on BBC2 that gained near universal praise from critics but at the same time seemed to be actively disliked by the majority of the people who casually checked it out on TV one evening. Likewise on the internet forums opinion appears to equally polarised with people thinking it brilliant or dismissing it as self-indulgent tosh. In a way I sort of see where both sides are coming from.
On one hand the potential here is to really make a smart and clever post-modern study of "fame" and success using fictionalised versions of these two men, but then on the flip side much of each episode appears to be them having the same sort of conversations driven by impressions delivered mostly by Brydon while Coogan goes increasingly impatient with him. For me both of these things are equally true but they both end up working against each other and the material doesn't even seem to be strong enough or tight enough to be able to deliver on the idea and realise the potential. Of course it is mostly improvised around an idea and this does seem to help the comedy as their messy conversations produces some good laughs, but it means that the bitterness, the awkwardness, the slight air of failure and resentment doesn't even go deeper than specific scenes on which it is painted. What I was looking for was that these aspects would be "in" the characters and always part of them in more of a way that it was – irritation and impatience during a specific conversation is not quite the same as this and it isn't really countered by making sure we end each episode with Coogan silently considering his navel in one way or another.
I didn't hate it like some did but I certainly didn't love it like others did either. The potential is there and the two actors certainly seem talented enough but it does feel like they could have done with a much tighter leash in terms of being allowed to improvise and needed clever scripted material and direction to make sure the potential in the idea came through. It is an interesting and sporadically very funny failure though – but it is ultimately a failure as the potential never comes through in real meaning or substance and the comedy is a bit too repetitive after a few episodes to be classic.
On one hand the potential here is to really make a smart and clever post-modern study of "fame" and success using fictionalised versions of these two men, but then on the flip side much of each episode appears to be them having the same sort of conversations driven by impressions delivered mostly by Brydon while Coogan goes increasingly impatient with him. For me both of these things are equally true but they both end up working against each other and the material doesn't even seem to be strong enough or tight enough to be able to deliver on the idea and realise the potential. Of course it is mostly improvised around an idea and this does seem to help the comedy as their messy conversations produces some good laughs, but it means that the bitterness, the awkwardness, the slight air of failure and resentment doesn't even go deeper than specific scenes on which it is painted. What I was looking for was that these aspects would be "in" the characters and always part of them in more of a way that it was – irritation and impatience during a specific conversation is not quite the same as this and it isn't really countered by making sure we end each episode with Coogan silently considering his navel in one way or another.
I didn't hate it like some did but I certainly didn't love it like others did either. The potential is there and the two actors certainly seem talented enough but it does feel like they could have done with a much tighter leash in terms of being allowed to improvise and needed clever scripted material and direction to make sure the potential in the idea came through. It is an interesting and sporadically very funny failure though – but it is ultimately a failure as the potential never comes through in real meaning or substance and the comedy is a bit too repetitive after a few episodes to be classic.
What? Am I watching the same TV series?
jonb-2917 December 2011
I simply don't understand it. I've just listened to Coogan for 7hrs on his audio-book "...We need to Talk About Alan". And very, very funny it is too.
So if I like that, why do I find this hardening-artery of a TV series so bloody dire? It's true I'm not that keen on impersonations, and especially when they get repeated episode after episode as they do in The Trip. Maybe people who absolutely love impersonations wet themselves watching The Trip? But I doubt it.
Is it funny or just tragic? Well it isn't comedy and it's not tragedy. It's just two bloody boring self-absorbed gits sitting around gobbling at each other when they're not shagging/attempting-to-shag anything in a skirt.
Coogan needs to take a long, long look in the mirror. Oh wait, he does (and so do we). But it's just not funny and it's not sad, it's just boring and incredibly tedious.
There's a reason most TV shows have writers. That's because actors have about 15 minutes of talent when it comes to improvisation and that's exactly what you'll find here in The Trip. Fifteen minutes of entertainment and the rest should be sent to some digital equivalent of the cutting-room floor.
It's rubbish. But it could have been brilliant. The Trip owes me a few hours of my life back.
So if I like that, why do I find this hardening-artery of a TV series so bloody dire? It's true I'm not that keen on impersonations, and especially when they get repeated episode after episode as they do in The Trip. Maybe people who absolutely love impersonations wet themselves watching The Trip? But I doubt it.
Is it funny or just tragic? Well it isn't comedy and it's not tragedy. It's just two bloody boring self-absorbed gits sitting around gobbling at each other when they're not shagging/attempting-to-shag anything in a skirt.
Coogan needs to take a long, long look in the mirror. Oh wait, he does (and so do we). But it's just not funny and it's not sad, it's just boring and incredibly tedious.
There's a reason most TV shows have writers. That's because actors have about 15 minutes of talent when it comes to improvisation and that's exactly what you'll find here in The Trip. Fifteen minutes of entertainment and the rest should be sent to some digital equivalent of the cutting-room floor.
It's rubbish. But it could have been brilliant. The Trip owes me a few hours of my life back.
Overrated
DionysianMote1 February 2019
Self indulgent bilge faintly propped up by some clever cinematography and Michael Nyman's exquisite themes recycled from superior productions. Watch only if you desire the simulated company of two narcissistic, shallow buffoons lamenting their middle age.
mundane
adi-595414 August 2015
I'm always on the lookout for comedy series to entertain me during my short lunch break whilst sat in my little office on my own far from civilisation. So far.. Green Wing, Mitchell and Webb, the excellent Big Train, the surreal Garth Marenghis Darkplace, The Great Outdoors, and others have stood the test of my thirty minute sandwich break.
This time, its 'The Trip' , and I don't expect to get through it, as its already becoming tedious after three episodes. This is clearly nothing more than a marketing gimmick for the restaurants involved.. its certainly not a comedy. Its basically Rob and Steve sat at a table, doing impressions, and that's as far as the plot goes. They're not comedy impressions though, just regular, everyday impressions. The type of impressions that impressionists with no comedy talent (such as Alistair McGowan) think are funny... ie, they're not funny at all.
The best thing about this series is actually the scenery that the UK has to offer. They go to some stunning locations and some nice hotels and restaurants. But, the restaurants clearly have some kind of marketing involvement going on here, as we are treated to full menu breakdowns, shots of the kitchens and chefs, history of said restaurant or hotel, and as yet, not a bad word to be said about any of them by Steve or Rob.
Odd program.. sometimes uncomfortable viewing.. certainly not funny.
This time, its 'The Trip' , and I don't expect to get through it, as its already becoming tedious after three episodes. This is clearly nothing more than a marketing gimmick for the restaurants involved.. its certainly not a comedy. Its basically Rob and Steve sat at a table, doing impressions, and that's as far as the plot goes. They're not comedy impressions though, just regular, everyday impressions. The type of impressions that impressionists with no comedy talent (such as Alistair McGowan) think are funny... ie, they're not funny at all.
The best thing about this series is actually the scenery that the UK has to offer. They go to some stunning locations and some nice hotels and restaurants. But, the restaurants clearly have some kind of marketing involvement going on here, as we are treated to full menu breakdowns, shots of the kitchens and chefs, history of said restaurant or hotel, and as yet, not a bad word to be said about any of them by Steve or Rob.
Odd program.. sometimes uncomfortable viewing.. certainly not funny.
I gave up the will to live
packoftwenty13 May 2011
I thought I was a big Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon fan, until I saw this. I think the words 'self indulgent' spring to mind, and not just on the part of Coogan and Brydon, but the idiotic 'just out of university' camera man and director. My god - was it really necessary to show stupid, wavering close up shots, over the shoulder of Brydon, of his plate, as if to point out for the more intellectually challenged amongst us, what he was eating? The whole thing is just painful to watch, I haven't laughed once, nor even felt like laughing. Who actually enjoys this rubbish? When you compare this to Paul and Pauline Calf, or The Alan Partridge Show, you wonder if this is the same man. I kept waiting for things to improve. Maybe the strange bitterness that Coogan exudes throughout would drop off, but no. And yet more typical 'BBC' direction and camera work, it's simply unbearable. Stupid shots of the motorway, as if to point out "Yes, we know that you must know by now that they are driving on a motorway, but we're going to provide some more obscure shots of a random motorway just to drive that point home."
And the sickening shots around 19" into the first episode, where Coogan speaks to his agent... how predictable - the shot from the side, from another office, from in front, cutting from Coogan to yet another random view of his agent. Is this supposed to be 'art' or 'clever'?
I can't believe this pile of rubbish actually got made. I can't believe it was actually broadcast. Hang on. I CAN believe it got made, and that it got broadcast, because the BBC is run by a bunch of self congratulating left wing nutcases, who are so used to lying to the entire country, that lying to each other is second nature, so of course a load of old twaddle can get through with flying colours - after all, nobody wants to say that the emperor is naked.
As far as I can tell, Coogan has lost it. His 'Alan Partridge Mid Morning Matters' are also completely unfunny - just him, 'being' Alan Partridge, but not being remotely amusing...
And the sickening shots around 19" into the first episode, where Coogan speaks to his agent... how predictable - the shot from the side, from another office, from in front, cutting from Coogan to yet another random view of his agent. Is this supposed to be 'art' or 'clever'?
I can't believe this pile of rubbish actually got made. I can't believe it was actually broadcast. Hang on. I CAN believe it got made, and that it got broadcast, because the BBC is run by a bunch of self congratulating left wing nutcases, who are so used to lying to the entire country, that lying to each other is second nature, so of course a load of old twaddle can get through with flying colours - after all, nobody wants to say that the emperor is naked.
As far as I can tell, Coogan has lost it. His 'Alan Partridge Mid Morning Matters' are also completely unfunny - just him, 'being' Alan Partridge, but not being remotely amusing...
Horrible middle aged men being "themselves"
FlixFixer28 April 2022
Utterly horrible, unfunny, uninteresting. To rich egomaniacs eating disgusting food, almost no one can afford and nobody needs. While doing that they are nagging each other being mean and nasty while doing dad jokes and bad impressions. Coogan whines the whole time about how bad his life is or he speaks on the phone with his 20 years younger girlfriend who seems fed up with him - I wonder why? How's that supposed to be funny? They made how many of those? I usually love British shows, many made by the BBC. This is just not watchable, a waste of time. I just finished watching W1A and loved the understated, subtle humour. A great parody of British mannerisms and modern times. The Trip shows a lot of what is wrong with people today without being funny and seemingly unintentionally.
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