Steve Coogan has been asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, but after his girlfriend backs out on him he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation... Read allSteve Coogan has been asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, but after his girlfriend backs out on him he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.Steve Coogan has been asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, but after his girlfriend backs out on him he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
- York Arms Receptionist
- (as Mercè Ribot)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere is no credited writer. Majority of the film is improvised.
- Quotes
Rob: You could have a costume drama here, couldn't you?
Steve: I would love-I'd absolutely-I'd just love to do a costume drama in these hills, leaping, vaulting over dry stone walls with a scabbard, with that dead look in my eyes, 'cause I've seen so many horrors that I'm sort of immune to them, and I'd say something like, "Gentlemen, to bed! Gentlemen, to bed, for we leave at first light. Tomorrow we battle, and we may lose our lives. But remember: death is but a moment. Cowardice is a lifetime affliction."
Rob: Nice.
Steve: To bed, for we rise at daybreak!
Rob: Very good. Very impressive.
Steve: But they always, they always leave at daybreak. They never leave at, you know, nine-thirty. "Gentlemen to bed, for we leave at nine-thirty!"
Rob: Ish.
Steve: Ish. "Gentlemen to bed, for we rise at... What time is the battle? About, oh, twelve o'clock? Twelve o'clock. How is it on horseback, about three hours? So we leave about eight, eight-thirty?"
Rob: Eight-thirty for nine.
Steve: "Gentlemen, to bed! For we leave at eight-thirty for nine. And we rise at just after daybreak. Seven-thirty, so just after daybreak. Gentlemen to bed, for we leave at nine-thirty on the dot. On the dot."
Rob: Do you want to have a run, sire, in the morning? Just to loosen up, sire.
Steve: Yes.
Rob: Another thing they never say is, "Right! Well! We'd better make a move. I want to get back in daylight. We'd better make a move."
Steve: To bed! Tomorrow we ride! We leave at ten-ish.
- ConnectionsEdited from The Trip (2010)
"The Trip" has no real story. As explained in the first 10 seconds of the film, it's simply about Steve Coogan (played by Steve Coogan) who reluctantly invites his quasi-friend Rob Brydon (played by Rob Brydon) in on an assignment reviewing restaurants in northern UK.
What follows is 172 minutes of bizarre, awkward and painful humour which, like in the "Michael Caine" clip, centers around the 2 quirky characters and their polite antagonism of each other. If you haven't already seen the Coogan-Brydon schtick (as in "Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story") I can only describe it as classic. It's almost a throwback to Laurel & Hardy or Abbot & Costello but with intelligence rather than slapstick. Coogan plays the somewhat superior egotist while Brydon plays the clown (who always gets the better of his counterpart).
"The Trip" was originally a 6-part series that aired on BBC in 2010, strung into a feature film released in 2011. The whole show was largely improvised, and in the excellent bonus features on the film DVD we can see the evolution of their routines as well as some other gags that didn't make it to the final version (such as the hilariously surreal "C-NT SONG" and accompanying dance choreography).
The pacing of the film is somewhat slow, but that works to its advantage. It makes the whole experience flow realistically, not contrived. The gags are like islands of hilarity in a sea of Coogan's otherwise dreary life. Also note, even though I said there's no story, there actually is if you read between the lines. Ironically, it's a rather heavy story touching on the themes of loneliness, dissatisfaction and Shakespearean "sound and fury signifying nothing". I was extremely impressed that director Michael Winterbottom could make such a funny film within such a bleak premise.
Watch it closely and you'll be both entertained and affected. Films I'd compare this to are "Tristram Shandy" (another excellent Coogan-Brydon-Winterbottom collaboration), "Coffee and Cigarettes" (also featuring Coogan in a stylish, artistic comedy by Jim Jarmusch) and some of the Christopher Guest films, such as "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show".
- How long is The Trip?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- El viatge
- Filming locations
- Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England, UK(Steve and Rob go to L'Enclume)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,030,962
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $77,904
- Jun 12, 2011
- Gross worldwide
- $3,945,217
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1