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Steve Coogan, Margo Stilley, Rob Brydon

Playing loose versions of themselves, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reprise their hilariously fictionalized roles from Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and reunite with acclaimed director Michael W... read more read more...interbottom for an acerbically witty, largely improvised ride through the English countryside. Tapped by The Observer to review fine restaurants throughout the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, Steve finds himself without a traveling companion after his girlfriend decides not to go at the last minute. After being turned down by everyone else he knows, Steve extends an invitation to Rob, and together the pair attempt to navigate the winding back roads of rural England, impersonating popular celebrities such as Michael Caine, Woody Allen and Liam Neeson (among many others) and bickering along the way. -- (C) IFC

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71% liked it

6,672 ratings

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89% liked it

92 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Michael Winterbottom

Release Date: June 10, 2011

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DVD Release Date: October 11, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (568)

  • danperry17
    May 23, 2012
    danperry17
    Winterbottom and Coogan team up again to tell a sort of true, sort of not story about England that will make you laugh and may make you cry, thanks mostly to its honesty and verisimilitude.

    The premise is that Coogan is between jobs, wanting to make big, brilliant American movie... read mores, but being offered only TV series designed for washed up stars. Newly on a break from his much younger girlfriend, Coogan sets off to write a magazine article about the restaurants in England's northlands, and in a pinch to find a travel companion, calls an old friend, the impressionist Rob Brydon. The men's friendship strains, as does Coogan's personal life and career, as they make their way from place to place, really doing little more than carrying on a conversation that ranges through all emotions. Compelling viewing, and most notable, perhaps, for the moment when Steve Coogan says he wants to work with auteurs; he and Winterbottom are already doing it.
  • fb791220692
    February 2, 2012
    fb791220692
    An odd, distinctly British mix of talk-heavy dramadies and full out Curb Your Enthusiasm style semi-autobiographical narrative and gags, The Trip is a truly daring excursion, which thanks to the well-intentioned, yet far under-appreciated Steve Coogan, is one of the most honest f... read moreilms of 2011. It's not a comedy that anyone will enjoy, but if you love unique spins on the comedy genre and appreciate intellectual ramblings, I would highly recommend you watch The Trip.
  • sanjurosamurai
    December 31, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    i know i completely loved this film, but how much is hard to say. its rather uneventful, but thats part of its charm. coogan and brydon play fictionalized versions of themselves, making for a hilarious version of the odd couple scenario as they travel northern england eating fo... read moreod, drinking wine, and staying in hotels. the multiple film references and actor impersonations are wonderful, and the film is just a delight to sit through. its so odd that i look so forward to re-watching a film where nothing happens.
  • fb1038944442
    December 27, 2011
    fb1038944442
    The Trip is a a funny and surprisingly touching road trip, shot in documentary style with British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing themselves. The film is directed by film provacateur Michael Winterbottom, who has decided to take a gentle and low key approach to a f... read moreilm that is ultmately about men facing middle age in two radically different ways.

    The plot is so simple it isn't one at all. The film feels like a documentary and not a wacky one like The Office . Very little big drama happens at all. Coogan brings Brydon for a culinary trip of Northern England that he has been commissioned to write for a magazine. Steve's young American girlfiend bailed from the trip and Rob is a far down this list as Steve's ideal companion. The bulk of the film time is devoted to dinner conversations where the comedians attempt to one up each other with celebrity impressions and funnier lines. For some reason, the film, which has no plot to speak of, maintained my interest throughout and made me laugh and feel emotion.

    The biggest surprise for me was the visual impact, which I didn't expect at all. The film shows stunning vistas of Northern England in the winter and amazing looking gourmet food, which add texture and beauty that I didn't expect.

    I don't know how much of the script was improvised (I'd say most) or how close Coogan and Brydon's actual lives are to their film selves, but it completely sold me. I stayed with the whole film (maybe because I'm the same vintage as these guys) and was touched by the friendship and the honesty of the relationship. That said, ti's not for everyone, it's a slow build that pays off in the end. It's one of the best filmed studies I've seen lately of the different ways that people approach growing up, accepting and leaving youth for the dark mystery that is middle age.
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 14, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    As part of a foodie assignment for a newspaper article, two working actors take a week-long trip across the north of England, bickering, bemoaning middle age, and trading Michael Caine impressions. Sort of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE on tour, it's witty but inconsequential.
  • axadntpron
    December 1, 2011
    axadntpron
    A really funny, intelligent, and surprisingly poignant buddy comedy. I really didn't know what to expect from this film, but I really had a great time with it.
  • itsjustme2004
    November 21, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    One of the films that I forced myself to watch all the way through, and wish that I hadn't. I guess this was one that you either liked, or you didn't. I thought it was boring, pretentious, and repetitive. Basically a film about two men driving round England doing impressions, and... read more talking nonsense. Very sad...
  • FrizzDrop
    November 1, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    If you are not familiar with the British television show or anything about the comedy stylings of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's teaming, then do not watch this without becoming properly informed. Without seeing the film preceding it or the show I didn't think I could review this ... read moreat first. That all changed when I watched the trailer, which shows me a different movie, a more witty, road trip movie between buds, a general give and take, a cute repertoire between two friends on a road trip that holds a lot of potential for comedic material. British humor is so often understated, cheeky and broad. The reason I don't laud it as the end all be all, the sophisticated brand among the ghastly shock value of America, is that sometimes it takes me time just to tell whether they're trying to make me uncomfortable or make me laugh. It's almost like a secret they're hiding from me. Coogan has before made me belly laugh in Hamlet 2, Tropic Thunder, and his brief stint in The Other Guys. These fictionalized versions of the two are uncomfortable to watch, but more so it was merely depressing. The storyline wasn't so much a ragtag voyage for two longtime buddies, but a chance for them to do endless impressions that brink on nauseating. I did love the heartfelt moments, the scope of Coogan's persona's endless isolation and ill will for his personal life and career, mostly putting all his hopes on a girl who obviously doesn't want him. Brydon has a family, a sweet wife and baby, so all his antics resemble that of the village idiot, while Coogan's are that of a narcissist. It's a sweet look of two celebrities without restraint in a comedy of them and their lives, but I'm not sure what the message was, or if I was truly entertained and just moved by the consideration of human tragedies.
  • LWOODS04
    October 19, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Claire Keelan, Margo Stilley, Rebecca Johnson, Dolya Gavanski, Kerry Shale, Paul Popplewell

    Director: Michael Winterbottom

    Summary: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, the stars of the 2005 comedy Tristram Shandy, reunite with director Michael Win... read moreterbottom for this mockumentary about a pair of actors -- handily named Steve and Rob -- who embark on a foodie road trip across England. Mostly improvised and highlighting the duo's penchant for dueling impressions of famous actors, the film follows them as they test their friendship while sampling the best restaurants in Northern England.

    My Thoughts: "I'm always down for a road trip flick, so I had to check this film out. It was quite funny. You could easily feel some of the tension between the character's sparing from their competitiveness. The dinner conversations are the shinning moments in the film. Rob seems very fulfilled in his life and career where as Steve is unsatisfied with his and leads a bit of a lonely life. It's a good road trip comedy. Worth taking a look at."
  • fb100000059176003
    September 16, 2011
    fb100000059176003
    The comedy will delight you all throughout the film but the beauty of it all is the chemistry between Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, of two man with mid-life crises tackled with sweetness and solemnity that you won't get to call it a dramatic feature but more of an insightful one.

View All The Trip Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tom Long
July 8, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

The Trip is a comedy about two guys going to fancy restaurants in the English countryside. Sounds hilarious, huh? Well, it actually is. Full Review

Rick Groen
July 1, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Much more than an appetizer, if not quite a main course, it definitely goes down a treat. Full Review

Linda Barnard
June 30, 2011
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

Think The Odd Couple with sartorial style and more bickering. Add hints of truisms about middle age, sex, family, mortality and the limits of friendship and The Trip reveals itself to be more than it ... Full Review

Anthony Lane
June 27, 2011
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

The joy of this small, unimportant contest is weirdly addictive; you come out of the film as if from a concert, playing the music of false voices in your head. Full Review

Colin Covert
June 23, 2011
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film is a wickedly funny joy ride that offers keen, unflatteringly honest insights on fame, midlife crises and the rivalrous nature of male friendship. Full Review

Christopher Orr
June 17, 2011
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

A comic diversion that aspires to the old Seinfeld gag of being 'about nothing.' Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
June 17, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

It's rife with observations about men of a certain age, actors of a certain career -- and for a bonus, restaurants of a certain moment. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
June 17, 2011
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Have you ever been trapped in the back seat of a car while the old married couple up front bickers and banters for hours? It's either sheer torture or, if the couple happens to be Steve Coogan and Rob... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 16, 2011
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's two guys traveling, eating and talking. Doesn't sound like much. But it's terrific. Full Review

Ty Burr
June 16, 2011
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Suggests a reality TV fusion of "Sideways'' and a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road'' movie, or maybe "My Dinner With Andre'' repurposed into a movable feast. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Steve: Don't you find it exhausting running around, chasing girls?
    • Steve: Gentlemen to bed, for tomorrow we leave at 9:30!
    • Steve: Was there a lot of alcohol in your garden as a child? I'm sorry, Rob.
    • Steve: I don't chase them.
    • Steve: I've, uh, asked other people but they're all too busy, so you know, do you wanna come?
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The Trip : Watch Free on TV

The Trip Trivia

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