The scant artifice of director Michael Winterbottom's The Trip is beguiling in an Edward Albee, two people sitting on a park bench kind of way. In this case the bench is replaced by some of Northern England's most elegant restaurants and the two people sitting opposite each other more or less play slightly wittier versions of themselves. But unlike an Albee play, The Trip doesn't delight in frankness or extremes. The stakes here are low, the conflicts intimate and sub-textual and the trials that befall our two heroes aren't likely to create much smoke.This can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on a couple of factors. Those who saw My Dinner with Andre (1981) back in the day and said, "give me more of that please," will no doubt already sold on the idea of two frienemies breaking bread together. Shot in a naturalistic style complete with muted color tones, The Trip doesn't exactly ingratiate itself as a fun movie for general audiences. Furthermore the film is a highlight reel of a BBC miniseries of the same name therefore guaranteeing that unless you're the kind of person who wonders into a movie blind, you'll probably walk in being a fan of the series and therefore you'll automatically enjoy it.But to the rest of us, The Trip runs the risk of being insufferable. At the thematic center of the film is Steve Coogan's professional rivalry with Rob Brydon. A rivalry which is revisited repeatedly with long-winded conversations punctuated by petty one-upsmanship. The banter is funny, witty and refreshingly organic with equally on-point Michael Caine impressions serving the largest supply of belly laughs. Yet because much of the dialogue is improvised it's also primordial, relying heavily on the the occasional quip instead of the usual setups and payoffs.This becomes a problem as the characters progress through each dinner. Coogan and Brydon are wisely concentrated on the power dynamic between them but they never seem all that worried about story progression. One dinner bleeds into the other, into the other with talk of media and name-dropping becoming conversational filler. It gets repetitive and even a little grating as the camera teases us with ten second reprieves in the kitchen to see what's simmering the the pan. Then we're brought right back to Coogan and Brydon who never seem all that jazzed about the food they're eating.Those in the know will hopefully be entertained by the pleasant dinner conversation and the occasional drive through back country while listening to ABBA. Yet lacking buildup, tension or anything commonly associated with, you know, "movies", The Trip is liable to exclude regular audiences before they even hit coat check.

There is much to like about this unique little film - witty often improvised dialog, unbelievably beautiful landscapes of rural northern England, the food (THE FOOD!). The 2 main characters are on a road trip assignment to review various high-end restaurants. The movie captures these dining experiences and the shared time between these 2 long-time friends. The leads are very engaging although at times the underlying competitiveness of their relationship is a little off-putting and repetitive, but probably an accurate portrayal of such characters.Originally a British TV series, the film is an condensed version of one season, and the result (for time purposes) feels a little short-changed in the development of the characters. However, the overall fun in watching the movie makes this flaw acceptable.Be sure to watch the DVD bonus feature focusing on the food eaten throughout the movie as the bonus feature details the plating and preparation which are a little hurried during the main feature.A recently released film documenting this twosome on a journey in Italy should be a worthy follow-up.For my other movie reviews, please visit: https://nomorewastedmovienights.wordpress.com

There's a lot of dialog. It's done in a realistic way. There's also beautiful scenery of the English countryside. If you enjoy Brit comedies and shows, you should enjoy this also. It reminds me of the Brit series "Downton Abbey", which they reference in the movie, the place, not the series. It's not a comedy, but some parts are amusing.It is slow moving, so that's why I say to sit back & relax. I can't say that I would have appreciated it as much had I viewed it in a theater, instead of the comfort of my home. You could term the movie as a slice of life, because of the way the dialog was written. It's not fancy in it's presentation.

This film was utterly uninteresting. Spoiler: 2 guys bullshitting for 2 hours. God, it was just so boring....Really the guys just sit and talk in the car. then they sit and talk in a restaurant. Their banter is mostly annoying. I signed up for an account just to try to counteract the 7.1 rating here on IMDb...i usually trust the ratings and a 7 should usually be a decent film. This was just Garbage. I would put it on par with Adam Sandler's "Overboard" or Whoopi Goldberg's "The Telephone"...both movies designed to waste your time and cash in on an actor's celebrity. I want my 2 hours back. really. Yuk. Boring. Nuff said.