Absolutely Fantastic

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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.

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.

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.

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.