Pretty Good

hyped garbage

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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.

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.

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 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 keep 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. 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 he 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 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.