Back in 2010, the BBC released The Trip, a TV series following comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon on a culinary adventure around the UK. This semi-fictionalized, largely improvised journey was later released as a edited together feature film for a wider release. It’s currently on Netflix and I urge you to check it out. Now, director Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo, Wonderland, 24 Hour Party People) brings the duo back together for a sequel, much remains the same but this time the setting is, as you may infer from the title, Italy.
The pair resume their “roles” in the partnership. Coogan as the moodier, critical and disapproving voice while Brydon is the chipper and overly affable one. Its like the pairing of an adult and a child, one emanating an aloof, grown up approach and the other being continually fascinated by his surroundings and situation. Over the course of the film they bring out different qualities in each other. The sly digs bring some quiet chuckles but when the pair click and throw ideas and impressions back and forth is where the real gold lies. Most people will find familiarity in conversations on such topics as The Dark Knight Rises (Michael Cain and Bane impressions), cannibalism and the perils of advancing age.
It is a “smarter comedy” but does run the gamut from high-brow to low-brow, sophisticated jokes about Byron counterpointed by a smutty kumquat joke. It hits every comedy note with a natural expertise.
There isn’t really a plot, although the film does touch on aspects of their (fictional?) lives, Coogan’s relationship with his son, Brydon’s marriage issues, competition between the two in relation to their careers (sparked by a job offer in the US for Brydon). A thread throughout the film is the similarity of their journey to that of two earlier British adventurers, the poets Shelley and Byron. This adds a literary journey to the other aspects of the film offering the pair chances to reflect on their own contribution to the arts, either in a self deprecating way or setting up themselves for a fall with the other ready to step in and deflate and notions of grandeur.
It is a very British comedy, the slow build , self-deprecation and witty banter. You don’t need to be British to like it, but it helps. Everyone gets the Al Pacino or Michael Caine impressions, the Ronnie Corbett, not so much. And I think I was the only person who laughed at the “brown sauce” joke in the theater but the themes should resonate with everybody and the joke output is so plentiful, if a joke passes you by you’ll have something else to laugh about very soon.
The setting of Italy afford Winterbottom a far more luxurious and vibrant canvas than England did in the first film. Beautiful settings often linked to iconic scenes from cinema such as Contempt, Beat the Devil, Voyage to Italy and Roman Holiday are shown. Scenes of Italian landscapes as well the preparation of the food are utterly enticing however it never detracts from the two leads and their interplay. For such a simple premise the film is continually engaging even in the more reflective moments. It is an impressively fluid and natural piece of film making, all the more so knowing how much of it was improvised and then edited from a TV series to bring us this final version. It is one of the most successful, mature and entertaining realizations of male friendship in recent memory and superbly entertaining throughout. All this to the soundtrack of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. A bizarre choice but damn it works so well.
At its core, The Trip to Italy is two comedic greats sparring with each other against the backdrop of beautiful Italian vistas. Mouthwatering meals are a side dish to the hilarious banter. There are some rather poignant moments, touching on more challenging aspects of life in the later years; family, fidelity, mortality to mention a few, but these are balanced superbly so as to be touching and relatable moments amidst the laughter. Winterbottom, Coogan and Brydon present a cultured, nuanced and witty delight of a film that marks one of my most enjoyable cinematic experiences of the year.
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