Babs and Seth sort out their issues in a comedy that can’t help but hit close to home.
The producing team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are back in theaters with the newly-released comedy Blockers. The movie tells the story of a trio of parents (Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz) who try to stop their teen daughters from having sex on prom night. The film, which has so far scored with critics, hopes to be another cinematic effort that aims to bridge the gap between harried parents and their offspring.
It’s a subject matter which Rogen and Goldberg have tackled before, albeit from a different perspective, when the former starred alongside Barbra Streisand in the unfairly dismissed 2012 comedy The Guilt Trip.
The comedy sees the duo starring as Joyce and Andy Brewster; a mother and son who despite having love for one another, find they have little else in common. He’s an inventor trying to sell his latest product while she’s a 60-something singleton who has more or less stopped trying. During a visit, Andy impulsively, if hesitantly, asks Joyce to accompany him on his road trip across country as he tries to peddle his latest creation. A slightly surprised Joyce agrees and the two embark on a trip which will make them revalute the way they see each other as well as themselves.
Most of the jokes throughout The Guilt Trip are built around the sort of natural comedy which comes from the oftentimes inevitable disconnect found between parents and their grown children. The idea of parent and adult child operating on different wavelengths is a reality which the film capitalizes on at every turn possible. “Weren’t you seeing that girl with the exotic name,” Joyce asks Andy. “Bethany,” he replies. “Promise me you won’t pick up a hitchhiker,” Joyce tells Andy early on during their trip, to which he says: “I promise I won’t pick up a hitchhiker.” “Good,” says Joyce. “They rape.” What makes such moments work is that they all come from the very true realization of what time has done to a parent and their child and how the bond between them has changed. Still, The Guilt Trip manages to conjure up humor which stems from the rare, precious moments when the two generations can actually connect. The best of these is when the pair make a stop along the way to enjoy the Grand Canyon. “I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon,” exclaims an excited Joyce. “I know,” agrees Andy. “How long are we supposed to look at it,” asks his mother. “10 minutes? It seems disrespectful to look at it any less,” he suggests. “But who’ll know,” asks Joyce as the two share a laugh together.
Sure, there are adults who have more or less ideal relationships with their parents. But this movie is for those who don’t, yet wish they did. Even Andy’s initial decision to bring Joyce along comes from a want to be closer to her; to actually know his mother. The Guilt Trip manages to make the case for both sides with regards to their perspective frustrations, never favoring one character’s perspective over the other’s. For Andy, it’s a need for the freedom to make his own judgments and his own failures without feeling like he’s being corrected at every turn. For Joyce, it’s the feeling that her child no longer has a need nor a want for her in his life “This is the way you talk to me; like I’m something that has to be tolerated,” Joyce asks her son after Andy has unleashed a tirade on her. “Let me tell you something, kiddo,” states Joyce. “You don’t have to like me, or spend time with me. But as long as I’m your mother, you will treat me with respect.” In the end, the two share more common ground than they think. Both Andy and Joyce have enough love between them, especially when it comes to wanting the best for each other. Ultimately what they both wish for is to actually know who the other is as a person.
Plenty of fun faces pop up throughout the course of The Guilt Trip including Kathy Najimy, Adam Scott, Miriam Margolyes, Colin Hanks and Nora Dunn. But the film belongs to Streisand and Rogen all the way; and the duo make use of their screen time together as they share some of the purest mother/son chemistry of recent years. On paper, the pairing of such two well-known and beloved stars seems like a given and watching the two on screen, it’s easy to see why. The two come off as so natural and relaxed with each other, allowing each of them a sort of carefree playfulness that the two haven’t really been afforded the chance to show before. Streisand and Rogen are comedy pros and although they come from different ends of the filmmaking spectrum, the way the two feed off each other’s energies ensures that The Guilt Trip works the entire way through.
Despite heavy promotion from the studio as well as its stars, The Guilt Trip failed to win over audiences upon its Christmas release, with the film barely making back its production budget. The critics didn’t seem to dig the movie either. While everyone found plenty to enjoy about the pairing of Streisand and Rogen, it seemed there was little else which seemed to connect with many who saw The Guilt Trip.
Watching The Guilt Trip again for this column, I’m convinced now more than ever that any hate towards the film is far from justified. I’ll concede that both leads have been seen in stronger comedy vehicles in the past; her in What’s Up, Doc? and him in Knocked Up. Yet there’s something so appealing about watching these two stars bring such a universal story to life. Even if it doesn’t break new ground, there’s more than enough about The Guilt Trip for it to be considered a highlight. As a comedy, it’s never not fun, even when it isn’t trying its hardest to be. Above all though, The Guilt Trip is always genuine, honest as well as sadly real; and what could be funnier than that?
