The Trip (2010)

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Release Date:

24 April 2011 (Greece)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Eat, drink and try not to kill each other.

Plot:

Steve Coogan has been asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, but after his girlfriend backs out on him he must take his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

Plot Keywords:

Two Word Title | Reference To Elvis Presley | Reference To Dustin Hoffman | Based On TV Series | Reference To James Bond

Cast

Steve Coogan	...	Steve
Rob Brydon	...	Rob
Paul Popplewell	...	Paul
Margo Stilley	...	Mischa
Claire Keelan	...	Emma
Rebecca Johnson	...	Sally
Dolya Gavanski	...	Magda
Kerry Shale	...	Steve's US Agent
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mercè Ribot	...	York Arms Receptionist
Michael Bennett	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Winterbottom

Produced by
Andrew Eaton	....	producer
Melissa Parmenter	....	producer
Anthony Wilcox	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Ben Smithard

Costume Design by
Celia Yau

Production Management
Amy Jackson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brian James Fitzpatrick	....	assistant director: Los Angeles
Michael Groom	....	third assistant director

Sound Department
Per Boström	....	sound effects editor
Christer Melén	....	sound effects editor
Peter Mendonca	....	dolby sound consultant
Fredrik Stålne	....	sound effects editor
Joakim Sundström	....	supervising sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
James Stormer	....	digital imaging technician
Simon Tindall	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Dan Coles	....	digital colorist
Sion Penny	....	on-line editor

Other crew
Josh Hyams	....	head of development
Sophie Neave	....	production assistant
Martha Skelly	....	production assistant

Thanks
Joanna Blythman	....	special thanks
David Chameides	....	special thanks
Giles Coren	....	special thanks
Vincent Daurn	....	special thanks
Frank Deletang	....	special thanks
Bruce Elsworth	....	special thanks
Simon Farrimond	....	special thanks
Brent Hulena	....	special thanks
Francesca Jaynes	....	special thanks
Mike Marsden	....	special thanks
Simon Rogan	....	special thanks
Lisa Smurthwaite	....	special thanks
Jako Stander	....	special thanks
Penny Tapsell	....	special thanks
Roger Tooley	....	special thanks
Immanuel von Bennigsen	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Revolution Films

Distributors

• Momentum Pictures (2010) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Ad Vitam Distribution (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Filmtrade (2010) (Greece) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2010) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2010) (Finland) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2010) (Norway) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2010) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Benelux (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2011) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Technicolor  negative development

Also Known As:

"The Trip" - France (imdb display title)
"To taxidi" - Greece (imdb display title)

Runtime:

Greece:107 min | USA:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Australia:MA (2011) | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:Btl

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Early in the film, the car stereo plays "Atmosphere" by Joy Division, which Steve Coogan explains he has chosen as the "soundtrack" for their trip, Though neither the song title nor the band are mentioned, in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Coogan played Tony Wilson, the producer who signed Joy Division to his Factory Records label.

Quotes:

Steve:Death is but a moment... Cowardice is a lifetime of affliction.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Steve Coogan Hates Twitter (2011) (TV)

The Trip (film)

(REVIEW FOR SERIES) 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.

8/10

(REVIEW FOR FILM) I'm very glad I watched the series before the movie. The film does contain the highlights from the show, most of the big belly laughs are intact... the "to bed" sequence is still a riot. But although I can't point to too many specific instances of scenes that I miss, the whole thing doesn't hang together well enough. You can tell there's stuff missing, it feels so fragmented and slapdash. I'm not even sure I want to keep the DVD. There's a generous deleted scenes section (running nearly as long as the film itself), but it doesn't even include everything from the series (about an hour of it is different takes of the "to bed" scene). If I was to watch it again I'd rather see in its original form. It just flows so much better. Like the fine wines Steve & Rob imbibe, the moments need to breathe.

6/10