Just as there is a Stephen Colbert and a "Stephen Colbert", there is a Steve Coogan and a "Steve Coogan"--a real man, and his character which sometimes bleeds into real life.
I've seen about 7 or 8 movies starring Coogan (a glance at his profile on IMDB reveals just how prolific the actor is). In a few of the movies he plays himself and in others he plays a character. In all of them he plays a self-important, pompous ass. So, my assumption is that the real Coogan is carefully controlling his career so that he always comes off, whether in character or not, as an ass. Either that, or Coogan is, in fact, an ass.
The Trip, like Tristram Shandy and Coffee and Cigarettes, is one of the films where Coogan plays "himself". And when I say he plays "himself", I mean he plays this asshole named "Steve Coogan", in the same way that Stephen Colbert plays an asshole named "Stephen Colbert" on The Colbert Report. Ok...now I'm just confusing myself. But you get my point. I don't really believe the real Coogan is like the Coogan he plays in The Trip. But then...maybe he is?
Anyway, in The Trip Coogan and his actor friend Rob Brydon take a road trip around north England, eating in the finest, hippest restaurants for a story for The Observer. The two men wine and dine, do celebrity impressions (Brydon's Michael Caine is unbelievable), and bicker. Coogan is narcissistic and aggressive, demanding the best rooms and constantly attempting to one-up Brydon. Brydon is laid-back and takes Coogan's jabs with good humor. The film also highlights the men's relationships with women: Brydon's loving relationship with his wife, and Coogan's fraught relationship with his semi-girlfriend, Mischa. In the end, Brydon comes off as a happy, goofy man with stable relationships and Coogan comes off as a bitter, insecure crank who is all alone. The end.
Seriously, that's it. While The Trip had its moments of hilarity, the film left me wanting something more. The dynamic between Coogan and Brydon was intriguing, but in the end, the message seemed too simple. I was left wondering what I had gained from seeing The Trip. I certainly hadn't lost much--the film was worth the money I paid for it, and, except for a few boring scenes, was an overall solid two hours of entertainment. But I didn't really get much out of it either. It was a wash. It was one of those movies where the funniest scenes are in the preview, and the feature length film offers a little more, but not much.
I'd recommend The Trip to fans of Coogan and/or Brydon and aficionados of British humor. Anyone looking for a light buddy-comedy will likely be disappointed.
3 out of 5 stars
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