Film: The Trip To Italy
Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon

Four years after embarking on a trip through Northern England, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back together for another two hours of good conversation, great food, and questionable impersonations.

The Trip To Italy is more or less an exercise in seeing whether or not magic can strike twice. The setup and general flow is almost identical to The Trip, but with the slightest of variations littered throughout in order to give our leads a few new things to discuss. For example, it’s Rob who calls Steve in the opening moments to set the excursion into motion. It seems the duo’s restaurant reviews from the previous trip were so well received the magazine wants them to do it again, only this time while traveling in a Mini Cooper across the beautiful land of Italy.

The strength of the friendship Bryden and Coogan share is apparent from the first moment they appear together on screen, and it’s really their love-hate-love relationship with one another’s various quirks that makes The Trip To Italy such an enjoyable journey. Where a good half hour of The Trip passed before the two began to gel and joke fluidly with one another, here they’re simply two old friends having a bit of fun on someone else’s dime, with one of the most photogenic locales on the planet as their playground.

As wonderful as the pair’s chemistry is, The Trip To Italy really shines in the way it contrasts the men’s behavior together with the way they act and feel when they are on their own. By day they are two men bordering on middle age who seem to have everything anyone could ask for, but as the layers are slowly peeled back one isolated moment at a time each lead’s numerous fears and insecurities begin to show. Brydon has a small child he loves dearly being watched by a wife he feels disconnected from, and Coogan is making every effort he can to stay connected with his teenage son without coming across as if he were going against his ex. They both seem to hate the idea of being alone while also detesting almost everyone except each other, yet neither can find the strength within themselves to just be open with the other about their problems. That’s not what this trip is about, after all. It’s about sites, food, and conversation.

Some may argue there is not a great degree of difficulty in directing a film mainly set around improvised conversations that take place between two characters who are seated at the same table, but Michael Winterbottom would probably disagree. He and his crew, which I can only imagine is as small as it can possibly be, do a fantastic job of catching the brightest moments of this adventure while taking in the vast beauty the country has to offer. His dinner setups have been further perfected as well. He often places Coogan and Brydon amongst the locals as opposed to being tucked away in a corner or against a wall, which gives the film a bit more of a visceral feel (not to mention the occasional blurry onlooker with a camera). The scenes at sea are a particular treat, and if at all possible should be witnessed on the big screen.

Topics of conversation featured on this trip include, but are not limited to: Michael Caine’s ever-changing voice, the lasting quality of Jagged Little Pill, the fall of Pompeii, the different voices behind James Bond, The Godfather, children, celebrity, and what might happen if the couple from Annie Hall stumbled across characters from The Godfather in the heart of Sicily. That last one is a side-splitter.

As for the food, I am going to go out on a relatively sturdy limb and declare the culinary prowess of the Italian countryside to appear far more elegant on the silver screen than that of northern England. That said, the film at times pays very little attention to what is being served, and rarely are their any attempts at highlighting the way our characters feel about their meals beyond empty descriptive phrases like ‘good.’ It’s not as if food played a major role in the last film, but it felt even less emphasized here.

While there is plenty to enjoy while taking The Trip To Italy, it can begin to feel a bit repetitive during the film’s back half, especially for fans of the original. While there is some arc to what is happening in the lives of our leads, it’s so subtle throughout most of the film that conversations eventually begin to blend together. Even Brydon’s arsenal of impressions, which he uses at great length throughout the film, begin to feel a bit forced as the story creeps up on the two hour mark. Things do pick up with the late third act addition of Coogan’s son, Joe, but it will likely be too little too late for those who are not head over heels for the personalities of the leads.

The Trip To Italy is one worth taking, but some travelers may experience jet lag before the story reaches its destination. Coogan and Brydon have never been sharper, but even the wittiest people in the world stop sounding clever when they run out of original material. As much as things have changed in the last four years there is still much that is the same, and ultimately it will depend on how much you love the comedic prowess of its stars that will determine your thoughts on the film.

Score: B+

Written by: James Shotwell Follow @utgjames

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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