The Trip [HD]

The Year's Smartest And Most Literate Comedy Hails From A British Television Sitcom
One of the more unexpected hits this year on the art house circuit was Michael Winterbottom's "The Trip." Initially designated to a very limited release, the film received great word of mouth largely due to a scene featuring dueling Michael Caine impersonations which became an outright cultural phenomenon. With this sequence becoming a genuine YouTube sensation, the movie eventually rolled out to a much wider distribution in over 100 major markets. It's an interesting success story about this unassuming little film that redefines the road movie AND the art of conversation. Interestingly enough, the movie is simply a condensed version of a six part television series that aired in Britain in 2010 (which incidentally won Steve Coogan a BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy). If you've had the opportunity to see the original source material, you will obviously be familiar with the content of Winterbottom's film. It utilizes the exact same footage. But in "The Trip," the narrative is...

Instant Classic
We Rise at 9:30!
Funny, loopy stuff that puts me in mind of SCTV (for me, the highest praise). It might be even funnier to Americans than to folks in the UK. We (I should say, I) don't really know these two. Is Steve Coogan REALLY famous over there for some kind of cheesey comedy show and is now seeking roles for more critical acclaim, or is that all made up? And is Rob Brydon truly well-known for being able to throw his voice in a weird, muffled way? I like how they sometimes got on each other's nerves but basically liked each other; I had feared some horrible Gervais-ish snarkfest with non-stop attacks on The Dumb Guy.

The shots of the countryside were so beautiful they should have had a link to British Airways.

Be sure to check out the Food Cut in the bonus features. And let me know what dish it was that had a saucepan filled with butter, brown sugar, honey and creme anglaise--I think I passed out.

Oh, and Coogan's Michael Caine was...

The Year's Smartest And Most Literate Comedy Hails From A British Television Sitcom
One of the more unexpected hits this year on the art house circuit was Michael Winterbottom's "The Trip." Initially designated to a very limited release, the film received great word of mouth largely due to a scene featuring dueling Michael Caine impersonations which became an outright cultural phenomenon. With this sequence becoming a genuine YouTube sensation, the movie eventually rolled out to a much wider distribution in over 100 major markets. It's an interesting success story about this unassuming little film that redefines the road movie AND the art of conversation. Interestingly enough, the movie is simply a condensed version of a six part television series that aired in Britain in 2010 (which incidentally won Steve Coogan a BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy). If you've had the opportunity to see the original source material, you will obviously be familiar with the content of Winterbottom's film. It utilizes the exact same footage. But in "The Trip," the narrative is...

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