The Trip To Italy And The Laughs That Come With It (Movie Review)
The
Trip To Italy:
4 out of 5
Steve: It just feels odd doing something for a
second time.
A long time ago Bing
Crosby and Bob Hope had a successful series of comedy films, such as Road to Morroco, where they would travel
somewhere and basically have fun with each other in various locals. After finding a lot to enjoy in The Trip and now having seen The Trip to Italy, if Steve Coogan and
Rob Brydon want to continue making films where they play exaggerated versions
of themselves, while traveling to different countries to eat amazing looking
dishes, humorously argue with each other, and do hilarious impressions, then I
would be all for it. The Trip to Italy not only continues to
give these two the opportunity to have a lot of fun together, it also plays
even better than the first entry, with plenty of laughs to be had during this
European vacation.
The idea of the film is
pretty simple. In the world that this
film exists in, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan were previously hired by a
newspaper to tour around northern England, visiting various restaurants. For this sequel, the two were hired once
again and commissioned to do a restaurant tour in Italy this time around. There are some subplots involving Steve and
Rob’s personal lives, but the film has plenty of fun just letting these two
interact with each other, while exploring Italy together. Director Michael Winterbottom has once again
edited a 6 episode BBC series into one feature film, and it somehow works as a
coherent piece of work that is plenty enjoyable.
While The Trip had some easy highlights, such
as the dueling Michael Caine impressions (which return with a vengeance in this
film), the biggest criticism could be how slack it felt in certain areas. Whatever Winterbottom did to prepare for The Trip to Italy’s editing for a
feature film, it certainly paid off, as the film is faster, funnier, and all
around better assembled. While Coogan
and Brydon were a bit more hostile in the first film (more Coogan than Brydon),
this time around they feel more like old friends who just like to one-up each
other, given the chance. It makes for a
more relaxed chemistry that allows the film to play more smoothly overall. Really, there are plenty of reasons this film
plays more smoothly, but suffice it to say that the behind the scenes work
really goes all out to make this film feel like a really fun trip.
It feels easy to move
in and out of why this film works for reasons that are in front of and behind
the camera, but it really does come down to the relationship established
between Coogan and Brydon. Various
subplots aside, the way these two associate with each other makes these films
so much fun. As we watch them visit
restaurants and eat delicious meals, all they do is have conversations that
stem from topics ranging from where they are in their lives and careers to what
to say about certain actors via impressions that are hilarious to watch and
listen to. The humor in this film is
clearly key to enjoying the film and while it moves in and out of certain areas
like dry wit, biting remarks, and even some broader moments, it goes out of its
way to at least keep an audience smiling.
To talk of this film as
a sequel, knowing that it is one makes little difference, as it is not as if
much continuity was built in the first film.
These Trip movies really do
play more like two guys who got together and just started talking to one
another, rather than films that have clear arcs that will carry over from film
to film. Sure, there is a benefit from
seeing The Trip and fully grasping
the nature of some of the jokes, but I think it is easy to watch this film and
understand where the humor comes from. Even
in the case of references made to elements that may be more British than
others, I still believe there is plenty that is easy enough to comprehend to
keep anyone from feeling like too much of a fish out of water, as opposed to
how these two react to being in Italy.
That’s the other thing;
while the film is a pretty simple comedy, edited down from a TV show no less,
the film looks beautiful. The way it
shows off various cities of Italy, without feeling like it is placing a ton of
emphasis on what landmarks are in the background is a nice touch. We do get to see the inner workings of some
of the dishes prepared for these men, while they visit these restaurants and
have conversations, but it hardly feels like a distraction and more like what
should be expected at this point. Between this film and Chef, there is plenty to enjoy in the scenes involving food
preparation, but that does feel more or less like a nice bonus in a film
already filled with entertaining aspects.
Whether it is The Trip to Spain or The Trip to Mongolia, I am ready to see
more of these films, if it continues to feature Coogan and Brydon doing their
best to make me laugh, with Winterbottom behind the camera. While the film has a heart at its core and
some interesting dramatic beats as well, The
Trip to Italy plays well with what the first set up to make it an even more
satisfying experience, with plenty of good laughs and continuous
entertainment. I may never get to have
the same meals that these guys had, but I was very happy to receive so much
good comedy.
Steve:
[as Michael Caine] I’m not gonna bury another Batman.
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