Review

The Trip to Italy

British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon appear to have the sort of vacations just about anyone might envy. Thankfully, their jaunts to sample the cuisine and scenery of some of Europe's most sought-after locations can be just as much fun for viewers as it is for the participants.

In 2010's The Trip and the new offering The Trip to Italy, Englishman Coogan and Welshman Brydon travel across the countryside, sampling the most succulent food while trying to one-up each other at impersonations and japery.

The Trip to Italy

89 Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Rosie Fellner, Claire Keelan, Marta Barrio, Timothy Leach, Ronni Ancona, Rebecca Johnson

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Rating: Not rated, has some profanity and adult situations

Running time: 108 minutes

It's the same thing they were doing in England's Lake District in the previous film, but director Michael Winterbottom and the two competitive stars still manage to top themselves. Yes, they do more Michael Caine impersonations, but they also have some lively discussions of the exploits of poets Percy Shelley and Lord Byron and make middle-aged crises seem like a giddy jaunt. Somehow, they also take time to analyze Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album as if she were part of Shelley and Byron's circle.

On paper, Coogan and Brydon are doing research for another travel article in The Observer while they're between acting gigs. Both manage to do other things while they're sampling the best eateries in Italy.

Coogan is trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage son (Timothy Leach), and Brydon is nervously auditioning for a promising supporting role in a mob drama. While the gig could be the stuff Oscars are made of, Brydon's agent inadvertently humiliates him by informing the thespian he's up for the role because he's practically unknown in America.

One gets the impression that simply leaving the camera on Coogan and Brydon in a room would be entertaining, but Winterbottom thankfully capitalizes on the pair's new surroundings and flaunts Italy's food with even more delight. The dishes offered in the previous edition of The Trip look like McDonald's fare compared to what's on the screen here.

Before one starts to envy Coogan and Brydon too much for their travel opportunities, we get to see some humanity lurking when they stop doing Marlon Brando and Tom Hardys voices. Coogan feels a sense of melancholy knowing the young women who surround him think of him as an uncle or (worse) a grandfather. In the meantime, the married Brydon enjoys himself doing things that could endanger his relationship with his wife.

As with the first installment, there's no screenplay credit, but the film, despite its authentic locations, is no documentary. Leach is not Coogan's son and the two comics, while friendly, don't tend to jaunt from restaurant to restaurant across Europe unless cameras are rolling.

Nonetheless, this film about two guys sitting, eating and talking has more going on than most so-called action films.

MovieStyle on 09/12/2014

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