I haven’t “gotten” Michael Winterbottom yet. I appreciate the skill that went into 24-Hour Party People and the cleverness of Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, I even like Steve Coogan…but while I appreciate the talent, I don’t especially like it. It is a personal preference and nothing more, and I, admittedly, have seen only a handful of his films.
His films leave me in a dour mood, one that feels instilled for its own sake. I don’t mind “dark” films when they use their darkness to impart a deeper message, but I’ve yet to see a Winterbottom film with such a message. Winterbottom’s latest film, The Trip, is a prime example of that displeasure.
The Trip finds Coogan and Rob Brydon, two talents and Winterbottom favorites, on a culinary tour of northern England. Coogan’s been commissioned by The Observer to write an article on the local cuisine, and he sees it as good enough an excuse as any for a paying holiday.
The original plan was for Coogan’s girlfriend to accompany him, but she pulls out at the last minute for a trip to America, so Brydon’s brought in as a last-minute replacement. Brydon’s a good-enough spirit, and, despite Coogan’s insistence that they’re more work acquaintances and not friends.
