What do we talk about when we talk about stuff? In their funny and inventive movie about nothing, British actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play “themselves” on a road trip through northern England, where Coogan goes to write a series of restaurant reviews for The Observer. He needs a traveling companion, so his friend Rob agrees to go along. The result is part Seinfeld, part My Dinner With Andre, part travelogue and part buddy movie about two average-looking middle-aged men with un-average talent. Thus, their prattle is a mixture of playful one-upmanship and mini-performances, especially when they trade impersonations: There’s a Michael Caine-off, bad dueling Woody Allens and great dueling Sean Connerys as James Bond asking for a martini. The actors improvised the dialogue for this six-part British TV series, directed by Michael Winterbottom, and edited here into a two-hour movie. Brydon is the livelier, more confident and funnier of the two, Coogan the more dark, low-keyed and insecure. (His dreams, including one with Ben Stiller, are his funniest bits.) So The Trip is also a study of acting styles, with calls from lovers and agents back home, all spun into a delectable and contemplative postmodern entertainment. Starts Fri., July 29. Regent Square
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2011.
