The Trip to Greece

They get old, the magic fades

I've enjoyed the series of these films. Coogan and Brydon are funny and talented and they play well together.

I've only seen the TV series which I think differs slightly from the films? I've seen all four series now so you can gauge from that I enjoyed them though I was tiring of the repetitive nature of much of the dialogue. It was an odd series in its format however. Didn't realise till near the end that all the "real life" characters, including wives, girlfriends, agents, conquests etc. were actors rather than the real thing! Did wonder how many film crews had been deployed to capture the phone calls, bedtime scenes etc. and the shots of both Steve and Rob's "conquests" climbing out of their bed after one night did look staged to put it mildly! If you can look past these oddities it's very possible to admire the scenery, the food and the wit on display although their many impersonations can become rather tedious and repetitive at times. Conclusions - worth a view for some lightweight entertainment. Coogan comes across as a bit of an arse and Rob a much more likeable person…..

Really incredibly boring. I enjoyed the scenery but the story was not very exciting. Some funny jokes but pretty rare. Watch for the scenery. Much of the film is in restaurants.

So, here we have the 4th installment of the "The Trip to…" universe, which offers just enough chuckles to make it into the recommends, but is definitely not for everyone. My fiancée even asked, "are you just watching two old guys talk?" Yeah, kinda, and do impressions. (The two old guys here are Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing fictionalized versions of themselves.) This installment may be the most impression-laden of the bunch, where besides the waiters and chefs giving brief explanations of the food, there is little else about Coogan's actual work. A huge letdown was the dismissive conversation concerning the ending of The Trip to Spain, wherein it is believed Coogan is kidnapped by Islamic Fundamentalists in the Moroccan desert. This could've been a chance for an entertaining flashback or story about how Coogan escaped their clutches — maybe they weren't terrorists or maybe he used his British wit to let their guard down, I don't know, but anything would've been better than just saying, "Oh, remember that time you were lost in Morocco?" (para.) Lastly, the shoe-horned storyline about his father's death felt out of place and just a reason to add some drama to a drama-less movie. Just stick with the "Two witty, ageing men, gallivant across a beautiful European country, holding random discussions and eating delicious food." The Trip to Greece lands itself in my recommends for the vast majority of the runtime that follows this formula. Unfortunately, the ending didn't feel like the conclusion of Steve and Rob's saga, which naturally sets up The Trip to Germany, The Trip to France, or, God-willing, The Trip to Belarus (despite what the move poster says).

Another trip for Rob and Steve, and the needling and melancholy that has threaded through every outing is, if anything, even more pronounced. Although these are fictionalised versions of themselves there is a strong sense that the truth is only a heartbeat away. The settings and the meals, the everyman philosophising, and of course the wonderful mimicry, are framed with great sensitivity and beauty by Michael Winterbottom, who intuits just when to cut to the next location or day. And his choice of music is spot on.

Meh. Context: I really liked the original The Trip (i.e. the UK one). I thought it was pretty original and very funny. And I liked the Trip to Italy. But this one...so-so. I'm thinking it's betting a bit tired. Could call the series "Two Pretty Funny Guys Eating At Great Restaurants Al Fresco". Guessing 40% of the film is at dinner tables with impressions by Steve and Rob, and another 40% in the car. Maybe another title: "Comedians in Cars and Restaurants"? Maybe it's just me, but many of the impressions (and to be fair they're both pretty damned good at impressions) went right past me. Pretty sure a UK audience would get it much better than I did. Steve's cockney Henry VIII, on the other hand, IS hilarious. But another, more serious thing: it's a kind of oil and water mix, isn't it? On the one hand we have this fairly surficial yuk-yuk road movie and overlaid is a very, very heavy theme of Steve and his dad, who's fading fast. I don't think the two meshed at all (probably not supposed to be, but the result is pretty discordant). And Steve returns prematurely to the UK in a very dark context, while Rob parties it up with his wife? I'll give them full marks for an original approach: a mocumentary that is also a dramedy. Or attempted dramedy, anyway.

THE BICKERSONS As our travelling pair of pompously verbose sparring partners wind down a curvy road, Steve Coogan tries repeatedly to dislodge Rob Bryden's insistent refrain of "Grease Is The Word" to no avail. Bryden defiantly carries on, bludgeoning the show tune with lip-smacking enunciations, to a bitter death. That the insufferable Coogan is at the receiving end makes the sour, sweet. Ah those Brits. With the fourth (is it the fourth? who knows) instalment of the pair's chit-chatty travelogue series, you'd think the premise would get old. But precisely during these travel averse, barren restaurant, pandemic times, it not only feels fresh and novel, but also romantically nostalgic. Of course the supposed premise of ingesting lavish scenery, serenading each other with historic tales, and devouring local cuisine is all fine and good, it is the witty back and forth bellicose banter between the two surly thespians one upping each other, that is the heart of these films. The digs are deep, the jabs are pointed. Forget the pen, the tongue is mightier than the sword. Their self-skewering of the classless upper class is priceless in a faux reality that questions the faux. In true stiff upper lip, chip chip cheerio British bravado, there is a lurking charm and sentimentality beneath the sheen that only a true friendship could foster. A nice farewell, sardonic as it may be, and a fitting end to the series. - hipCRANK

In this one, the guys return to the high level of fun we loved in the original film ten years ago. Two smart funny guys with a great gift for mimicry. There's also a serious side with some very solid dramatic acting by everyone in the cast.

I like Rob Brydon and I adore Steve Coogan, and I keep watching the trip series because I think they will get better to my taste. They never did. I laugh about once a day (trip series takes place over a week), but this is excruciating considering the talent involved. Final Score: 5.7/10