After watching the original, six-episode BBC series of the Trip (don’t ask how I found it, it was extra-legal!), I’m curious to see the film-length version being released here in America. I suppose cutting the episodes into to a feature film might be a necessity here, since there aren’t many places where a one-off miniseries could find a home on American television, but it still feels like we’ll be getting a dumbed-down version.
The Trip is a faux-documentary chronicling the non-adventures of two British comedians/actors (Steve Coogan, who’s great, and Rob Brydon, who I don’t think we can be expected to recognize on our side of the pond), playing only somewhat-fictionalized versions of themselves as they tour the finer restaurants of northern England for a magazine assignment.
Like any good comedy, there’s no dramatic finale, and no one learns much of anything – it’s just scene after scene of bickering, celebrity impressions, and proper English countryside scenery. Like any good British comedy, the protagonist (Coogan) does his best to present himself in a truly unflattering light – jealous, petty, and self-absorbed – without ever going so far as to completely lose the audience’s sympathy.
The series benefits greatly from its pacing, allowing jokes develop slowly, and paying more attention to local scenery, gourmet food, and the tedious minutiae of road-trips than any US show would dare. I imagine many of those details are cut out of the film version, which is a shame, since they provided the series with the color and character necessary to succeed without relying on narrative or character development.
