‘The Trip to Greece’ Film Review: Fourth Time’s Still a Charm for Steve Coogan-Rob Brydon Talkfest
Like the three previous “Trip” movies, the two men drive around a beautiful location, eat fabulous meals, talk about stuff and try to make each other laugh, often with dueling impersonations
Steve Pond | May 18, 2020 @ 9:00 AM
Last Updated: May 18, 2020 @ 9:07 AM
AWARDS BEAT
IFC Films
Toward the end of “The Trip to Greece,” British comic Rob Brydon (playing a version of himself) is talking to his wife (played by an actress who is not his wife) about the trip he’s just taken with his old pal and sparring partner Steve Coogan.
“Is it all fun and games?” she asks.
“No,” he says. “It’s mostly fun and games.”
And that’s a good way to describe “The Trip to Greece,” as well as the three other movies that Brydon and Coogan have made with director Michael Winterbottom. In 2011’s “The Trip,” 2014’s “The Trip to Italy,” 2017’s “The Trip to Spain” and now “The Trip to Greece,” the two men drive around a beautiful location, eat fabulous meals, talk about stuff and try to make each other laugh, often with dueling impersonations. And yes, it’s mostly fun and games.
It’s a modest, simple approach, and one that has remained consistently pleasing for all four movies. And if “Greece” is the end of the “Trip” saga, as all involved say it will be, it’s a satisfying and even touching way to wrap up a decade-long demonstration of the proposition that all it takes is conversation to be entertaining.
All four of the films began as six-episode British television series, which were then edited down to features for the U.S. audience. (This one was meant to receive a theatrical release, but IFC shifted to a VOD one because of the coronavirus.) And all four rely on Coogan and Brydon playing heightened versions of themselves — more competitive with each other, less secure (especially Coogan) and more argumentative about just about everything.
The location changes, but the format doesn’t; as Coogan declares early in this film, “Originality is overrated. Everything is derivative.”
“The Trip to Greece” is more of a trip through Greece — it starts in northwest Turkey, on the site of what was once Troy, and then follows the path that Odysseus takes in “The Odyssey,” passing through Hydra, Athens and Delphi on the way to what used to be Ithaca. Coogan and Brydon make the journey in six days rather than the 10 years that Odysseus took, and they don’t stop along the way to battle a giant cyclops or be tempted by the Sirens.
Instead, they chat about history and about this slightly alternative version of their lives in which Coogan is desperate to be cast in a Damien Chazelle movie (he even cried in the audition!) and Brydon loses no opportunity to mock his more famous friend, who also insists on driving every time they get in a car.
When Coogan brings up his recent film “Stan and Ollie,” in which he played comic Stan Laurel, Brydon nods approvingly. “I watched it on a BAFTA screener,” he says. “I only paused it three times to go to the kitchen.” This prompts a dinner-table version of Laurel and Hardy in which it’s Stan Laurel and Tom Hardy, who is of course as unintelligible as ever.
There’s less emphasis on impersonations than in past installments — no dueling Michael Caines this time around, though we do get dueling Dustin Hoffmans and Mick Jaggers, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger morphing into Werner Herzog and Ray Winstone as Henry VIII.
As they make their way through often-desultory ruins to world-class restaurants, we also hear a lot of the Bee Gees from Brydon, who mocks performing CPR to the beat of “Staying Alive” (“Steve’s Gonna Die” in his version), sings “Tragedy” on one car ride and makes an extended set-piece out of the Barry Gibb-penned title song from “Grease” on another leg. (It’s pretty funny and not very good, which is more charitable than what you’d say about the horrendous version of Greek singer Demis Roussos’ “Forever and Ever” that both men sing.)
All of these moments, filmed casually by Winterbottom with sporadic cutaways to scenic vistas and four-star kitchens, are reminders of what fun traveling companions Coogan and Brydon can be — not necessarily to each other, but certainly to an audience with a taste for British comics who rarely stop trying to one-up each other.
When they do stop, it’s often because a touch of outside plot intervenes. When he and Brydon arrive in Greece, Coogan runs into Kareem Alkabbani, a real-life actor he worked with in Winterbottom’s “Greed,” who asks for a ride to the refugee camp where he’s working. There’s no more to the sequence than them dropping Alkabbani off at a camp encircled by barbed wire, but it plays as if Winterbottom and the actors felt it would be tone-deaf to follow Odysseus’ path without pointing out that it’s also the site of an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
(It’s also probably a better way to deal with real life than ending “The Trip to Spain” with Coogan apparently on the verge of being kidnapped by ISIS, a cliffhanger that goes unmentioned here except in passing.)
And in the homestretch of the film, a more personal crisis intrudes with the death of Coogan’s father. In the movie, he learns about this toward the end of the trip on a phone conversation with a fictional son; in truth, Coogan’s father died in 2018, before the film was made. It feels odd, using moments from real life to give gravity to a film built around comic performances, but the “Trip” movies have always dropped in unusual and sometimes uncomfortable touches.
It also picks up on the “Odyssey” theme of returning home, and makes the final moments more emotional than you’d expect — both for Coogan and for Brydon, who is joined by his wife. (Well, an actress playing his wife.) These moments are lovely and touching, aided immeasurably by the use of Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” on the soundtrack. Winterbottom also uses music by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Richard Strauss, among others; he likes serious music to go with his funny movies.
As an ending to a series of films that even out-talked Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise”/”Before Sunset”/”Before Midnight” trilogy, this final sequence brings things home on a beautifully bittersweet note. Of course, words like beautiful and bittersweet aren’t really what we go to the “Trip” movies to see. Fun and games are.
All the Hollywood Films Arriving on Demand Early Because of the Coronavirus
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.
Disney/Warner Bros./Universal
"Trolls World Tour"
The sequel to the 2017 animated hit announced it would be available for digital download on April 10 -- the same day it was supposed to land in theaters. Now it's a VOD exclusive.
Universal Pictures
"Birds of Prey"
The Margot Robbie spinoff of 2017's "Suicide Squad" debuted on demand on March 24. The film grossed $84 million since opening on Feb. 4.
Warner Bros.
"The Hunt"
The Universal/Blumhouse horror film was first delayed from release last fall due to controversy over its violent content -- and then sidelined after its March 13 opening by the coronavirus. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"The Invisible Man"
The Universal horror film starring Elisabeth Moss grossed nearly $65 million since its Feb. 26 release in theaters. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"Emma."
Focus Features' adaptation of the Jane Austen novel opened in limited release Feb. 21 -- and picked up $10 million in ticket sales until the pandemic shut down theaters. It's available to stream now.
Focus Features
"Bloodshot"
The Vin Diesel comic-book movie opened March 6 and grossed $10 million before theaters shut down. It's available on VOD now.
Sony Pictures
"I Still Believe"
Lionsgate's biopic starring K.J. Apa as Christian music star Jeremy Camp hit VOD on March 27 -- just two weeks after it opened in theaters.
Lionsgate
"The Way Back"
Warner Bros. released the Ben Affleck drama "The Way Back" -- which grossed $13 million in theaters since its March 6 opening -- on VOD less than three weeks later, on March 24.
Warner Bros.
"Onward"
Disney and Pixar’s animated feature was made available for purchase on Friday, March 20, and the film hit Disney+ on April 3.
Disney/Pixar
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog" set a new record for video game adaptations with a $58 million domestic opening weekend on Feb. 14 and has grossed $306 million worldwide theatrically. It's available on demand now.
Paramount Pictures
"The Call of the Wild"
20th Century Studios' feel-good film starring Harrison Ford and a giant CGI dog is available on demand now.
20th Century
"Downhill"
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation, a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. It's available on demand now.
Fox Searchlight
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is the story of two teenage cousins from rural Pennsylvania who journey to New York City to seek an abortion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with a Special Jury award. It's available for VOD now.
Focus Features
"Endings, Beginnings"
"Endings, Beginnings," a romantic drama from Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan, opened early on digital on April 17 and on demand on May 1. It was meant to open theatrically on May 1.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"To the Stars"
"To the Stars," a period drama set in 1960s Oklahoma that stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman and Tony Hale, was bumped up to a digital release on April 24 and an on demand release on June 1. Martha Stephens directed the film that premiered at Sundance in 2019 and was meant to be released theatrically by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Impractical Jokers: The Movie"
truTV's first-ever feature-length film arrived early on digital on April 1. Follow James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka The Tenderloins, playing themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early '90s.
truTV
"Artemis Fowl"
Disney's adaptation of the Eoin Colfer fantasy novel "Artemis Fowl" was meant to debut in theaters on May 29 but premiered exclusively on Disney+. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.
Disney
"The Infiltrators"
The theatrical release of Oscilloscope's docu-thriller "The Infiltrators" has been postponed, and the film was released on both Cable On Demand and Digital Platforms starting June 2.
Oscilloscope
"Working Man"
The March 27 theatrical release of "Working Man" has been canceled due to the theater closures, and the film premiered on May 5 via Video On Demand.
Brainstorm Media
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story"
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story," a sports documentary executive produced by NBA star Steph Curry, was made available for streaming on the new service Altavod between April 16-18 for $7.99 and is available for pre-order beginning April 9. 10% of all the proceeds will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts. The documentary tells the story of the player, Kenny Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot, and it features interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bobby Knight and more.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
"Scoob!"
Warner Bros. announced on April 11 that it would release the family animated film “Scoob!” for digital ownership and premium video on-demand on May 15, making it the second film (after Universal's "Trolls World Tour") to cancel a planned theatrical release and head straight to home release pandemic.
Warner Bros.
"The King of Staten Island"
"The King of Staten Island," the comedy starring and co-written by "SNL" star Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, skipped its theatrical release date of June 19 and opened one week early on VOD everywhere on June 12.
Universal Pictures
"The High Note"
"The High Note," the latest film from "Late Night" director Nisha Ganatra that stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, made its premiere on VOD on May 29. It was meant to open on May 8 theatrically.
Focus Features
"Waiting for the Barbarians"
Ciro Guerra's film starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson was originally slated for a theatrical release but was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films to instead be released via cable on demand and on digital in August
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Irresistible"
Jon Stewart's latest film, a political comedy called "Irresistible," will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26. The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.
Daniel McFadden / Focus Features
"My Spy"
The Dave Bautista action comedy "My Spy" was originally meant for a theatrical release from STXfilms and was due to hit theaters in March. Amazon then acquired the film from STX and will now release it on streaming on June 26.
Amazon Studios
"The One and Only Ivan"
The animated Disney film based on Thea Sharrock's best-selling children's book "The One and Only Ivan" is the latest feature to skip theaters and move to Disney+. The movie features the voice talent of Angelina Jolie, Danny Devito, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren. The film was previously slated for theatrical release on August 14 but will now debut on Disney+ one week later on Aug. 21.
Disney
"The Secret Garden"
The re-imagining of the book "The Secret Garden" was meant to open in UK theaters in April but delayed its theatrical release until August. But STXfilms will now release the StudioCanal and Heyday Films movie on PVOD for $19.99 on August 7 in North America. "The Secret Garden" stars Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.
STXfilms
1 of 29
“Irresistible” joins a list of big films heading to digital home entertainment platforms early
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.