The Trip to Italy
This superfluous sequel to The Trip is distinguished from its predecessor in two ways:
- The titular road trip swaps northern England for Italy, and
- Rob Brydon tries his hand at the mid-life crisis Steve Coogan had in the first film.
Otherwise, The Trip to Italy is more of the same, and I do mean more. Remember all those celebrity impressions? They were funny, right? Here they are again, seemingly sans editing, driven far past their breaking point. The Trip somehow managed to keep its thespians’ craving for a spotlight’s validation from being insufferable, but this time around, the performers’ rhythms are labored and desperate. Brydon is practically unhinged.
There are still breathtaking vistas to behold and laughs to be had, and there’s something to appreciate in seeing Coogan and Brydon quoting Byron one moment and singing along with Alanis Morissette the next. But in the end, The Trip to Italy is little more than an inferior retread.