Under the direction of Michael Winterbottom and the exquisite cinematography of James Clarke, a sense of place is not something The Trip lacks. It is just as impressive, however, that this mixture of inspired improvisation and deliberate writing.

Coogan and Brydon ... begin to grate, and come off as obnoxious, both to themselves and to the patrons around them, who hopefully got comped for their meals.

All apologies to Hope and Crosby, but [Steve] Coogan and [Rob] Brydon are now the kings of the 'Road to' movie.

If they were just food and laughter, they might be gratifying, entertaining escapes. But Winterbottom, Coogan, and Brydon turn them into a melancholic exploration of humor, comedy as art, cuisine, history, scenery, and Coogan's questions of Self.