The Trip to Greece – Film Review

When Odysseus left Troy it took him ten years to get back to his home in Ithaca. Steve and Rob have only six days on their own personal odyssey in The Trip To Greece. On the way they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, myth, history, democracy and the meaning of life! Featuring locations such as: Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the unique island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestor’s Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos, and Ancient Stagira, as well as a lot of shooting in restaurants and hotels in Athens, Hydra, Lesvos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Kavala, and at the Peloponnese.

Growing up as a kid, Michael Winterbottom’s original The Trip was playing at my house on a frequent basis. My parents are quite the movie buffs themselves. They try to watch at least two movies every weekend and occasionally, they will put some on during the weekdays as well.

Ever since I was a young child, I vividly remember my parents watching The Trip several times over because they just loved it so much. They would sit there throughout the entire running time laughing so hard they could barely breathe. I never found them to be hilarious or anything, but I would be lying if I were to tell you I didn’t find these films funny, because they can be quite humorous at times.

Steve Coogan (left) and Rob Brydon (right) in The Trip To Greece (2020).

But something else I do deeply appreciate about this series is that it is not afraid to get dramatic and emotional at just the right moments, and Winterbottom’s conclusion to the series, The Trip To Greece, does exactly that. It makes you laugh, it relaxes you, then sneaks up on you with heavy emotion that surprises you and hits you in the gut.

The movie starts off a little bit slow sadly with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon sitting at a dinner table, as per usual, it’s just that this time around, it’s not as fast-paced or witty. At least for a while. I remember glancing over at my parents to see what their reactions were and they seemed quite bored for the first little bit too.

I was genuinely worried that I wouldn’t end up laughing at the movie since a long portion of time passed where the only thing I was admiring deeply was the truly stellar cinematography by James Clarke. Gratefully though, after about half an hour or so, the jokes began to pick up the pace and I ultimately found myself smiling quite a bit.

The Trip movies are not for everyone though. These movies incorporate an incredibly specific type of comedy that a lot of people are not going to find funny, and a lot of these jokes are going to fly over a lot of people’s heads. Me personally, the humor works quite well, although it doesn’t make me belly laugh or anything.

Although the film as a whole is quite funny and amusing, the strongest aspect to this movie is without a doubt the chemistry between Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan. It is genuinely difficult to watch them goof around with one another and not have a smile on your face. Even a slight smirk. They are electric together just like usual and their banter is such a delight to behold, even if the movie can, at times, be a little bit lesser than the two of them.

The Trip To Greece sends the series off on a high note with more fun comedic banter between Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, even if it is slowly-paced.

Overall Grade: B

MPAA Rating: PG

Cast: Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Michael Towns, Marta Barrio, Kareem Alkabbani, Tessa Walker, Claire Keelan, Rebecca Johnson, Tim Leach, Richard Clews, Cordelia Bugeja

Directed by: Michael Winterbottom

Distributed by: IFC Films

Release Date: May 22, 2020

Running Time: 103 minutes