Erh, it’s not often that a sequel outdoes it’s predecessor, with maybe the notable exception of Godfather II, but in The Trip to Italy, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan and Michael Winterbottom appear to have pulled off the near impossible. It’s only one episode in at the moment, so it’s hard to say if it’ll still be as class right the way through, but if their first stop off is anything to go by it should be another funny series from Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
If you missed the first episode, it’s still available on BBC iPlayer, so there’s still time to catch up before the second episode airs on Friday 11th April 2014. The series began on Friday 4th April with Rob and Steve starting out in Piemonte sampling the food at the Trattoria Della Posta before visiting Lord Byron’s house in Genova and eating at Il Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli.
The concept for the series verges on being a bit Gonzo as Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play inflated fictional versions of themselves on a trip together to Italy for The Observer, writing about their trip and the restaurants they visit on the trail of romantic poets like Byron, Keats and Percy Shelly. Although, on the whole, this is just the backdrop to giving the pair a vehicle for some of the funniest semi-ad-lib dialogue we’ve heard in a while.
It’s a long way from the craziness of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as such, but it does see the comedians taking the perceptions of their personas to the vague extremes. Rob Brydon’s consummate entertainer is in full force with a variety of compulsive impersonations and Steve is as competitive, condescending and aloof as he could be while also keeping pace with Rob’s impressions.
Not everyone will appreciate the wry humour of the yin and yang take on getting older that the series provides, but for us it’s a great leveller to the big personalities of Rob and Steve, bringing a lot of humanising factors to their inflated celeb egos. It’s a clever way of looking at the male ageing process from two distinct angles as Coogan laments his lost lothario youth and inability to catch a young lady’s eye framed against Brydon’s comfortable and affably settled family man status.
It’s a positive and negative comparison in equal measure on both side’s of the fence with no specific target as such that simply holds up the situations as little reflections for consideration. It’s this ability to go beyond the more obvious comic dialogue that sets The Trip to Italy apart from many other comedies.
Michael Winterbottom has done a pretty impressive job once again from behind the camera and directing the two talismans of British comedy might to get the best out of their semi- improvised dialogue. However, what’s clear is that it all hinges on the very quick wit of Coogan and Brydon, who spill over each other’s comedy genius in an attempt to outdo one another.
The second episode of The Trip Series 2 is called Da Giovanni, San Fruttuoso and will see Geoff and Alan sampling more amazing Italian cuisine, probably culminating in Steve’s retraction of his no wine status, along with a boat trip and a quick detour to Percy Shelly’s house. Based on our perception of the first episode we can only imagine that the next five shows will only push our review score upwards.
The Trip To Italy review: 4.7/5
