If this is really meant to be the final installment of the Trip series, its connections and nods to Greek tragedies, mythology, and adventures like The Odyssey make it a rather appropriate conclusion to writer/director, Michael Winterbottom’s idiosyncratic comedy films, which are technically condensed versions of an entire six episode season that airs in Britain. These movies have always been an absolute delight. Their unassuming and quiet nature make for an effortlessly relaxing and comforting experience that also happens to be really funny as you watch Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon riff at each other through their journey.
Here, they are, of course, in Greece eating delicious looking food, visiting famous locations, and obviously throwing celebrity impressions at each other. However, building on what has made the prior films so special, Winterbottom incorporates bits of drama and melancholy that prevents the film from just being a total farce. Aging was a theme that was introduced in the last film, The Trip To Spain, and that theme really comes to the forefront here, especially with a thread involving Steve’s father who has taken ill, which leads a sobering, and I imagine for Coogan a rather cathartic, payoff in the final moments of the film.
Of course, even at its most heaviest of moments, the film continues to handle things with a light and gentle touch, and the comedy in the banter between Coogan and Brydon remains as sharp as they were back in 2010. The impressions truly never get old, and the jabs they take at each other’s careers and egos is still hilarious to watch unfold. The relationship that we see on screen is elegantly handled, and the way this film in particular deals with it showcases a bond that has grown in a subtle but relatable way as the decade has gone by.
Winterbottom has always been a very adventurous filmmaker, and even when tackling small and seemingly insubstantial projects like this, his craft is still solid. While edited down from numerous episodes, there is a good flow to everything that lingers on all the right moments and emotional beats. His returning cinematographer, James Clarke, does a wonderful job in capturing the beautiful Greek landscapes with some often clever staging as a way to reflect the dynamic between Brydon and Coogan, both in relation to each other and to the world around them. Some of the music cues can be a touch heavy handed, but it mostly comes together very well.
There’s not a whole lot else to say about a film like The Trip To Greece. It’s pleasures are simple, and subtly rewarding. Ever since I saw the first film, sitting down to watch these movies have felt like catching up with old friends while luxuriating in stunning vistas and amazing food. Even the lesser entries have a lot to love about them. Throughout the series, Winterbottom has always utilized the environment to comment on, and explore the growth of male friendship over a long period of time, and this film is not exception to that. It’s funny, enriching, the craftsmanship is rock solid, and Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are an absolute blast to watch together. It is bittersweet having this be the final film in the series, but at the very least, it is nice to see that it ends on a great note.