Generally speaking, I’m a huge fan of British comedy. The sharp wit, dry sarcasm, and absurd situations are hallmarks of the genre that draw me in every time. Monty Python, The Office, Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served?...Love ‘em. The Trip? Not so much.

The basic set-up is this: Steve Coogan has been asked to tour the British countryside, visited the finest restaurants England has to offer. Since his girlfriend can’t make the trip, he invites his friend (and fellow comedian) Rob Brydon to join him. What follows is a mixture of comedy and documentary, or as some have called it, a bit of a mockumentary. So far, so good. It’s not the craziest or most elaborate set-up for a comedy, but I figure that there’s still potential. I’ve seen a decent amount of humor come out of even simpler plots.

Unfortunately, none of this really lives up to the expectations. Coogan and Brydon seem like solid friends and the fact that this works at all is a testament to their chemistry. But that chemistry by itself won’t sustain anything for long (especially for a feature length film). And thus the film feels really dry for long stretches of time. Not to put too fine a point on it: it feels generally unfunny. Now I’ll also admit that there’s a possibility that most of the humor simply flew over may head. But when the films centers around two friends staying at different motels, fretting over having to share a room, etc, it just feels pretty bland.

I’ll give them this: they do a pretty hilarious job impersonating other actors, so those sequences are usually enjoyable. I guess what I’m trying to say is that while this film wasn’t for me, it might be right up your alley. Check it out and see!