I'm well into my mid-30s, and grew up during the age of Reagan and AIDS, which I mention in critiquing this wonderful film, as the lone value of growing up during the 80s was that EVERYTHING became political, and such a setting does teach the value of context.
And in this light, this is a baby-boomer film, the product of a generation older than myself. It's also a moving human drama - a great piece of American indie film that deserves something greater than 'niche' marketing - expressing the history of a movement and the people behind it (in some ways at least) as a living thing, not something read from a history book. Setting up the story as a romantic comedy of sorts, THE TRIP includes classic themes (road movies, which themselves are often modern recastings of ever-valid mythology) as it sweeps from the pre-Watergate 70s to the late 1980s. Incorporating news footage and topical references (seen previously in films as trite as FORREST GUMP, or as brilliant as WEST BEIRUT) marks the passage of time, and offers the maturation of gay politics and philosophy as an ever-present backdrop, and the very short - and touching - final scene, in both symbolic and literal fashion, makes clear the aim of a film like this: to entertain, but also communicate the lessons and truths of a culture across generations. THE TRIP does this beautifully, never falling into didacticism, and it's faith in honest humanity never wavers.
Some remarkable performances - Julie "I Like 'Em Big & Dumb" Brown makes a hysterical appearance, and Alexis Arquette's supporting role is entertaining as well. As a director, Swain is solid in his control of the material, and has a knack (reminiscent of John Sayles) for giving ordinary human settings meaning and not overlooking small details. Like Sayles, he's very un-flashy, preferring a sweet intelligence that lingers long afterwards.
