The Trip to Italy

Not very familiar with the actors, I enjoyed some of the conversations although the imitations do start to get annoying halfway the movie. You can see they are great actors but you do feel the script pouring through lots of the time... It has to look like 2 friends getting together having funny conversations but it just doesn't work. Plus I got very annoyed with the maffia/Al Pacino/Marlon Brando imitations, it was just too easy. Overall it felt more like Michael Winterbottom has started his midlife crisis and uses the actors, the script and Italy to get to the (michaelwinter)bottom of it. A pointless one night stand, 2 older English guys "trying" to be funny, beautiful scenery, it just breathed midlife crisis everywhere. I just found it too easy, he could have made something better honestly, maybe put in a weird end with someone dying or something a bit more shocking.. now its just a small river of sometimes funny conversations between two 40something English guys who still want to shag all young, beautiful girls, and who do feel more male when they succeed in this, while they get drunk on gin and tonics... It looks like Michael Winterbottom went to Italy himself, red some Lord Byron and Don Juan, felt himself a bit like Woody Allen and combined this with his upcoming midlife crisis and this was what came out.....The scenery is beautiful though and you will crave for a fab pasta just because of the food shots.

This movies falls into those genres that are dialogue heavy. For such movies to be successful the characters and dialogue needs to be very compelling. Based in Italy, the backdrop was beautiful at times but hardly enough to carry such a boring and pretentious movie. It's like the Italian version of 'before midnight' except with no romance or plot line. Just two middle aged British men rambling on, going from restaurant to restaurant and making daft impressions This is like the Italian version of before midnight with no romance or plot line.I am not sure what the director was trying to get at. I think this could be a good movie if you are trying to get to sleep out of sheer boredom on a long haul flight but hardly for entertainment pleasure.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Winterbottom's work which is fully on display in this modest travel journal of two friends discovering the joys of Italy. Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon, the friends in question, I'll admit are an acquired taste; one that I've not yet...acquired. I kept resisting the urge to just mute the sound so I didn't have to listen to their inane, extremely irritating, babblings was only because Strauss and Mahler were used expertly on the soundtrack. And who would want to miss that? The food, the scenery and an undefined longing are all very appealing. But the self-centered mugging by the two, which we're clued to think is adorable by women, I just think needs a warning to any viewer. Try to shut them out. 'Cause they never shut up.

If you liked The Trip, you will like this one, as it is basically the same movie. The same people, the same jokes, the same outdoors and food shots. The only thing that changed is that instead of 44, they are now closer to 50. Their hair is more gray and less. How they relate to the world has changed, children grew up. And, of course, they're in Italy.

To me, one of the failings of the film is that it doesn't really portray the places so well. I understand it's a character piece, but by limiting the surroundings, they also make the movie feel more like a play, diminished in scope, if not in meaning.

Still, if you watched The Trip and wanted more, watch this, too.

This is a real smart movie.. Taking your rhythm and anxiety to a very peaceful zone, restore your serinity.. I admit, it's a bit boring.. But this is the idea.. Sort of relaxation you should surrender to the stream and give up your regular thoughts about love, sex, excitement, show Biz, etc.. Just let the sun shine on your face. I encourage to make it series movies, but don't be so specific in the dialogue to movie biz, make it more rich to suit other people and different occasions.. Maintain the slow rhythm and ambience.. No music is a good idea.. Nature and scenes are suburb and sufficient glamorous.. Great GREAT!! I FOUND MYSELF PAYING FULL ATTENTION DURING THE PLAY..