The Trip (2010)

Sometimes when I am on social networking sites I notice that two people I know for completely different reasons are also friends with each other. How does someone I know from Virginia know someone I know from Rhode Island? It happens pretty often, actually. Anyway, that's how I felt when this video went viral about a year ago. How did all of my Facebook friends discover Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, both of whom are famous in Britain but are practically unknown in America?

"YOU WERE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BLOW THE BLOODY DOORS OFF!"

Actually, Steve Coogan has gotten some attention in the States. He made a couple of movies that did well with critics...and he was blamed for Owen Wilson's suicide attempt back in 2007. Courtney Love (of all people) called Coogan out in the press for his hard-partying ways, which apparently rubbed off on Wilson and caused the unfortunate episode. Really. Coogan and Brydon did get the Internet's attention with this video, too. It's actually a clip from their television show, The Trip, in which they play themselves on a culinary tour of the north of England. That's right, they play themselves. They both are known for doing impressions, and they exploit that ability multiple times in The Trip. 

"I do this for a living, now get out your textbooks."

I could happily watch Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon do impressions for six episodes, but that's not all there is to The Trip. It is often quite poignant. Steve Coogan-the-character comes off as kind of tragic. He is lonely and deeply self-conscious, especially about his image in the UK and his lack of an image in the US. He cannot escape the awkward character that made him famous, and dreams about people chasing him and yelling a particular catchphrase to him. He doesn't really have any friends besides Rob Brydon-the-character, who comes off as silly and adorable, especially in the scenes with his onscreen wife. 

Instead of being shown on BBC America, The Trip was released in the States as a movie. The trailer might just be the best celebrity impressions clip show ever.

The trip is available to watch instantly on Netflix and Amazon. It is also available on DVD.