The Trip

Exhausting a list of friends, Steve Coogan, commissioned by the Observer to write a piece on the restaurants of Northern England, is finally able to convince one of those "sort of" friends, Rob Brydon, who is more a professional colleague, to accompany him on the week-long business road trip to eat at some of those restaurants, all expenses paid, with Steve giving Rob a minor cut of the commission. The commission and the trip were originally designed around Steve's American girlfriend, Mischa, a writer and foodie who eventually couldn't come on the trip needing to go back to the States. In some respects, the food takes a back seat as there is quiet discomfort between the two almost at every turn, most specifically from Steve's perspective, as Steve shows time and time again that he is the senior partner in this venture who gets to make all the decisions. That discomfort stems from Steve's insecurity manifesting itself in he continually comparing himself to Rob, including who can do the better impressions (which is now Rob's bread and butter career-wise) and as Steve struggles to achieve his goal of a mainstream movie career. And although Steve is arguably the more successful career-wise, he is not as happy, which is underlined by the real reason Mischa didn't come on this trip and Steve not hesitating to embark on a one-night stand at every opportunity.