The Trip to Italy (2014)

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Writer: Michael Winterbottom

Composer:  None.  Operatic bits instead.

Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Rosie Fellner, Claire Keelan, Marta Barrio, Timothy Leach, Ronni Ancona, Rebecca Johnson, Alba Foncuberta Bufill, Flora Villani

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Anyone for seconds?

Plot: Two men, six meals in six different places on a road trip around Italy. Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and ending in Capri.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yeah.

I really dig these two guys so getting to spend time with them for almost two hours goofing off, rattling about impersonations of actors I really dig and filling my eyes with drop dead gorgeous location scenery is just a peach of a good time.  There's very little in the way of a narrative.  Winterbottom gives them some extra curricular activities like an affair, wife, kids, and so on but that's just there to perhaps work in some drama, not that its needed.  It's not a knee-slapper of a comedy but more of a pleasant, whimsical variety the helps if you like the characters/actors.  The music selections (presumably taken from Italian operas) are beautifully sublime and they wonderfully underscore the magnificent scenery.  I liked season one of this show but I haven't seen the film they edited the 6 episodes into.  This film is the six episodes of season two.  It works nicely as a film.  I wonder how much was edited out of the show, if any.  The big question is how do I get one of these gigs to travel like this, eat fine food, stay at cozy villas and experience a world of history in every direction.  I better get started on figuring it out.