The Trip 1-4 Overview: Life On Earth

Summary: Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan play fictionalised versions of themselves and go on holiday together.

So we are trying something a little different here, this is the first time a writer on Another Millennial Reviewer has tried to review multiple films at the same time in one piece. It is not the first time a TV series has had multiple seasons reviewed in one piece with that rubicon being crossed last year with the Strangers Things 1-4 retrospective.

In some places the Trip came out as a series in others it was a series of films.

That said on with the show.

The Trip is a strange mix, it is a dramedy that thinks of itself as a comedy. There are funny moments in it and the two men are clearly trying to be funny doing impressions and being silly, however there is also a layered sadness to the show. This is there right from the first episode and hangs over the show. This sadness comes from loneliness and increasingly the personal circumstances of both men it makes for uncomfortable viewing at times.

One questions the appeal of this show/film outside of the UK market as if you do not have familiarity with the two men there is a number of jokes and bits that would go right over your head. For example the a-has’ that follow around Coogan due to his time as Alan Partridge may be met with glassy stairs from the American audience.

A thing to note about the series/films is that unlike other films/TV shows that revolve around the action of travel this does not show you much of the world and the locales do feel similar as the Trips go by. The only one with a real difference is the first season that travels around the north of England that has more of a gothic feel that the others really don’t. That is a key difference between something like this and say something like The Long Way Home, which does feature more travel related content and where the locations feel different, although the latter is presented as real whereas the Trip has Brydon and Coogan playing versions of themselves.

Overall, if you enjoy Coogan and Brydon then you may get something out of this, however if you’re looking for a travel show or even something that is consistently funny then this might not be the show/film for you..

3/5

Pros.

Funny references to Coogan and Brydon’s past work

Good chemistry

Easy viewing

Cons.

Depressing at times

The locations aren’t explored much

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The Burbs: The Neighbours Are Racist Yet Again

Summary: So for some unknown they decided to remake The Burbs, as a TV show done in the style of a Jordan Peele film. You can see where this is going can’t you.

Interracial couple, racism, social commentary etc. It’s about as subtle as a brick thrown through your window with a note attached telling you the sender hates you.

The worst part of the show is just how played out it is there is nothing new about it, the social commentary has been done before, the plot is recycled likely AI slop, and of course Keke Palmer is there as any opportunity to behave like a stereotypical black woman calls for Keke Palmer.

Who could forget it was supposed to be a comedy except anyone watching it. There have been funnier funerals.

Overall, if you have Peacock cancel it and tell them it’s because of this show.

0.5/5

Pros.

It made me appreciate the original film more

Cons

Palmer

Whitehall

It’s not funny

It been done before

It’s predictable

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Send Help: Every Office Workers Fantasy

Summary A boss and an employee get stuck on a desert island after a plane crash and the former has to adjust to the new reality.

This is Rachel McAdam’s film fundamentally she carries it, she is the one you root for, she is the heart of the film, she is the funny one. Any plaudits you may have for the film should go to her.

I thought the ending was mixed, on the one hand I enjoyed the tongue in cheek silliness of her corporate rise to power story, but on the other it did feel a little out of nowhere even with the year and change time jump. As it stands the ending is a little jarring.

There were a number of good visceral horror moments that you really felt but these were somewhat let down by a heavy handed use of foreshadowing, which gave away a lot of the surprises before they happened.

Overall, a good effort if not as good as Raimi’s other horror efforts.

2.5/5

Pros

Rachel McAdams

It is funny

There are some great horrifying moments

Cons.

The foreshadowing is too on the nose

The ending is a little jarring

The twists are quite obvious

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My Submission: The Quest For Fame

Summary: A young woman spends her evening sending out self tapes in the hopes of getting work in the industry.

In many senses this is an industry film, that is not to say you wouldn’t like it if you don’t have industry experience, but it is to say that you would gleam more from it by having been part of the machine. The relatability of the protagonist her struggle, her wanting to be part of it, her persistence all rings more true if you have experienced it yourself.

I thought the film was one of the rare sort of films that work as a comedy and as a drama, as there were moments of comedy that land in a real human way, but also the struggles and the self doubt come across as earnest. It would have been very easy for these struggles to just feel generic or cookie cutter but there is enough personalisation to it that it comes across as genuine and again relatable.

Relatable is the key word I would use to describe this film above all others.

I think the found footage style helped add a little flair of the different to this film and helped set it apart as a framing device and that it was used to great effect. I would say there are a couple of moments where the use of found footage is slightly limiting in terms of storytelling, but that is a formatting trade off ultimately.

Overall, a painfully earnest film that also has some sparkling comedic moments.

4/5

The earnest elements

The found footage angle

The comedy

The relatability

Cons.

Slightly format constraints

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Rental Family: Someone Give Brendan Fraser A Hug

Summary, A depressed man finds meaning in playing pretend.

So I got a early screener for this film, not a common thing for me, but there you go. Going to say that upfront.

This film was terribly depressing, I had seen in the trailer it be called a feel good film, I don’t see where that element was.

It felt in many ways like a spiritual sequel to the Whale, it was more of Brendan Fraser being depressed. This time being saved by a little girl and an old man. Each of which have their own horribly depressing stories. I put off writing this review as I knew I would have to go over all this again and feel depressed.

There is some comedy in the concept of the rental family and the inherently silly goofiness of it, but by and large this is a drama film.

I suppose you could argue the ending is somewhat bittersweet, Brendan Fraser gets to continue on in a father like role to the little girl and things seems to change for the better, but at what cost. Likely for the jailbreak Fraser’s character should be in prison.

Overall, not a good way to start the year unless you want to be depressed.

1.5/5

Pros.

It is competently made

There is some novelty to it

Cons.

It is depressing

There really isn’t a lot of levity

The side characters, particularly the people at the agency don’t get much development

It’s badly paced

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Anaconda: A Surprisingly Insightful Meta Comedy About Hollywood

So straight off the bat this film is not a laugh a minute sort of film, there were a few moments that did make me laugh out loud, but they were few and far between.

What I enjoyed was the commentary on what it’s like trying to get into Hollywood, or being a creative who wants to chase their dream yet life or circumstances gets in the way, I thought this was very relatable and showed the film had heart. The meta industry comedy as well was also quite insightful, and showed just for a moment that some people in Hollywood can be self aware.

The cameos from Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez were funny and handled well, they were each given their moment without upstaging things from the new cast.

The main issue with it is that it tries to focus on too many things at once and the pace of the film suffers as a result it would have been better if it got rid of the illegal mining stuff which serves very little point.

Overall, whilst not the funniest film in the world there is enough charm and personality here to make it worth seeing.

3.5/5

Pros.

A few good laughs

Relatable protagonists

The cameos

The meta commentary

Cons.

The pacing

Some of the emotional plot beats don’t land

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Meet Me In St Louis: What Appears To Be A Creepy Age Gap

As I was watching this film I had to look up the age difference between Judy Garland and the male lead as he looked multiple decades older than her and it was distracting in an uncomfortable way, however, upon checking it turns out that it’s only a few years apart.

I think the greatest strength of this film is the characters and the believable stakes of the film, everyone can relate to having to move when you don’t want to, and how your parents don’t care about what you want as a kid or a young person. The character struggles are believable because of that and it helps you to relate to the characters. A lot of modern films aim away from believability or relatable stakes much to their detriment.

The songs are terrific and a good number of them are instant classics, which you will without even having watched the film. I knew of them before I had watched the film and then when I heard them in the film I realised this was where they originated from.

A negative is that this film really isn’t a Christmas film, it was sold to me as one, however it features really only during a tiny portion of the film and as such the labelling is questionable.

In addition the pacing is quite off at times, and does slow down to a point wherein you may begin to lose interest.

Overall, a fun musical.

3.5/5

Pros

The Songs

The reliability

It is fun

It is somewhat Christmassy

Cons.

The pacing

Some of the more old fashioned elements

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Man VS Baby: Putting The Christ Back Into Christmas

Summary

Rowan Attinkson puts the Christ back into Christmas.

I mean that in several ways, he calls the Baby Jesus, this show features a school nativity plot line, and also it has moral lessons about helping the less fortunate at Christmas. This is a million miles away from other recent TV heroes such as LGBTQ+ rapist Carol on Pluribus, or the sea of other morally grey protagonists.

This short series is the short of slapstick you would expect of Atkinson and some times it does get a bit long in the tooth it is quite true particularly as it starts to escalate with the introduction of a dog later on in the run, however, for the most part it lands. Atkinson here, much to his personal chagrin, is probably one of his nicest and most self-less characters and goes out of his way to befriend and be nice to nearly everyone he meets, as referenced by the end feast scene.

Whilst this is more of what you would expect from Atkinson it is a nice winter warmer and does a lot to restore your sense of hope in your fellow man, and gives you a nice positive glow that few shows these days do. Just think of what Netflix could achieve if they made more things like this and less CGI slop about gay kids and monsters.

Overall, one of the better Christmas programs from the season.

4/5

Pros.

It is watchable

It is funny

It has charm

It has old school appeal

Cons.

It gets a bit repetitive in the end

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Ella McCay: A Lisa Simpson Issues Episode

Summary

A Lisa issues episode of the Simpsons stretched for over an hour.

So I want Hollywood to learn, most people outside the US don’t care at all about their government, or seeing their officials have to negotiate themselves out of law breaking. You, US reader, may care, but the rest of us don’t. This is a film about an elected official who breaks the law and has to find their way out of it which flopped, to no one’s surprise.

Really the only redeeming thing I can say for this film is that Emma Mackey is great, she has a real energy throughout the film. You care about her character and want her to be okay. That is about it.

The side plots about the womanising father or the brother and his ex-girlfriend kill time but do very little else. Jamie Lee Curtis plays a version of the same character she has been playing for the last twenty years, and is quite unbearable at times.

I would argue if this was a quirky sardonic sort of film done in the style of The Thick of It then maybe it could have been good, but American’s don’t understand subtlety so that was never going to happen.

2/5

Emma Mackey

It is watchable

Cons.

The side stories add nothing

No one cares about US politics outside the US

It is predictable

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Emily In Paris Season 5: Making You Want To Burn A US Flag

Summary

The cultural cancer that is Emily In Paris is back for a 5^th season.

I thought that after reviewing the earlier seasons and then taking a break I was done with this show, but I decided to revisit it.

In light of modern events, the idea of American Exceptionalism particularly in Europe is more than a bad joke. Rather than help its allies out The US government would rather hangout with dictators and white supremacists, as such the US is pretty loathed right now by most of thinking Europe. The fact that the US thinks it can lecture Europe on policy, and encourage extremist parties in Europe , and maintain friendly relations is a joke, once again it is bad.

Europe didn’t need Emily’s brand of loud over the top, omg look at me energy, back when the first season came out, but now the idea of an American coming to Europe and telling them how to be, and being met with anything other than hostility is ridiculous to the point of being absurd. Emily doesn’t just spit on the French but the Italians get it this time as well. Every negative cultural stereotype you can imagine happens to Emily almost as soon as she arrives, seems nowhere can be as great as the US which seems to have multiple school shootings per day.

This show was conceived as mindless slop but has become so culturally loaded that I am surprised Netflix even allows this to air in Europe anymore.

Overall, this is why the US is loathed globally at the moment.

1/5

Pros.

At times this almost read like a knowing self-aware parody of American’s abroad, but that would be too clever for this show.

Cons.

American Exceptionalism was never real.

It is a hurtful collection of stereotypes

The characters are unlikeable

It is slop

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