The Trip to Greece

BBC

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, The Trip to Greece is the fourth and supposedly final instalment in the ten-year saga of The Trip series. Split into both a feature film and a four-part television programme, Winterbottom's film is another stellar outing. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon partly play themselves while travelling the globe, reviewing restaurants for The Observer. 

The Trip to Greece is more of the same in its eventfulness and entertainment value. For any worried viewer out there, eager to watch Coogan and Brydon take passive-aggressive jabs at each other, The Trip will not disappoint. As usual, the plot is also hinged on impressions of well-known celebrities .

That being said, this four-part saga from Winterbottom has found a perfect balance in surface-level comedy with a profound underbelly of drama. Again, The Trip to Greece does not disappoint on this front. The aforementioned comedic nature is a powerhouse throughout yet it does not perhaps hit the heights of the iconic"she was only sixteen" impression, but undoubtedly has its own substantial impact.

It is the profound underbelly that cements The Trip to Greece as a truly impactful and fantastic tale. The material at hand, to explore the underlining issues of each character in their respective lives, is engaging and poignant. It does not only showcase a beautifully engulfing yet morbid element to comedy, paralleling the usual bravado of it, but it also explores the emotional range from the two leads which often goes unnoticed.

 Coogan in particular offered a career high with his stirring performance in Stan & Ollie.  along with teaming up with Winterbottomonce again in Greed. His performance in The Trip to Greece is one that undeniably shines through in a myriad of emotional exploration that the actor devours with utter ease. Brydon is not too far behind, but his character here takes a subtle step back to caveat Coogan's character, and in doing so, embodies the heart of the picture while Coogan undoubtedly is the soul. 

Winterbottom's latest exploit into the The Trip franchise is nothing short of a roaring success. While it ends on a somewhat limp, albeit emphatic, finale full of intimacy, The Trip to Greece showcases the often forgotten acting prowess of both leads as a reminder they can still hit home runs.