The Guilt Trip

Starring: Barbara Streisand, Seth Rogen, Adam Scott, Colin Hanks, Yvonne Strahovski
Directed by: Anne Fletcher
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An inventor (Seth Rogen) trying to sell his invention reluctantly agrees to take his mother (Barbara Streisand) along with him on a cross-country road trip.

Review:

Tim: I admit I'm shocked that I actually enjoyed The Guilt Trip. It just looked like such a stupid movie. The trailers really did not do this film justice. It came across looking like a lightweight, throwaway comedy that had no real substance. This is certainly not true. I was surprised at the emotional depths of this film- there's truly something of lasting value in this film. Yes, it's silly, but there is meat underneath the outer layer. This might not be a great film, but it's a well-made, enjoyable comedy.

The central aspect of the film that matters the most is the relationship between Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen. I actually thought they interacted really well together. They felt like a realistic mother-son. Their dynamic just worked for me. I enjoyed watching them interact, and I believed their relationship. It felt authentic to me. Streisand is pretty good, although she takes the whole Jewish nagging mother thing a bit too far. Rogen was pretty funny as well. He has this goofy charisma that just translates into this very likable on screen presence. I really enjoyed him in this film.

Now, I have to admit this film is fairly flawed as well. The whole premise that Rogen's character is an inventor and has invented this brilliant, revolutionary cleaning spray was a bit far-fetched. It just didn't come across as especially plausible. There's a number of moments throughout the film that came across as a bit forced. Still, even with a number of weaker moments, they didn't completely detract from the film's strengths.

At the heart of this movie is the mother-son dynamic between Streisand and Rogen. This was fairly entertaining to watch on screen. There's a number of cringe-worthy moments that will remind you of your sensitive earlier years, but the best aspect of their relationships is that it feels real. It captures that love/hate relationship many people have with their mothers (I only love mine, but I've heard other people talk). I was surprised at the depths this emotional relationship delved- it's far deeper than most superficial relationships we see on screen.

While The Guilt Trip certainly has flaws, I found myself oddly connecting with the characters and enjoying this annoying, frustrating, and very funny road trip they were on. I did not expect to like this movie, but I found myself laughing throughout the film. I was also glad to see that the film had a few surprises in store for us- while the setup often seems to suggest we're about to see something very predictable, the script does a good job of turning our expectations on their heads. While the end of the movie could be viewed as incredibly sappy, I found it sweet and just a bit touching. This is a good movie, and it entertained me (even if I feel a little guilty for liking it).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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