Rated
PG-13 (Language and Some Risqué Material)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 35 Minutes
Cast-
Seth
Rogen-Andrew 'Andy' Brewster
Barbra
Streisand-Joyce Brewster
Yvonne
Strahovski-Jessica
Colin
Hanks-Rob
Brett
Cullen-Ben
Adam
Scott-Andrew Margolis Jr.
Casey
Wilson-Amanda
Nora
Dunn-Gayle
Directed
by Anne Fletcher
 |
Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand star in Anne Fletcher's latest film, "The Guilt Trip."
|
Mothers
make it a habit of smothering their children with love; that's what makes them
mothers! Since my mom was always working, much of that smothering came from my
grandmother, whose insistence on accompanying me to school every morning
persisted until I was age fourteen due to some irrational fear that I might get
kidnapped. Yea, like anyone is going to kidnap a ninety-pound Chinese kid. The
idea of an overbearing mother forms the basic premise of "The Guilt
Trip" from director Anne Fletcher. Despite its mixed reviews (43% on
Rotten Tomatoes), I enjoyed her previous film, 2009's "The Proposal,"
thanks to the fun chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
Unfortunately, Fletcher's body of work, which includes the original "Step
Up," does not inspire much confidence as none of her films have managed to
break out of the 40% range. I don't imagine her latest film will do much to buck
that trend. "The Guilt Trip" may offer a relatable premise and some
endearing moments but fails to make much of an impression with its formulaic
and predictable story, not to mention that Barbra Streisand's character just
gets shriller and more annoying as the film wears on.
Andrew 'Andy' Brewster
(Seth Rogen), a graduate of the University of California in Los Angeles, has
invented a revolutionary organic cleaning solution called 'ScieoClean' (I bet
writer Dan Fogelman thought he was real clever when he made that up) that is
composed of coconuts, palm oil, and soy beans. Unfortunately, he's had little
success with selling the product to various marketing outlets. Visiting his
overbearing mother Joyce (Barbra Streisand) in New Jersey, Andy learns that
before she married his father, she was passionately in love with another man
named Andrew Margolis. Joyce's feelings were so strong that she even named her
son after him. Andy prepares for a 3000-mile, cross-country road trip where he
will try and sell his product to a number of big chain stores like Costco. He
decides to invite his mother along for the ride, which she enthusiastically
accepts believing it's a chance to bond with her only son but unbeknownst to
her, Andy is actually planning to reunite Joyce with Margolis, who now resides
in San Francisco.
Although I can relate to having a mother who frets and
worries, it doesn't change the fact that "The Guilt Trip" is a
thoroughly predictable affair, with many of its plot points already telegraphed
well in advance in the trailer. Dan Fogelman's script feels as if it was
written by a committee as it makes no effort to deviate from the road trip
formula, pitting two mismatched personalities (a mother and her son) in the
hopes of garnering some laughs. I'll admit that it's a somewhat novel premise
but the problem is that it's simply not funny…at all. Joyce is meant to be
endearing but instead comes off as loud and obnoxious, frequently prying into
Andy's life when it's not her business. When you embarrass your son in front of
his ex-girlfriend with a barrage of questions, it's a no-brainer that he'll
choose to bottle up his feelings. The two get into a number of outlandish
situations during their trip which includes a visit to a seedy strip club (Joyce
misreads 'topless' as 'tapas') where the only joke that Fogelman can come up with
involves a purple penis. Later in the film, Joyce enters a steak-eating contest
to get a free meal and as ridiculous as it sounds, it's one of the few moments
where I felt Andy and his mother were truly bonding. The central drama revolves
around Joyce's belief that her son does not want to spend time with her but
when he's willing to put up with her crazy behavior for eight straight days
just to reunite her with someone that made her happy at one point, isn't that
proof of a son's love? Instead, Joyce reacts with anger and views it as an
attempt to get rid of her. Of course, all is resolved by the end (that's not
even a spoiler) with a trite happy ending that ties everything up in a neat
little bow. That's really "The Guilt Trip" in a nutshell: it's all
just one giant ball of cliché.
Seth Rogen is cast against type, leaving his
slacker self behind and exhibits a boyish charm as Andy Brewster. It's not a
role that requires any heavy-lifting but he handles it well, sharing a great
rapport with Barbra Streisand despite her character's grating behavior.
Streisand is little more than a caricature as she runs around the film like a
hyperactive child hopped up on sugar. It's shocking to see a singer of her
caliber reduced to starring in tripe like this. Then again, she was also in
"Little Fockers" so why am I surprised? The rest of the supporting
cast, which includes Yvonne Strahovski, Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, and Brett
Cullen, add nothing to the film. Each of them pop in for a glorified cameo and
pick up their paychecks in what amounts to a day's work.
To be released on
December 19, 2012, there are currently no reviews for "The Guilt
Trip" but it'll most likely top out at around 40% on Rotten Tomatoes going
by Fletcher's previous films. The audience at the advance screening on Sunday
enjoyed the film and laughed at every joke as if on cue. Again, this shouldn't
be a real surprise to anyone. There was also a live streaming
question-and-answer session with Rogan and Streisand but I didn't even bother
staying. I didn't outright hate "The Guilt Trip;" it has its heart in
the right place but the film is just so bland and forgettable. This is nothing
more than a generic, feel-good holiday movie that Hollywood sees fit to dump
into theaters year after year.
Final
Rating: 2 out of 5
"My
penis could literally grow an eyeball and I wouldn't tell you!" (The only
funny line in the entire film)
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