Admittedly I had low expectations for The Guilt Trip when walking in. My assumption was that if you've seen one roadtrip movie, you've seen them all. How many different ways can you take characters through the stereotypical getting lost and car trouble sequences before you've lost every shred of substance that once existed within the confines of the story? Needless to say I was wrong, and I am pretty relieved. Sure, it was a little cringe-worthy, but that was mostly from watching the mother-son dynamic and being extremely grateful that my mom is nothing like Joyce Brewster (Barbara Streisand).
The chemistry between leads Seth Rogan and Streisand is pretty undeniable. They play a very believeable mother and son, which certainly helps set the tone for the film. The base line of the plot is fairly weak, but the overarching story more than makes up for it. Andy (Rogan) has invented a product and scheduled a series of pitches across the country to which he must drive. On a bit of a whim, he invites his mother along, and various hijinks ensue. You could deduce that fairly clearly from the trailers, but what the trailers don't show you is that there's actual character development in this film. Gasp! The duo that sets out from New Jersey and the pair that parts in San Francisco have learned plenty about themselves and their relationship. They have healed from some past wounds and moved from a child-to-adult relationship to a more adult-to-adult relationship, a step that is awkward and can cause more division than anything else.
While The Guilt Trip is a comedy, it's not a film that relies too heavily on physical comedy. The performances from both Rogan and Streisand probably won't earn them any award nominations, but they are pretty solid. I will see that while the film is mostly predictable, it actually isn't completely cliche, which is fairly remarkable given the 'roadtrip' genre. I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed The Guilt Trip, and suggest you give it a chance.
