MOVIE REVIEW - The Guilt Trip

Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand star together in the new "comedy,"  The Guilt Trip.   The word "comedy" is being used here only by intended definition.

It has certainly been a long time since Streisand has been on the screen in a starring role.   Here she plays an overprotective ethnic mother, Joyce of her only son Andy (Rogen) who is now about 35 years old.  Andy is a highly educated inventor who has invented a new organic household cleaner.  He is trying to pitch it to large companies for distribution with no luck at all.   Andy is sort of awkward, and not overly skilled at the spoken art.   Joyce, does not have that problem.

So Andy is going on a coast-to coast driving trip with meetings and pitches along the way, and for reasons that are so ridiculous, he decides to take his non-stop talking mother with him.  And so they strike out on this adventure in a compact car, and they start talking.  And talking, and talking and talking....my gosh make this stop!!!!

This is essentially a two person movie with Rogen and Streisand and you get so sick of listening to these two yammer on about nothing for a thousand miles or so.   These two have no real chemistry, but not all of this is not their fault.  The writing on this picture is putrid.  And if they let these two improvise much of this, that too was a bad decision.   Much of this is really hard to sit through and walking out might cross your mind.   This is really not funny, and there is no pace to speak of.  Just constant bickering between these two clowns, and even though it may speak to some in it's authenticity, this is really irritating after about 15 minutes.

Then The Guilt Trip tries to grow a heart in the last 10 minutes or so, and actually does. The final few scenes are easily the movies best.  But it is way too late, and you are too fatigued to really care about anything that happens to these two at the end.   There is just far too much of these two.  Observation - a packed theater laughed out loud - once.

Rogen can do good work, and at times I like him.  He does have a certain style that in the right role is pretty entertaining. I like him far more as side dish as opposed to main course.   Streisand is who she is.   She is possibly the greatest pure singer of our time, and has been for a generation or two.  She has been great in many movies, but not here.  She is so grating, that all you do is wish she would just shut up, and maybe break into a song, so we could here that magical voice sing, and not speak another single word.  You actually find yourself wishing you could hear the gentle, soothing voice Fran Drescher  made while starring on The Nanny.

Oh, there's a laugh or two, but that's it.  This just lays there, and finds your spinal column, grabs it with both hands and twists -  hard.   This is two hours of your life that will come and go, and you can never get back.

The Guilt Trip.  Annoying and flat - would be kind.