The Trip to Italy is the sequel to The Trip but it is probably not essential to have seen the first film. There is so little storyline and so much beautiful scenery and comedic dialogue that you won't really be feeling left out, except for one little sub-plot that carries over from the first film.
The Trip to Italy is a faux-documentary comedy. It follows British actors Steve Coogan (well known here for his character Alan Partridge as well as his acting in films such as Tropic Thunder and Night at the Museum) and Rob Brydon (not well known here at all) as they travel around picturesque Italian locations trying fancy restaurants and reviewing them for a magazine. Which they actually weren't doing for real, just for this 'movie' where they are playing exaggerated versions of themselves. That's pretty much the whole story. The movie focuses on Steve and Rob's conversations, mostly unscripted I suspect, while travelling by car (a Mini of course for these Michael Caine fans!) to their restaurants or while eating. These are punctuated with pop culture analysis and spot-on impressions of famous actors as the two try to out-do each other. Michael Caine gets another series of impressions (already done very well in The Trip) but they add a few more this time around. The scene with them doing Michael Caine, Tom Hardy and Christian Bale and how hard they were to understand in Batman is quite hilarious.
The movie is bigger and better than the Trip thanks to the gorgeous cinematography of the Italian seaside and rolling hills and food (don't go on an empty stomach) but ultimately it is still just a very light and easy way to waste an hour and a half with a handful of belly laughs. A little bit of middle aged angst, this time it's Rob's temptation to cheat on a partner instead of Steve's, pulls it into dramatic territory but not for long.
I'd give this a 3.5 out of 5 - 3 for the movie overall and an extra 0.5 for the Alanis Morrissette bashing and the Tom Hardy impressions.
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