DVD Review: The Guilt Trip
The Guilt Trip – A Paramount Pictures’ Release
DVD Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Rated PG for coarse language and mature themes
Running time: 95 minutes
Anne Fletcher (dir.)
Dan Fogelman (writer)
Christophe Beck (music)
Barbra Streisand as Joyce
Seth Rogen as Andy
Brett Cullen as Ben Graw
Adam Scott as Andrew Margolis, Jr.
Our reviews below:
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The Guilt Trip DVD Review By John C.
*** (out of 4)
When Andy (Seth Rogen) impulsively invites his mother Joyce (Barbra Streisand) along with him on an eight day road trip across the country, he is stuck with her on a journey that will bring them farther about before bringing them closer together. Andy is meeting with different retail outlets to try and sell his environmentally friendly cleaning product, but his socially awkward nature is getting in the way of his meetings, and his mother might just be the only one who can help him with that.
Although we pretty much know where The Guilt Trip is going from the opening scenes, the journey of getting there is a very enjoyable experience. Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand have great chemistry as a mother and son, as their relationship is believably brought to life with his annoyance at her constant maternal nagging. As their relationship matures throughout the film, the screenplay by Dan Fogelman actually reveals a lot of heart. With good performances and some amusing set pieces, The Guilt Trip is an entertaining film about the bond between a mother and son.
The Blu-ray includes several featurettes and deleted scenes.
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The Guilt Trip DVD Review By Erin V.
*** (out of 4)
In The Guilt Trip, Seth Rogan plays Andy Brewster – an entrepreneur who is going on a cross-country trip to attempt to sell his new environmentally-friendly household cleaner. His first stop is in New York, where his mother Joyce (Barbra Striesand) lives, so he goes to visit her. After she tells him a story about a man she used to know but lost touch with, he gets the idea to bring her along on his road trip to help her try to find this guy in L.A. After living on his own for so long, he seems to underestimate what it’s going to be like to be under the same roof and in a small car with his mother for a week.
What ensues is actually a really sweet and funny road trip movie. Along the way, Andy and his mother sort of get to know each other again and figure out how to get along. It is a film that is sure to be a hit as a Mother’s Day gift, and is one that mothers will especially enjoy seeing with their young adult children.
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The Guilt Trip DVD Review By Nicole
*** (out of 4)
There have been several films made about road trips. However, few have been made about a mother and her adult son. Andy (Seth Rogen) is an intelligent, yet socially awkward young man who has invented an environmentally friendly and non-toxic cleanser he calls “Scio-clean.” He is setting off on a cross country road trip to try and sell the product. After a conversation with his mother, Joyce (Barbra Streisand), Andy decides to invite his mother along so she can reconnect to her past. The results are heartwarming, funny and occasionally bittersweet.
The Guilt Trip is exactly the type of comedy that has been missing for a while. It’s funny and refreshingly low-key; there are no real gross out or overly rude jokes in here. The film centres around the love and sometimes awkward moments between a mother and young adult child. While Joyce’s son is a man, she still does the Mom thing, worrying about his well being and making sure he is happy and healthy. While Andy is sometimes annoyed by his mother, he ultimately benefits from having his mom as a mentor.
Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen are believable as mother and son, creating a very sweet and enjoyable film together. The Guilt Trip is a charming movie that you can take your mom or even grandmother to.
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The Guilt Trip DVD Review By Maureen
*** (out of 4)
No matter how old a grown man gets, to his mother, deep down, he’s still her little boy. In The Guilt Trip, Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen play a mother and son who take an eight day road trip together as son Andy tries to pitch the eco-friendly cleaning solution he invented to various retail outlets. Mom Joyce has been lonely as a widow and also misses her son who lives far away. Andy, in a moment of kindness, figures what the heck, a trip would do Mom good. The result is a charming and heartwarmingly funny several days of adjustment as the pair get on each other’s nerves, enjoy each other’s company and get to know one another as interesting adults.
The Guilt Trip follows a fairly predictable plot line. There’s nothing groundbreaking or unique about this movie. However, Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand are so likeable and fun to watch that they more than make up for the script. There are some really good comic moments thanks to the efforts of the two talented leads. Joyce packing away a massive sized steak in an hour so she can eat it for free at a Texas restaurant is one of the best scenes where Streisand’s comedic talent shines.
If sons are looking for a Mother’s Day gift, The Guilt Trip would be a fun choice. This is the kind of movie that grown up children can watch with their Moms and Grandmas without anyone feeling embarrassed. The Guilt Trip is also a must see for Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand fans.
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The Guilt Trip DVD Review By Tony
**1/2 (out of 4)
The Guilt Trip begins with Andrew Brewster (Seth Rogen) unsuccessfully pitching a non-toxic spray cleaner he has invented to a major retailer. He is a brilliant chemist with a good product but his marketing skills are at best awkward. Flying from his California home to New Jersey to visit his mother Joyce (Barbra Streisand) and meet another potential customer, Andrew plans to drive back across the country pitching more prospects along the way. Widowed since he was a small boy, Joyce tells her son that before meeting his father she was in love with another man. Andrew looks this man up, finding his name and address in San Francisco. Hoping for a reunion, Andrew invites his mother to come along for the ride without revealing his true purpose.
Admittedly, The Guilt Trip is essentially a sitcom with inevitable mother-son conflicts. However, it rings true for the most part thanks to fine performances from the leads and a good script by Dan Fogelman that doesn’t resort to dumb gags. There is a nice arc over the film from an adolescent-adult relationship at the beginning to one that is more mature and solid at the end.
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Consensus: With good performances from Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen believably playing a mother and son, The Guilt Trip is a predictable but enjoyable comedy that has amusing set pieces along with a charming heart. *** (Out of 4)
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