These days it seems that the majority of movies need to have an abundant amount of explosive action or mind blowing CGI in order to attract viewers to come and see them. Of course, that statement is not without its exceptions; just look at "Les Misérables" and "Zero Dark Thirty". Still, even those A-List titles have something to offer. December saw a wealth of Triple-A title films get released and it isn’t difficult to understand why some films would get lost in the shuffle. One such overlooked film was "The Guilt Trip" starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand. It isn’t going to pile itself on with any Oscar nominations, but "The Guilt Trip" was a good natured and easy to like comedy.
With an easy to memorize plot summary; Seth Rogen character is an inventor who decides to hit the open road together with his mother. They travel from New Jersey to San Francisco so he can attempt to sell his latest invention, a safe organic cleaning compound. Obviously the premise won’t be selling an abundance of tickets anytime soon, but thankfully the film succeeds mostly to the chemistry on screen between its two lead characters.
Streisand and Rogen behave believably as mother and son. In doing so, they offer up to us a funny and warm hearted road trip movie. A film doesn’t always have to have a complex narrative and an R rating. Sometimes it is the simplest of plots and then other times a film only needs to have Barbra Streisand in it to instantly be made appealing. Streisand commands the screen, even though her portrayal of her characters seems effortless. We all know Seth Rogen by now and those looking for his normal crude and explosive humor will more than likely find themselves disappointed by the films end. "The Guilt Trip" doesn't break new ground, but it will play well for all those who appreciate Streisand and those who want to be reassured that their adult children still love them.
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