mark.waltz
They're off on the road to aggravation in this unfunny, annoying, cloying and loud comedy of untied apron strings. What should be "Funny Grandma" becomes "The Way We Weren't", a rushed script that questions why the allegedly picky Babs would choose to let this script go through without changes, seeming more like the Lifetime TV movie "Smothered" (with Diane Keaton) while aspiring but failing to be the touching and triumphant "Only the Lonely", a much better written version of mothers and son's relationships. With a truly dull, uninterested performance by Seth Rogen, this ends up not only truly bad, but unbelievably boring as well.Streisand must have cringed when she had to refer to Rogen as her "Little Donald Trump". She was an amazing comic actress early in her career, and a few of those films really didn't have great scripts, either. Their plots often were absurd, but none were more unbelievable than this story of mother and son on a business road trip. Rogen's motivation for taking her along? To supposedly reunite her with somebody from her past. Her good intentioned interfering is unfunny, and he reacts unnaturally to all of it. There's no redeeming value in this, making it another missed opportunity for a veteran star intermingling with young actors, where the spark is completely absent.
Aly_Bird
Actually at the beginning maybe the first 30-45 minutes you'll find it a bit normal however with a slight sense of humour, then after that the real deal began when he yelled at her "Are you blind? Are you so idiotic?" then she left the room of the motel and headed to the bar.The Scene of Andy "Her X-boyfriend's son" and his sister wasn't that touching and I believe it's done by the author on purpose! For the most important issues between the lines is the relationship between the mother and the son.The final scene "The airport goodbye" actually that's the most touching part of the whole story.I felt that all of us "sons & daughters" are so mean to our moms for all the way long they thinking about us and we don't give a damn!
moonspinner55
Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen are capably cast and reasonably convincing as a somewhat-estranged mother and son embarking on a cross-country journey by car, but "The Guilt Trip" is full of obvious jokes and wilted poignancy. The give-and-take of the characters suggests a far more lived-in relationship than what we're told (these two bicker like long-time marrieds), and the mother's apparent celibacy of some 25 years doesn't wash. There are compensations: Streisand's colorful scene eating a four-pound steak as part of a restaurant contest is a winner, and Rogen proves to be a nicely-grounded anchor throughout (he's gently perturbed, never irascible for a big comedic effect). The picture looks good but gets off to a slow start (and has a too-long goodbye scene at the end), yet there are funny and sweet moments tucked away...and amusing leftover takes during the end credits. **1/2 from ****
bowmanblue
A film with Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand. How could it possibly fail? Well, it sort of does. If you've watched the trailers, you may be under the impression that you're going to be in for a laugh-a-minute ride of silliness which will leave you giggling your gloves off.Nothing could be further from the truth.Warning: this is a 'joke free' film. And, it's major problem, is that it seems to think that it's funny.You may snigger once or twice, but that's about it.However, it's not all bad. Rogen and Streisand are both excellent actors in their own right and they do have some chemistry, but it only really comes out when they're not trying to be funny. They play mother and son who go on a road trip across America. All the way they're bickering with each other and this is supposed to be funny. It isn't - it's mainly stereotypical Jewish references. Yet, when they fall out (and they do, fortunately) and start arguing, that's when the movie really picks up.I don't regret watching it. I just wished I wasn't expecting a hilarious comedy. Just make sure you're in the mood for more of a 'laugh-free' affair before you sit down to watch it and you should get more out of it.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
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