''The Trip'' ( ) is a 2021 Norwegian
action comedy film
Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre.
Film
The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of actio ...
starring
Aksel Hennie
Aksel Hennie (born 29 October 1975) is a Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Headhunters'' (2011), ''Hercules'' (2014), and '' The Martian'' (2015).
Early life
Hennie was born in the Lambert ...
and
Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...
. It was directed by
Tommy Wirkola
Tommy Wirkola (born 6 December 1979) is a Norwegian film director and writer.
Career
His first film was 2007's ''Kill Buljo'', which he co-wrote with Stig Frode Henriksen. They later made the 2009 horror comedy '' Dead Snow''. In 2010 they agai ...
, who co-wrote it with Nick Ball and John Niven.
It premiered on 30 July 2021
in Norway and appeared in the
Fantastic Fest 2021 lineup in September the same year. It was internationally released on 15 October 2021 and is available for streaming on Netfix.
Synopsis
Husband Lars and wife Lisa are fed up with each other and plan on murdering each other during their trip to their
cabin. However, their plans go awry when three fugitives take them captive.
Plot
Lars is a dissatisfied
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
director and his wife, Lisa, is an actress who can't make it. Having left for a weekend to go on a cabin trip, both plan to murder each other. Viktor, a friend of Lars, wants to help him carry out his murderous intentions in exchange for a share of Lisa's life insurance.
As Lars attacks Lisa with a hammer, she tasers him, leaving him temporarily immobilised. But after having tied Lars up, the naïve Viktor arrives and turns the situation around in Lars' favour. When Lisa reveals that she can offer Viktor more money than Lars, a fight ensues in which Lars seriously injures Viktor. Begged by his wife to do something, Lars misunderstands and shoots Viktor with a gun, killing him. In the fight that follows, the gun goes off, with the shot passing through the ceiling and hitting a man hiding in the attic. One by one, three men fall down as the ceiling collapses.
They are Petter, Dave and Roy, three fugitives on the run. The trio had taken refuge in the cabin before Lars and Lisa arrived, but had to hide once the couple appeared.
Dave apparently plans to rape Lisa, which Lars make fun of. It is then revealed that he was actually planning to take Lars. Faced with this, Lisa begs the three not to hurt him or her, promising to pay them a large sum of money the next day. Eventually, the couple break free and attempt to escape. This is followed by a series of brutal clashes, in which the two would have died if not for Mikkel, Lars' father who owns the cabin. Mikkel had been warned by his friend, Hans, about strange events in his cabin, leading to Mikkel's escape from his care home to check what was going on.
Mikkel, Dave and Roy are all killed in a violent fight, leaving Petter with an apparent upper hand against Lars and Lisa. They overpower him and sink his body in a nearby lake, drowning him.
Upon arrival of the police, the couple, united by reignited feelings, share a self-flattering versions of events, presenting themselves as brave and heroic. They ride the popularity of their story by producing a
Hollywood film
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...
, with Lars as its director and Lisa starring as herself.
Cast
Main
*
Aksel Hennie
Aksel Hennie (born 29 October 1975) is a Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Headhunters'' (2011), ''Hercules'' (2014), and '' The Martian'' (2015).
Early life
Hennie was born in the Lambert ...
as Lars, a film director who is married to Lisa
*
Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...
as Lisa, an aspiring actress who is married to Lars
*
Atle Antonsen
Atle Antonsen (born 11 August 1969, in Lillehammer) is a Norwegian comedian and actor.
Antonsen has participated in and contributed to several television and radio shows, including ''XL'' and ''XLTV'' (1998–99), ''Nissene på låven'' (20 ...
as Petter, a serial killer
* as Dave, a serial killer
*
André Eriksen
André Eriksen (born 22 October 1975) is a Norwegian multi-platform artist with a career as an actor, rapper, and graffiti artist. He is best known as one of the lead vocalists in the Norwegian rap group Warlocks, which had commercial success in ...
as Roy, a serial killer
Others
*
Nils Ole Oftebro
Nils Ole Oftebro (born ) is a Norwegian actor and illustrator. He was born in Sarpsborg. He worked for Fjernsynsteatret from 1969 to 1971. From 1971 he was assigned to Nationaltheatret. He was artistical director at Torshovteatret from 1987 to 19 ...
as Mikkel, the father of Lars
*
Stig Frode Henriksen as Viktor, a friend of Lars
* as Ida, a friend of Lisa
* Harald Dal as Kjetil, an actor playing a role in Lars' film
* Evy Kasseth Røsten as Charlotte, an actress playing a role in Lars' film
* as Hans, a friend of Mikkel
* Galvan Mehidi as Abio, an employee at the care home
* Ask Sørsdahl as himself
*
as himself
* Kristoffer Jørgensen as himself
* as himself
*
Fredrik Skavlan
Fredrik Skavlan (born 2 September 1966) is a Norwegian TV host, journalist, and cartoonist. He hosted the talk show ''Først & sist'' from 1998 to 2007, for which he won the 1999 Norwegian Television Award for best host as well as the talk show ...
as himself
* as himself
Reception
Sigurd Vik writes in ''
Filmpolitiet'' that "in good
Tarantino-style, well-known Norwegian songs, including riff-strong ''
Møkkamann'' (Dumdum Boys) and cool ''
Fru Johnsen'', are used to give impact, added value and style points to several sequences". He also notes that "the surprises come close, the flesh wounds come even closer and there is a wild and wonderful energy in many of the scenes that drive the action forward". He says it "is definitely not a movie for everyone, but it's perfect for those who know they love Tommy Wirkola's films". ''
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
'' critic Birger Vestmo notes that "funny and physically demanding roles from well-known actors, such as Aksel Hennie, Noomi Rapace og Atle Antonsen", contributed to the film's success.
Trace Thurman, writing for
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...
, describes it as a much bloodier ''
The War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
''. Thurman criticizes the film's "unnecessarily episodic quality", suggesting that "the film could have used is a swifter hand in the editing room," and he praised Hennie and Rapace's performances as "simply delightful in their roles as the bickering protagonists". Thurman also expresses that it is "unfortunate that Netflix" is not "promoting ''The Trip'' at all" as it has the potential of being an "ultimate crowd-pleaser".
Lena Wilson writes in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that "while that concept promises a fun, agile thriller", the film "descends into a juvenile, nihilistic mess". Wilson criticises the "tasteless material about genitals and poop", describing "its basic premise" as "much smarter". Wilson concludes that it is "occasionally fun, but other films have handled gleeful gore and psychological torture with a far more skillful touch" and compares it to ''
Funny Games'', stating that "it doesn’t do itself any favors by inviting that comparison".
James Croot, writing for ''
Stuff
Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to:
*Physical matter
*General, unspecific things, or entities
Arts, media, and entertainment
Books
*''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly (author), Joseph Connolly
*''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jere ...
'', compares the film to ''Funny Games'', expressing that one "could be forgiven for thinking" they were watching a "Scandinavian remake of Michael Haneke’s ''Funny Games''". Croot describes the film as "occasionally hilarious, sometimes gruesome, slightly queasy, but certainly inventive cinema". He expresses that it has a "slightly off-balance" delivery, leaving you not "feeling like it is a fully enjoyable experience".
Jude Dry of ''
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'', calls it "devilishly fun", with its genre sitting between "thriller, horror, and comedy". She writes that the film is "cheeky and inventive" with "brilliant performances" and "a whipsmart script". Dry expresses that "the violence reaches wildly gratuitous levels without ever feeling like overkill". She describes the plot as "outlandish, revealing the film’s full-on tongue-in-cheekiness".
Accolades
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trip, The (2021 film)
Norwegian action comedy films
2021 action comedy films
2020s Norwegian-language films
2021 films
2021 action thriller films
2021 black comedy films