<p> Road movies have gotten to be the dullest thing going, but if you have British actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in the car, the journey will be worth the investment of two hours. In <em>The Trip</em>, by director Michael Winterbottom (<em>24 Hour Party People</em>), Coogan and Brydon play versions of themselves on assignment in England's north country for a London magazine. They are supposed to be writing a survey of region's five-star restaurants, which gives them license to spoof the goat cheese desserts and other pretentious creations that pass for gourmet cuisine. But mostly it's about two longtime associates playing off each other with one comedic riff after anotherincluding their hilarious dueling impersonations of Michael Caine. The drollery has an undercurrent of pathos as Coogan, forever trying to find a spot with good cell phone reception, repeatedly calls his estranged girlfriend in America. </p> <p><em>The Trip</em> is out on DVD. </p>
