(Rental Review) The Guilt Trip (2012)

When did this happen? When did Seth Rogen become someone that I couldn't count on for funny bits in a movie? Was it when Green Hornet came out? Was that when it happened? There is no doubt about it that Rogen has been in some wildly popular comedies over the past 8 years, but the more I go back and watch, the more I realize that he is best when he is in movies that center around a group of people as opposed to focusing on him. So how funny do you think a movie about a son and mom stuck in a car together on a road trip is? That's right, not very.

Storyline: Inventor, Andy Brewster (Rogen),  is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime as he plans out a cross country trip to try to sell his invention to retailers all over the US. A quick stop at his mom's house turns into an unexpected cross-country voyage with her along for the ride. - imdb.com

Thoughts? This movie is not your average Rogen comedy. It is a lot softer and, to be honest, not very funny. There are moments that are sweet and funny, but not really laugh-out-loud comedy. Barbra Streisand is actually the funniest thing about this comedy. She is completely believable in the roll and I think that we have all been in situations like this where our moms have embarrassed us.

At the core, this movie has more sweet than sour...and that isn't really in Rogen's wheelhouse. But I think that if you do stumble across this movie on TV you would probably like it enough to check it out. Even if it is just for the moments when you can completely sympathize with Andy.