Unfortunately, while "The Trip" was grounded by Coogan's thoughtful, involving character arc, "The Trip to Italy" is knowingly adrift. Here, Coogan shrinks back, shifting the spotlight onto co-star Brydon. So while Brydon nervously makes faces in the mirror, chats up a beautiful stranger, and nervously tries out for a Michael Mann film, Coogan Skypes with his son, and distractedly mocks Brydon's naivete and boisterous insensitivity.
"The Trip to Italy" is charming, but mostly aimless. It pales in comparison to "The Trip" because, as Winterbottom and the gang admit early on in the film, they're trying to repeat themselves. Much of the film's two-hour runtime is spent trying to recapture that earlier film's energy, especially in scenes where Brydon and Coogan trade impersonations of celebrities like Al Pacino and Michael Caine.