Barbra Streisand gets the most laughs in The Guilt Trip. Photo / Supplied
We've seen Barbra Streisand in full comedic flight in recent years, thanks to Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, but her last leading role was in the 1996 romantic comedy The Mirror Has Two Faces, which she also directed.
So it's great to see her back in charge in this
mum-and-son road trip and, given her co-star Seth Rogen's rather pared-back performance, it would seem the movie is directed at her fans, rather than his.
They're not an obvious pairing, but Rogen and Streisand make a pretty convincing mother-and-son couple as they travel from New Jersey to Las Vegas so the son can pitch to companies a cleaning product he's developed.
As Joyce, Streisand nags, interferes and worries, and as Andy, Rogen tries to hide his frustration and be a good son. It makes for solid but rather routine material as they bicker with each other in the car and in motel rooms, which is where most of the film's action takes place, and there's a temptation to think "How much further?".
But when they do get on with each other, it's a different film. In these moments it's as if they've finally been allowed to have fun and improvise a little, and they're hilarious as they let loose.
