The Guilt Trip

Name: The Guilt Trip
Genre: Comedy
Released: December 19, 2012
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Adam Scott, Barbra Streisand, Kathy Najimy, Seth Rogen

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 81 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 81 Ratings

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The Guilt Trip

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: December 19, 2012 | PG-13

Starring: Adam Scott, Barbra Streisand, Kathy Najimy, Seth Rogen

Summary: An inventor and his mom hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.

Director: Anne Fletcher

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 95 min

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Critic Reviews

Randy Cordova

Dec 19, 2012

The Guilt Trip surprises by avoiding the obvious. It zigs when you expect it to zag. It's perceptive and thoughtful as it swerves around potholes that easily could have broken an axle. Read full review

Michael Phillips

Dec 18, 2012

Well, it's a masterpiece compared with 'Little Fockers,' the last movie featuring Barbra Streisand. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Dec 12, 2012

The Guilt Trip is not about Rogen, bubbeleh. Streisand is her own once-in-a-lifetime trip, looking gawjuss with that divine voice and those killer fingernails, and the sight of the lady scarfing down four pounds of beef at a Texas steak joint is one a Streisand lover can now cross off her bucket list. Read full review

Andrew Barker

Dec 18, 2012

A timid, modestly pleasant time-passer distinguished mostly by its unexplored potential. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Dec 19, 2012

It's a one-joke movie, if "Jewish mothers are annoying" is a joke. But just as a film about boredom should not actually be boring, no movie should credibly simulate the experience of being stuck in a car with Barbra Streisand for eight days. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Dec 21, 2012

The jokes mostly fall flat and the dramatic scenes fall even flatter. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Dec 18, 2012

Audiences deserve a resounding "mea culpa" for the embarrassing dreck, masquerading as comedy, in The Guilt Trip. Read full review

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User Reviews

dtp

Jan 24, 2013

a very pleasant movie that for once felt very real, the acting was great and the movie was both touching and amusing, I don't really understand the negative reviews for this movie, but then maybe all that people want are violence and sex and in your face slapstick.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

SuburbMommy

Dec 20, 2012

I was very much pleasantly surprised. Not a Barbara fan and NOT a "raunchy comedy" Seth Rogen fan. I was dragged by a girlfriend who loves Barbara. Thank goodness because I loved, loved, loved this film!!! It's funny and dramatic and real! It has heart! I felt like Joyce and Andy (BarbaraI was very much pleasantly surprised. Not a Barbara fan and NOT a "raunchy comedy" Seth Rogen fan. I was dragged by a girlfriend who loves Barbara. Thank goodness because I loved, loved, loved this film!!! It's funny and dramatic and real! It has heart! I felt like Joyce and Andy (Barbara and Seth Rogen) really were mother and son. Seth really is a great actor. Who knew? All I had seen was his silly crap in stupid, meaningless comedies with no storylines worth watching. I'm a responsible, smart 30-something, with a family and a career. I want to see good, real movies! This is seriously one of the best movies I've seen all year. Every mother and grown child should see this (I'd say 12 and up) - especially sons. I'll be buying the DVD for sure. It's a movie I think I'll watch at least once a year, Yes, it's that good. I was crying because I was laughing so hard, and then crying for real, back an forth probably three times. A definite "must-see". Now I'm going to see about some of Barbara's other films. I thought she was just a great singer and a liberal!… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Raygirl

May 8, 2013

Loved this movie! However, I have a Jewish mother myself and am the single mother of an only child (a son), so there were so many similarities to our life. We watched it together and laughed our heads off (son is 21). Even if you don't relate, it is still a good, touching movie that ILoved this movie! However, I have a Jewish mother myself and am the single mother of an only child (a son), so there were so many similarities to our life. We watched it together and laughed our heads off (son is 21). Even if you don't relate, it is still a good, touching movie that I think anyone would enjoy. The acting is very good and the story is engaging.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

HansFlicks

Jul 5, 2013

As an adult, being forced to spend an extended period of time with your mother can be a bit of an ordeal at the best of times. The Guilt Trip taps into this and transposes it into a road movie that survives the low points through the great chemistry between Streisand and Rogen, but fallsAs an adult, being forced to spend an extended period of time with your mother can be a bit of an ordeal at the best of times. The Guilt Trip taps into this and transposes it into a road movie that survives the low points through the great chemistry between Streisand and Rogen, but falls just shy of being worth a second look.

There's a lot to like about this film, in particular the way in which the two main characters interact with each other. Very rarely do the scenes feel rehearsed in any way, which gives it the tangible feel of a genuine relationship between mother and son. This goes a long way in helping to identify with the situations that arise and giving a sense of investment in the outcome. On top of this, it pushes the more comedic elements to the fore, showcasing the observational humour, which is very on point much of the time. It's rarely enough to inspire raucous laughter, but will frequently leave you with a knowing smile as the experiences of Rogen's Andy strike a chord of recognition. However, at some points these experiences can seem a little too familiar, interspersing the more engaging sections with a hollow disappointment.

It's worth noting that Streisand puts in an impressive performance and is primarily responsible for the disarming honesty that some of the more dramatic scenes possess, but the movie treads a fine line between emotional content and cheesy sentimentality with varying degrees of success. On the whole, when it gets it right, it does so very well, but when it fails, it's very noticeable indeed. The soundtrack is the biggest culprit in this respect, giving some moments a much more contrived feel than they would otherwise have had. It's clear what the aim was in these instances, but it's piled on a little thick for my taste, and there were a few points that inspired a cringe. This is the major fault that drags the picture down as a whole.

The plot is simplistic, but no worse off for it. There's nothing spectacular, but it's functional, and has just enough substance to serve as the backdrop for the two protagonists to play off each other. The film also comes across as fairly low budget, which is fine, but there are one or two glaringly obvious uses of green screen that are conspicuous in their low quality. It doesn't ruin the flick, but I found it somewhat distracting when they put in an appearance.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Dec 21, 2012

The premise is simple and full of promise: A not-too-successful son (Seth Rogen) travels across country with his domineering mother (Barbra Streisand). With two comic greats, what could go wrong? A lousy script, that's what. While their chemistry is good, most of the lines and situationsThe premise is simple and full of promise: A not-too-successful son (Seth Rogen) travels across country with his domineering mother (Barbra Streisand). With two comic greats, what could go wrong? A lousy script, that's what. While their chemistry is good, most of the lines and situations simply don't provoke laughter. There are a few chuckles sprinkled about and plenty of energy. You just keep waiting for the hilarity to begin and it just sputters along. The predictable personality conflicts and emotional moments are predictable and pedestrian. I'm a fan of both actors, but this good-natured attempt simply never gets into full comic drive. Stay thru the credits for the outtakes, which feature some of the best lines in the film.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

DCEdmonds

Nov 13, 2014

"The Guilt Trip" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Average) ...

The Good: Streisand and Rogen made a good mother/son combo and were believable. Rogen, who typically is very over the top, excelled as the straight man for a change. The story isn't a bad idea and the ending had some genuinely touching"The Guilt Trip" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Average) ...

The Good: Streisand and Rogen made a good mother/son combo and were believable. Rogen, who typically is very over the top, excelled as the straight man for a change. The story isn't a bad idea and the ending had some genuinely touching moments.

The Bad: Extremely predictable from start to finish and not really very funny. You can pretty much tell exactly what is going to happen ten minutes into the film as it follows the formula that all films of this nature follow. Doesn't bring anything new to the genre whatsoever and is pretty vanilla.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Oroiael

Dec 19, 2012

Only a truly horrific actress like Barbara Streisand could suck all the funny out of Seth Rogen. This is less of a movie and more of a audio-visual beating. How did the screenwriter finish the script with any shred of self-respect? If you want to watch something that lacks any charm, wit, orOnly a truly horrific actress like Barbara Streisand could suck all the funny out of Seth Rogen. This is less of a movie and more of a audio-visual beating. How did the screenwriter finish the script with any shred of self-respect? If you want to watch something that lacks any charm, wit, or humor then this is the movie for you. I'm running out of ways to say "terrible." Oh yeah, here's one more....if I had to chose between watching this movie and having my fingers cut off, I'd learn to type with my tongue.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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