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Parents' Guide to

The Trip

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Very graphic violence, language in dark comedy-thriller.

Movie NR 2021 113 minutes
The Trip Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In THE TRIP, Lars (Aksel Hennie) and Lisa (Noomi Rapace) are an unhappily married couple, and that's putting it mildly. Lars is an unsuccessful director, and Lisa is an unsuccessful actor, and they plan a getaway to a remote cabin owned by Lars' cantankerous elderly father. However, they soon discover that they both have plans far beyond rest and relaxation: Lars is planning to murder Lisa and Lisa is planning to murder Lars. When both of their plots are foiled, resulting in rifle shots and gruesome death, three escaped convicts who were trying to hide out in the attic fall through the ceiling. Led by the coldly psychotic Petter, the three men tie up Lars and Lisa in the basement, with plans to commit sexual assault before killing them. After Lars endures a traumatic experience and degradation, he and Lisa must find a way to escape, turn the tables on their captors, and maybe even try to fix their marriage.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

This is a gruesomely graphic and pitch-black comedy-horror-thriller loaded with entertaining plot twists great and small. The Trip starts off seemingly as an intentionally ludicrous dark comedy about a married couple who have grown to hate each other so much, they've both decided to kill the other while on a vacation in a remote cabin. There's a glib nihilism that makes our unhappily married couple seem like a Scandinavian Al and Peg Bundy, but as we get deeper into the movie's second act, plot twists that are rewarding for those paying close attention start to unfurl, and while there are still elements of the darkest comedy, what really begins to emerge is a series of increasingly violent confrontations. It starts becoming less like Married with Children and more like Deliverance, and not just due to the most disturbing scene in the movie.

It's a fast-paced and stylish, rooted in the film school of Ritchie, Tarrantino, etc. Expect time jumps, caustic dialogue, the frenzy of unusual violence. In spite of or because of this, it's a good movie. In a movie filled with surprise and tension, the movie's very end is perhaps the least surprising aspect to the movie, and drives home the nihilism permeating so much of the rest of the movie. It's a choice that works for the overall style of the movie, even if you feel cheated for the times when you rooted for the lead characters to survive the violence and brutality they've suffered. It's a major understatement to say that this isn't exactly a kid-friendly movie, but for older teens and adults who enjoy this kind of noir style and sensibility, there's a lot to enjoy with The Trip.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in The Trip. Was it necessary to the story? How much is too much?

  • None of the characters are very likable. Why do you think there's an appeal for characters who don't seem to have any redeeming features? What changes and doesn't change with Lars and Lisa, individually and as a couple, over the course of the movie?

  • The story is filled with numerous plot twists. How do plot twists in action-heavy movies like these add to the entertainment value? Did this movie's plot twists surprise you?

Movie Details

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