Movie Review: “The Guilt Trip”
Published December 20, 2012
Warmhearted comedy about the relationship between a buttoned-up chemist (Seth Rogen) and his doting widowed mother (Barbra Streisand). Secretly hoping to reunite New York-based mom with a boyfriend from her youth who now lives in San Francisco, the researcher invites her along on a cross-country business trip during which he’ll be pitching a cleaning product he invented. Though not all the adventures that ensue make for family viewing, notably an unintended stop-off at a roadside strip club, the vibrant mutual affection between the two main characters shines through as they try to reconcile their ill-matched temperaments. By turns amusing and touching, director Anne Fletcher’s film—which sees both its stars in top form—is enjoyable fare for grownups. Brief partial nudity, numerous adult references, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one rough and about a dozen crude terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III—adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13—parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.