Full
disclosure:  on July 13, 1974 I sat down at a table in Lloyd’s Coach
House restaurant in Fort Smith, Arkansas and ate a 72 ounce Sirloin
steak with a shrimp cocktail, salad and a roll completing it all in less
than an hour. I still have the notarized check marked “No Charge”. An
hour later I was on a radio show talking about Weight Watchers. Thirty
eight and a half years later, in “The Guilt Trap”,  Joyce (Barbra
Streisand) sits down to the same challenge in another restaurant, only
it is a 50 ounce steak, (Budget problems?) and also invokes weight Watchers.

Based
by screenwriter Dan Fogelman on a real life situation, driving with his
mother cross-country, it could be the story of any mother and 30 year
old single son with the laughter, tears and, especially the guilt, that
would happen on such a trip. Many of the  scenes take place in a small
car and assorted hotel rooms just with the two stars so the chemistry
between Streisand, as the mother Joyce, and Seth Rogen, as the son
Andrew, is important and it  works. They really look and act as parent
and child and are obviously enjoying their time together making the
film. There are no out loud funny scenes but you will find yourself
smiling, and occasionally chuckling, during the movie and you might even
tear up now and then.

Much
has been made of the fact that this is Streisand’s first starring role
since 1996 in “The Mirror Has Two Faces” and, though this is far from an
award winning film and/or role, she still has the acting and comedy
chops and she is looking good. Rogen is fairly quiet in this film,
though managing a few outrageous remarks, as if knowing the quieter he
was while on screen with Streisand the better he would come across.

The
rest of the performers, except for Brett Cullen who gives tips on how
to eat that steak dinner, don’t really have that much time to make an
impression--we are dealing with a film where Kathy Najimy has 2-3 lines
with just that amount of time on screen.

Fogelman
and the director Anne Fletcher seem to hang back from going further
than comic sketches including the ending which leaves a lot of open
ended questions almost as if they are hoping this film does good enough
for a sequel which won’t happen.

Streisand
fans will definitely like this film while Rogan fans might be
disappointed that he subdues his usual bombastic character roles.  “The
Guilt Trip” is a pleasant, fast moving 96 minutes film to see during the
holiday week and one of the funniest moments taking place in the
outtake credits. Mother and sons will identify with many moments between
Streisand and Rogan.