Rent Travel Man (2015 - 2018)

Travel Man (aka Travel Man: 48 Hours in...) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

There’s such a sweet simplicity to a show such as Travel Man. Framed as a documentary, the show features actor/director Richard Ayoade touring various cities and taking in the culture and cuisine. The very format is now different from a tiring collection of tedious travelogues that pollute the likes of The Travel Channel and The Food Network. Unlike those other programs, however, Ayoade has the charm to spare and usually brings along a witty companion to play off of well.

Yes, the grand appeal of Travel Man is that you get to hang out with Ayoade and company in a somewhat natural touring of the world. And, really, Ayoade is perfectly suited for this kinda format. He never comes off too strong, always meandering and quietly commentating on the interesting sights and sounds of his travels. You can see how natural he is by comparing the footage of him in action to the voice-over narration he provides. In his narration, he’s a little louder and a little bolder when highlighting his travels. In his travels, he approaches most situations with a calm and deadpan manner that just cracks me up as much as it does his buddies in tow.

The companions are notable and fun on his voyages. Chris O'Dowd, having starred alongside Ayoade for their iconic sitcom The IT Crowd, joins him with about the same understatement, contrasting his more manic performances. The same goes for Matt Lucas, having an ample amount of fun in trying out new places. Their exchanges never feel like they’re perfect singers or that they’ve prepared these bits ahead of time. I’m well aware that this natural celebrity reality show has become a bit more prevalent over the years but it’s still a real treat for this kind of program, almost playing like an earnest and heartfelt depiction of The Trip saga.

Of course, a highlight pairing of the program is Ayoade with Noel Fielding. Though they both acted together on The IT Crowd, they became a great duo on quiz programs where their chemistry is intoxicatingly hilarious. While they played up that silliness for the cameras just a bit, this show displays just how much of that friendship is genuine and it’s quite the sight to see them together enjoying all sorts of worldly delights.

Travel Man nearly bucks the format of the travelogue by finding something more than the splendor of locales. In many instances, Ayoade will speak ill of such ritzy restaurants with meals that are either far too small to consider such or oddly crafted with tastes most undesirable. There’s an honesty present that doesn’t feel as forced for fun or desperate for cynical slaying. Travel Man finds the fun in this kind of program that is usually far too easy going and overly produced to be anything less than promotional material.