‘The Travel Companion’ Review – A Directionless Comedy Without Laughter Or Thought

I love it when a comedy can carve more holes than exist in a block of cheese into the conventional wisdom. I especially love it when it is done well. Right off the bat, I will say that, despite a clever hook and promising setup, The Travel Companion fails to elicit either a clever subversion or a mild chuckle. It tries its best to be a coming-of-age story about a man arrested in development, struggling to get his life in order. The film leaves more questions than answers. To make an airline comparison, which is at the center of the film’s premise, it’d be better to skip this particular flight.

At the start, Simon (Tristan Turner) is a struggling documentary filmmaker. The only constant in his life is his best friend and roommate, Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck). One of the perks of the friendship is that Simon enjoys free flights, courtesy of Bruce, who works for an airline. As Bruce’s dedicated ‘travel companion’, Simon can fly standby for free, which comes in handy as he works to finish his unstructured documentary. Despite his inability to finish the documentary, life is good for Simon, that is, until Beatrice (Naomi Asa) enters the chat. Beatrice, a more successful indie filmmaker, immediately connects with Bruce, and they begin dating. All this turbulence puts into question the state of Bruce and Simon’s friendship and, more importantly, what will become of his coveted travel perk.

On the plus side, the movie deserves credit for its aim of examining the fragility of the male ego. At the core of the story is the tension of Beatrice seemingly usurping Simon’s role in Bruce’s life. While their friendship is never presented as anything but platonic, the story thread does weave in the possibility of at least a possessive nature on the part of Simon. However, the story never explores these ideas, or, frankly, anything beyond Simon fretting over losing his free flights.

This brings us to the character at the center of this manufactured drama: Simon. The story imbues the character with the essential adorkable traits found in any number of stoner-buddy comedies from the 2000s. Tristan Turner does what he can with the script. Sadly, the character is unlikable, and not in a way that allows for any redemptive arc or even enjoyable humor. 

Now, there is an understandable nature to Simon’s plight. He is on the verge of losing his access to free flights anytime he wants. A somewhat relatable plot that would send someone into shock. While this is an intriguing angle for what, at times, feels like an awkward buddy movie, the audience is never given enough reason to care about Simon’s situation or the friendship with Bruce. The script attempts to examine this situation through the lens of reality. While promising, the static nature of it all will elicit more eye rolls than belly laughs. 

The dynamic between the two characters seemed forced. In reality, they seem like neither would be the other’s friend in real life. And even for the sake of the movie, the relationship or dynamic goes nowhere. Even less presented in a way that would elicit an emotional reaction.

While the script is commendable for subverting expectations of the typical buddy-comedy schtick, the biggest challenge is the story. It never gives the audience a reason to care about these characters or the outcome. Even the filmmaking subplot feels cumbersome. The script becomes flat. It relies too much on a mockumentary style that ultimately doesn’t work for what this film is trying to be.

The Travel Companion is an attempt to tell a familiar story through a subversive lens. The problem is that the story never develops the characters. And even Simon, who is quasi-developed, falls back on cliches. The whole affair is like baggage claim: a lot of ideas, but like a lost bag, I kept waiting for something to happen, and then nothing did.

 The Travel Companion is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories. The film will continue to expand to additional markets in the coming weeks, and you can get the details here. 

The Travel Companion began its release on April 10th, following the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.