# The Guilt Trip (film)
**The Guilt Trip** is a 2012 American road trip comedy directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Dan Fogelman, and starring [Barbra Streisand](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbra-streisand) and [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen) as a mother and son who drive cross-country together while he tries to sell his invention.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) released it in the United States on December 19, 2012.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 19, 2012 (United States), Paramount Pictures; Los Angeles and New York openings December 18, 2012[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) |
| Director / writer | Anne Fletcher; screenplay by Dan Fogelman[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) |
| Stars | Barbra Streisand as Joyce Brewster, Seth Rogen as Andy Brewster[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13 (language and some risque material); 95 minutes[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip) |
| Budget | $40 million, co-financed by Paramount and David Ellison's Skydance[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2012-2/the-guilt-trip/) |
| Box office | $37,134,215 domestic, $4,729,511 international, $41,863,726 worldwide[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1694020/) |
| Critical scores | 35% on Rotten Tomatoes (124 reviews); Metascore 50 on Metacritic (29 reviews)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilt_trip) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-guilt-trip/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Andy Brewster, played by Seth Rogen, is an organic chemist frustrated in his entrepreneurial efforts to sell the natural cleaning product he has invented.[7](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/92/17/00069/12-20-2012.pdf) About to set out on a multicity sales trip, he visits his overbearing mother Joyce, played by Barbra Streisand, and caves in under pressure to take her along.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilt_trip) The journey is an 8-day, 3,000-mile drive across the country.[8](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-guilt-trip)
Andy has a hidden agenda: he invites his mother ostensibly to spend time with her, but actually plans to hook her up with an old boyfriend at the journey's end in California.[7](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/92/17/00069/12-20-2012.pdf) Along the way the two have small adventures, including a steak-eating contest at a Texas restaurant, a strip club visit, and a stop in Las Vegas, and Andy comes to realize they have more in common than he thought.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilt_trip) • [8](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-guilt-trip) Because Andy pitches his product to real companies, the film shows visits to the headquarters of [Ace Hardware](https://www.edgepedia.org/ace-hardware), Costco, Home Shopping Network, and [Kmart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kmart).[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip)
## Production
Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand signed onto the project in January 2011, when it carried the working title *My Mother's Curse*, and it was fast-tracked to production.[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2012-2/the-guilt-trip/) The film was a Michaels/Goldwyn production with Skydance Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) Producers included [Lorne Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorne-michaels), John Goldwyn, and [Evan Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/evan-goldberg), with Rogen, Streisand, Dan Fogelman, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Mary McLaglen, and Paul Schwake as executive producers.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228) • [9](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/11b1abe3-5922-4b57-9dfb-4c5aca8b092c) Oliver Stapleton was the cinematographer, Christophe Beck composed the score, and Nelson Coates was production designer.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228)
**A personal script.** Screenwriter Dan Fogelman, previously known for *[Tangled](https://www.edgepedia.org/tangled)* and *Crazy, Stupid, Love.*, went on a real-life road trip with his own mother, named Joyce, and then wrote the script about it; he described the film as being about a mom and a son and meant to be relatable.[10](https://www.straight.com/movies/guilt-trip-writer-follows-emotional-road) According to Brian Kellow's book about agent Sue Mengers, it was Streisand's old friend Mengers who persuaded her to do the movie.[11](https://www.barbra-archives.info/the-guilt-trip-2012-film-comedy-with-seth-rogen) For Streisand, it was her first starring role in more than 15 years.[12](https://www.screendaily.com/the-guilt-trip/5050128.article)
The supporting cast included [Kathy Najimy](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathy-najimy) as Gayle, Yvonne Strahovski as Jessica, Colin Hanks as Rob, Adam Scott as Andrew Margolis Jr., Ari Graynor, Danny Pudi as Sanjay, Brett Cullen, Nora Dunn, Miriam Margolyes as Anita, and [Casey Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/casey-wilson) as Amanda.[8](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-guilt-trip) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-guilt-trip/)
## Reception and box office
The film opened domestically on December 19, 2012 with a first weekend of $5,290,629, gained 23.8 percent over the Christmas frame to $6,547,462, and finished with $37,134,215 in the United States and $41,863,726 worldwide against a $40 million budget.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1694020/) • [3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2012-2/the-guilt-trip/) International releases followed in early 2013, including Australia (January 24), the United Kingdom (March 8), and Germany (April 18).[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1694020/)
Critics were mixed to negative. Rotten Tomatoes recorded 35 percent from 124 reviews, with a critics consensus crediting the leads with enough chemistry to drive a solidly assembled comedy while calling the script a lemon perilously low on comedic fuel; Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 50 based on 29 reviews.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilt_trip) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-guilt-trip/) Reviewers repeatedly singled out the lead pairing as the film's strength: Time Out's David Fear wrote that Rogen and Streisand have genuinely complementary chemistry and would make a better-than-decent screen duo given a halfway decent script, while the Los Angeles Times found that Fogelman's script achieved none of the balance of his *Crazy, Stupid, Love.* work.[13](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-guilt-trip-1) • [14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-dec-18-la-et-mn-guilt-trip-review-20121219-story.html) Common Sense Media called it a blandly entertaining, formulaic comedy whose predictable plot was less compelling than the ticket price would demand, while noting occasional strong language and mature themes that led to its PG-13 rating.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip)
## Home media
Paramount Home Media Distribution released the film on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download, and On Demand on April 30, 2013, timed for [Mother's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/mothers-day); the Blu-ray presents 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and multiple subtitle options.[9](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/11b1abe3-5922-4b57-9dfb-4c5aca8b092c)
## References
1. [The Guilt Trip (2012), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/69183?cp=1&pos=0&sid=535e5326-79f3-4e4e-ac8d-be788e6a14bf&sr=3.8551228)
2. [The Guilt Trip - Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-guilt-trip)
3. [The Guilt Trip (2012), Bomb Report](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2012-2/the-guilt-trip/)
4. [The Guilt Trip (2012), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1694020/)
5. [The Guilt Trip, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilt_trip)
6. [The Guilt Trip Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-guilt-trip/)
7. [Like marriage, This Is 40 (film section), The Independent Florida Alligator, December 20, 2012](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/92/17/00069/12-20-2012.pdf)
8. [The Guilt Trip, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-guilt-trip)
9. [The Guilt Trip Blu-ray and DVD press release, Paramount](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/11b1abe3-5922-4b57-9dfb-4c5aca8b092c)
10. [The Guilt Trip writer Dan Fogelman follows an emotional road, Georgia Straight](https://www.straight.com/movies/guilt-trip-writer-follows-emotional-road)
11. [Barbra Archives: The Guilt Trip 2012](https://www.barbra-archives.info/the-guilt-trip-2012-film-comedy-with-seth-rogen)
12. [The Guilt Trip review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/the-guilt-trip/5050128.article)
13. [The Guilt Trip, Time Out review by David Fear](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-guilt-trip-1)
14. [Movie review: 'The Guilt Trip'?, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-dec-18-la-et-mn-guilt-trip-review-20121219-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2011 to 2012 › Released in 2012*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license