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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: Goldhill Home Media
Salesrank: 50256
Released: December 13, 2005 |
| Our Price: $22.50 |
| Used Price: $26.98 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Forget Breaking Bonaduce or The Surreal Life. Ewan McGregor has made a celebrity reality series that's entertaining without having to be called a guilty pleasure. Long Way Round is a documentary detailing the 20,000-mile motorcycle trip he took around the world with best friend Charley Boorman over 115 days. Their trip took them from London through locales such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, and Canada, to name a few, before ending in New York. Armed with a cameraman, McGregor and Boorman encounter separation anxiety from their families; a shifty stranger (later revealed to be Mafia) who leads them through winding dark corridors to a posh hotel room; delays at international borders; hosts who offer them Fear Factor-level animal parts for dinner; injuries, equipment breakdowns, and more. The pair also film their own video diaries, in which they voice concerns and frustrations. The result is an emotional, rich breadth of experiences, from the hardship of logistical setbacks paired with the joy of visiting the children of Chernobyl and encountering hospitable locals who insist on escorting them wherever they go. McGregor and Boorman also make witty emcees, cheerfully upbeat even when they wonder aloud if one of their gun-happy hosts is a psycho murderer. The seven-episode series, originally aired on Bravo, concludes with their emotional ride into the Big Apple and some surprises for the pair courtesy of the show's producers. The two-disc DVD includes some can't miss deleted scenes, including McGregor's story about being confused for Jude Law, and a clip of McGregor attempting Jedi mind tricks on commuters who keep stopping in the road to peer at his broken-down bike ("These aren't the bikes you're looking for."). Long Way Round may have been an arduous once-in-a-lifetime experience, but you can't help but hope McGregor and Boorman suit up for another road trip someday. -- Ellen A. Kim.
Long Way Round Reviews:
Long Way Round through the Eyes of a Vacationless Viewer 
2009-11-24 - My son first shared this video with me, and it is addictive. That's why I bought my own copy and now share it with friends, as well as watching it myself. From someone who never sees a film twice, this documentary holds my interest because it shows how people from around the world, with different languages and customs, can still respect and honor each other.
Gosh, I wish I was as rich as these guys are... 
2009-09-14 - Long Way 'Round.... paying for stuff. This show is great, if you like motorcycles and a little adventure. What you may not like is reflecting on the show's realism, and the sheer expenditure that was made for these wealthy movie stars to do this trip. Ewan McGreggor, for instance, is going to have a constant multi-million dollar revenue stream for the rest of his life, over Star Wars alone. Yet, most of what these guys got for this trip was paid for by sponsors, wanting to get their products on TV. So, the star power exerted on this show allowed these guys to do an unheard of trip around the world, for nothing or almost nothing, out of pocket. Great advertising space for the sponsors, though, as the BMW adventure bikes have exploded in popularity since the show's release.
Sure, movie stars live a glamorous life, but these guys didn't seem skilled enough to be deserving of a trip like this. I'm sure that's what added to the entertainment and adventure, but gobs of money were poured into training for the trip that you or I will likely never be able to afford. Not to say that realism or being deserving of something is ever what we see on TV, but this show tries to make this sort of trip look feasible to the semi-common guys. It's not.
All in all, it's television, so realism or budgetary considerations can't really be made. That said, after spending the last 10 years as a skilled motorcyclist, it was kind of difficult to watch this show without some envy for the thousands upon thousands of dollars that were showered upon these guys for this trip, even though they're wealthy movie stars.
Oh, and the show's intro and theme song was really pop-gooshy-sticky. It should have been Tom Petty's 'Learnin' to Fly', or something a little more motorcycle-worthy.
Gift for Dad
2009-07-15 - If you enjoy road trips with your best friend you will love this great series. There is some adult language but all in good humor. I ordered this at the last minute as a Father's Day gift and amazingly enough it arrived in time. If my dad enjoys it as much as I did I'm going to order Long Way Round for Christmas.
Fabulous Material
2009-06-08 - As per the book, this was also FABULOUS, in every way!!!!
Having ordered both the book and the DVD, worked out, like magic!!!
I fully recommend both the book and the DVD, if you wish to be involved in the full story!!!
Travels With Charley
2009-01-15 - Exhilarating, funny, intelligent, shocking, and raw, Ewan and Charley take us along on their adventure of a lifetime on their BMW R1150 GS Adventure motorcycles. A heartwarming and intimate portrait of two best friends sharing an amazing journey together on the road, it feels like they take you right along with them on their travels. Ewan's constant, infectious laugh and Charley's feisty yet good-natured demeanor and comic facial expressions make them a hilarious and irresistible pair. Every day I looked forward to coming home from work and popping the latest episode into the DVD player to see where their adventure would take them next. From the Ukraine, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan to deep into Siberia on the disturbing Road of Bones (Stalin sent 20 million people to their deaths constructing it), they must traverse dangerous flooded river crossings that threaten to crush their vehicles and turn them back, and become helpless witnesses to a horrific bear poaching perpetrated by the very people who stop to help them, all nauseatingly caught on camera, of which later, Ewan and Charley reveal their true feelings of shock and disgust over the incident. Ewan and Charley have an enthusiasm for living life to fullest that is unmatched and completely addicting. They speak directly to the audience on camera through their diary logs that puts the entire program onto an intimate, personal level. If you enjoy travel programs, are a motorcycle fan, or a fan of Ewan McGregor, this is a highly informative and entertaining documentary of a journey of exploration on personal and geographic levels. I loved every minute and hope they take us on another journey in the near future. Other notables include their work with UNICEF and children's rescue, and adorable animal encounters (don't miss the beard-biting puppy in the DVD extras). And in addition, great music scoring with song clips from Radiohead, Massive Attack, Orbital, Stereophonics, and more. Thanks Ewan and Charley!
