{"id":26084,"date":"2023-02-23T22:59:58","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T06:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26084"},"modified":"2023-02-23T22:59:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T06:59:58","slug":"the-reluctant-traveler-offers-a-few-interesting-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26084","title":{"rendered":"THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER Offers a Few Interesting Insights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Running Time: 8 Episodes (each between 34 and 39 minutes in\nlength)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This documentary travel series will be available to stream\non Apple TV+ as of Friday, February 24th<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, 75-year-old Canadian comedic actor Eugene Levy\nisn\u2019t much of a traveler. Despite this, Apple TV+ has convinced the performer\nto venture out across the planet for a new program on their streaming service.\nTo be fair, the concept of putting a personality in front of the cameras as a\nreluctant visitor to new lands isn\u2019t particularly uncommon. The British 2010 \u2013\n2012 series \u201cAn Idiot Abroad\u201d<\/em> and the 2017 \u2013 2021 show \u201cJack\nWhitehall: Travels with My Father\u201d <\/em>did it well, though often taking glee in\nthe discomfort of some participant\u2019s issues with customs from other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Levy is a more low-key host and lead in The Reluctant Traveler<\/em> series. By comparison with the other programs noted, he is much friendlier and more genial (he is, after all, Canadian). In fact, he appears only mildly uneasy and uncomfortable with venturing into the unknown. As a result, the first episode or two come across as a bit stiff. Personally, I\u2019m not sure if the episodes were shot in order. But it does seem like the star slowly gets more comfortable in his role and relaxed being around new people. When this occurs, he starts delivering some very funny off-the-cuff remarks and engaging in deeper conversations with locals. As the show progresses, it eventually finds its footing and becomes quite entertaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first episode takes Levy to Lapland, located in Northern\nFinland. As in other travel shows, he\u2019s given impressive accommodation and then\nundertakes a series of unusual activities in the Nordic wilderness. This\nincludes dog-sledding, assisting a reindeer keeper, sampling local cuisine (also\nreindeer, as it turns out), and being asked to partake in something close to an\nicy polar bear plunge in frozen waters. The photography is gorgeous, including beautiful\ndrone footage of the wilderness, as well as some great shots of the performer\nbeing pulled through a forest with reindeer food and the animals in pursuit. It\nall looks impressive, although the actor doesn\u2019t have much to do except exchange\npleasantries and comment on the bitter cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, as the series progresses, Levy does make an impression. He admits to some phobias (like riding in helicopters) and by the time he arrives in Venice, Italy, the host is much chattier, as are those whom he speaks with. The humorous interchanges all seem to come a little easier. By the fourth episode in Utah, the actor appears completely comfortable as host. Levy jokes more naturally with the hotel staff. He even opens up to guides about the beauty of Amangiri and the surrounding Navajo Nation. These stops feel very authentic, as does his journey away from familiar sites in order to share dinner with a guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another impressive episode late in the series takes Levy to Kruger\nNational Park in South Africa. He\u2019s put up in unique accommodations – essentially\na train car on a bridge overlooking a very active wildlife area. Between safari\ntrips, the nervous actor delivers some of the best observations and fears. Particularly\nmemorable is when he expresses unease at the sound of dangerous animals around\nhim in the night and also worries about hearing an unfortunate creature being\ntorn apart by predators while he tries to sleep. It\u2019s one of the strongest\nepisodes in the series. Final stops in Portugal and Japan also deliver some\ngreat moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Reluctant Traveler<\/em> isn\u2019t that much of a departure\nfrom other travel shows, but it does differ from a few in that the 75-year-old\nlead, while at times uncomfortable with his surroundings, seems genuinely\ninterested in learning more about people and other cultures while visiting\nscenic locales. And, as a result, viewers also learn a little more about these\nplaces. The show is beautifully photographed and offers some striking imagery\nof incredible sites around the world. Anyone who enjoys travel shows and is patient\nwith this newbie host will ultimately appreciate what they see. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time: 8 Episodes (each between 34 and 39 minutes in length) This documentary travel series will be available to stream on Apple TV+ as of Friday, February 24th. Apparently, 75-year-old Canadian comedic actor Eugene Levy isn\u2019t much of a traveler. Despite this, Apple TV+ has convinced the performer to venture out across the planet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[213,1654,5993,7096,8158,10385,11917,12486,18752,22019,22020,22021,23233,23621],"class_list":["post-26084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-213","tag-apple-tv","tag-documentary","tag-eugene-levy","tag-gene-levy","tag-japan","tag-kruger-national-park","tag-lisbon","tag-south-africa","tag-the-reluctant-traveler","tag-the-reluctant-traveler-review","tag-the-reluctant-traveler-show-review","tag-travel","tag-utah"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26084\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}