Long Way Round DVD Review

The premise for the recent Long Way Round DVD sounds like it was dreamed up in a Rudyard Kipling/Jules Verne novel. Sitting in comfy chair at a gentleman's social club, a debonair Ewan McGregor walks over to a globe and pulls out his pipe to state: "I daresay that one could circumnavigate the globe on a motorbike in eight fortnights and a day." Then a wager is made, a sidekick comes along for the ride, and adventure ensues.

The truth is not that far off the mark. The concept of the round-the-world trip came to McGregor when he noticed that you really could ride most of the way around the world, from London to New York, with just a brief plane ride from the tip of Russia to Alaska. It would be over 20,000 miles and 100-plus days of riding, the long way round, but Ewan and his best bud were up to the task and ready to make it happen. LWR is the video record of their 115-day journey and aired as a seven-episode television series on the Bravo network in the U.S. last year. While the series was released early on DVD in Europe, impatient American fans were forced to wait for it to hit U.S. shores this past December. A two-disc, seven-episode DVD here in the States, LWR is a great weekend rental for those interested.

The two main protagonists of LWR are famous movie star Ewan McGregor and not-as-famous movie star Charley Boorman. In case you are deaf and can't hear their accents, Charley Boorman's teeth clue you in on his British origins. Not as well known as his best bud, Ewan, Charley has a certain charm that gets to you. Part of the fun about watching LWR (and really the guilty pleasure of all reality TV shows) is that you get to see in depth the personalities of the characters involved, both positive and negative. With McGregor and Boorman it is easy to see why their friendship works. McGregor is Mr. Cool throughout their epic adventure, waxing almost Obiwan Kenobi, but in some instances his cool demeanor can get him down when things aren't going so good. Charley on the other hand, possesses a more fiery personality, losing his cool at times but always salvaging the spirits of the group with his childlike enthusiasm.

Joining Ewan and Charlie (and sometimes stealing the show), was third rider and hired camera man Claudio Von Planta. Claudio would be annoying if he wasn't so funny and happy-go-lucky. For starters he signs on to the project at the last minute and shows up to ride around the world in good spirits, but, "Oops, I forgot my passport," and "Oh yeah, I don't have a motorcycle license either." Claudio kind of bumbles his way through the trip and effectively costars in LWR alongside the two professional actors, but is a loveable character throughout.

Aside from the support crew, which met up with the three riders at border crossings, the other co-stars of LWR are the BMW R1150GS Adventures which the three rode. The decision to ride Beemers was by accident, due to original choice KTM's last-minute pull-out of the project (Some livid marketing guy at KTM probably blew out arteries on both hemispheres of the brain when he heard about that decision). In one of the few moments of the DVD that I found a little annoying (because it made me feel like I was actually watching a reality TV show), Boorman throws a tantrum and McGregor remains calm but clearly upset when they get the bad news from KTM. Granted KTM's pullout came at an inopportune time, but am I missing something? Couldn't Mr. McGregor just write a check and without batting an eye purchase a trio of KTM dealerships, much less three measly bikes to support his decision to ride around the world!

On top of securing the bikes, pre-trip preparations included off-road riding training, some crash courses in survival skills, weaponry (since they head through some unstable regions), and first-aid, as well as intensive language training, where the two realize they will have a very difficult time communicating with anyone. They also had to do some intense research on their route, which included a trip down the infamous Road of Bones in Russia.

I won't ruin the show for you, but the strange/memorable moments on the trip include: a wealthy and eccentric Russian host (whose source of income is never fully explained) who puts them up in his McMansion, which also houses a stockpile of Russian weapons; some very vigorous Kazakhstani masseuses; and a Mongolian horseman who comes up to the LWR campsite literally dumbstruck and wearing an expression you might imagine someone having if they found a flying saucer had landed in their back yard.

The adventures Ewan and Charlie encounter through the Asian leg of their journey are amazing, as well as funny and sometimes sad. Throughout the journey Ewan and Charlie make appearances for the international children's charity UNICEF. It is eye-opening to see the appalling conditions in which some of the world's children exist. One particularly poignant scene was when the two actors descended into the underground tunnels/sewers where abandoned Mongolian children seek shelter from the cold. It was an experience that must have resonated with McGregor, as he and his wife recently adopted a four-year-old Mongolian girl he met on the trip.

Once the Eastern-Europe/Asia leg of the journey is completed, the interest/adventure level of LWR wanes considerably. In America you're treated to seeing Ewan and Charlie dressing up and playing cowboy in Montana (a la City Slickers). Because, you know, that's what us Americans do when we ain't square-dancing. Later on they ride motorcycles with the Orange County Chopper guys. Whoopee. It's not that the North American leg of the journey sucks, but compared to the rigors of outback Asia, our civilized cradle of democracy complete with paved roads, abundant gas stations, and frequent lodgings makes for less compelling TV. Ironically, the "easiest" stretch of the mammoth journey was the sight of its closest call, when McGregor almost gets skewered by some punk Canadian kid driver.

For all the drama, hardship, and sometimes heartbreaking moments, LWR leaves its viewer with a sense of the ultimate goodness in people. There were a few hairball moments over the course of the 115-day excursion, like a man flashing a handgun at the trio during their trek through Kazakhstan, but for the most part they were welcomed with opened arms by enthusiastic strangers who didn't know them from Adam.

Now after the unexpected success of LWR, word comes in that more celebrities are jumping on the motorcycle/docudrama bandwagon. In one of our latest editions of Euro Gossip we learned that Brangelina (don't pretend like you didn't know that means Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, you grocery store tabloid cover reader) are slated to traipse about the globe on motorcycles.

Perfect, just what we need about a million spin-offs. Pretty soon we'll be treated to a litany of "(generic celebrity) Discovers (mildly interesting location) On A Motorcycle!" Some will suck, some won't (and now that I've had a half-paragraph to think about it, I've never really not enjoyed looking at Angelina Jolie do anything), but none will recreate the originality of Ewan and Charlie's Long Way Round.

If LWR sounds intriguing, you won't be disappointed, provided you have the six hours and 40 minutes to devote to watching it (just think of it as two Lord of the Rings movies). LWR is a definite thumbs, er wheelies up, and a great investment for a fan of motorcycles and adventure.

For more information you can check out the accompanying book, as well as the very splashy website www.longwayround.com.

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