The Trip to Spain

source: The Trip to Spain

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon return as barely-fictionalized versions of themselves, once again on a tour to write articles about local cuisine. This time they're in Spain, but the focus remains on the dialogue and camaraderie between Coogan and Brydon, as they once again have dueling celebrity impressions of Roger Moore, Michael Caine, Mick Jagger and more. Also featuring Marta Barrio and Claire Keelan. This follows 2010's The Trip and 2014's The Trip to Italy, and they are all virtually the same, with only the location changing: part travelogue, part haute cuisine foodie indulgence, but mainly witty, at times laugh-out-loud hilarious conversation between British film and TV stars Coogan and Brydon. The Spanish scenery is spectacular, and the many ancient buildings visited are a highlight. This one does end on a much different note than the others, and I'll be curious to see the fourth one "Trip To Greece". The formula still hasn't gotten old for me, and I'd be willing to watch more of these from all over the globe.

The characters talk endlessly about nothing important. Even though it is annoying and boring, the scenery makes it enjoyable - when the characters are not talking.

Steve Coogan gets work to write food reviews around Spain for the New York Times. He invites his long-time best friend Rob Brydon. Rob takes one look at his crying toddler and quickly accepts. It's a week of traveling and sarcastic impersonations. Steve's personal life intervenes on the trip. The guys continue their tradition of traveling, and eating, and talking. It's loads of impersonations and plenty of food *. The Bowie bit is hilarious and it's all like that. This is for fans of the series and anybody who liked the original movie. This is very much the same as before. I do wonder if they should write the other restaurant patrons start objecting to their loud talking. It's kinda funny to see the background actors doing nothing while the pair goes crazy with their impersonations. It may be interesting to have them chuckle or do something.

I liked the two previous Trip movies, but they had something more than two comedians riffing off each other in exotic locations, they had some personal connection. While Trip to Spain uses the exact same formula, it lacks anything that makes me relate to the characters. It shows them having midlife drama with agents leaving or chasing them, but that's about their job, not their life. And the additional one with the son of Coogan feels artificial, as it doesn't really affect the overall story. What I would have liked was to see the relationship between the two characters evolve, but in fact it stays exactly the same. The depiction of Spain is even more sketchy than in the other two movies, which is saying something and they are over 50. Instead of glamorous actors that seduce women in European tourist traps, they turn into the two old Muppets! I hope there is some evolution in the next film, if there will be any, because even the jokes were duplicated from previous movies.

"The Trip to Spain" is the third in the series of 'culinery travelogue' TV programmes by Steve Coogan ("Philomena") and Rob Brydon ("Gavin and Stacey"). The pair travel by car through Spain sampling the local delicacies while constantly trying to self-salve their fragile egos and trying to out-do each other with comedy spiel. This is of course not a "documentary" as such, since the pair are playing up to their extreme alter-egos (presumably!) of what people expect them to be like. Actors playing their family, agents, etc. call them at various points on the trip to either pour oil on troubled waters or (more often) add fuel to the fire. The six original half hour TV episodes have been edited down into a feature length journey. And this is part of the problem. Repetition that can be forgiven and forgotten about when you see an episode every week, but can become tiresome when forced on you as a continuous stream. In this case the repetitive content delivered by Coogan and Brydon are their (normally very good) impersonations of famous stars (most of which it has to be said are British so won't resonate with a non-UK audience). Roger Moore in particular gets trotted out INTERMINABLY and while some of it is extremely funny - an exchange between Moore as Bond and Scaramanga had me snorting tea out of my nose - it all gets too much by the end. Appearing to recognise this need for more variety, additional characters from Steve's team join them for a part of their trip - Emma (Clare Keelan) and Yolanda (Marta Barrio). Unfortunately, the additions are just plain dull: they just sit alongside Coogan and Brydon and laugh at their impressions, adding nothing. Now if they had been a couple of good female impersonators, like Ronni Ancona and Jan Ravens, that could act as a foil to the male duo, THAT would have been entertaining. The film also suffers from "Top Gear Challenge" disease. The problem with filming a car journey through Spain is that you know there are not twenty film crews deployed along the route to do the filming.... all of the cameras are carefully set up in advance with someone on a walkie-talkie saying "OK, Steve - coffee down, we're ready for you to drive over the hill now". So something that should feel natural and documentary-like feels 100% the opposite. So... if you like Coogan and Brydon, and especially if you liked their Northern England and Italy "trips", then you will get more laughs out of this one. But I think the concoction needs to be put through the blender and re-heated before it comes out for a fourth outing. (For the full graphical review, please visit bob-the-movie-man.com).

If you've come along for the other "Trips" with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, you clearly know what you're in for and what you want out of "The Trip to Spain," the third installment of the British TV mini-series cut into a feature-length film about two middle-aged friends on a food tour for a magazine. "Spain" does not mess with the formula. We get all the impersonations, stunning vistas, food *, literature/poetry references, etc. that we signed up for. The only thing that has changed are where these fictional versions of Steve and Rob are in terms of life stage and how they're dealing with their newly entered 50s in both their careers and personal lives. If anything, the chemistry between Coogan and Brydon (and director Michael Winterbottom) has only gotten stronger. They're able to devise hilarious bits on the fly even more naturally than before. Unlike "The Trip" and "The Trip to Italy," almost no drama unfolds during the course of the film. Steve and Rob's never-ending game of one-upsmanship is what largely keeps this film afloat, though they each do deal independently with struggles regarding love and family. As such, "Spain" ends up filling in the portraits of these two friends and their lives with more details, as if the painting was sketched out in "The Trip" and started to be filled in in "Italy." With just about everything else in this movie remaining a constant, we're able to spend more time looking more closely at those details - and by the same token, Winterbottom can add more nuance. The depiction of Steve as Don Quixote and Rob as Sancho Panza creates a solid focal point to better examine these characters, who it turns out are quite like their respective Cervantes creations. So little about "The Trip" films could be considered mainstream that it feels odd to describe them as cinematic comfort food, but to the set of tastes that have taken to them so far, they are exactly that. The sense of humor, their dynamic and Winterbottom's naturalist approach are so reliable that even with minimal changes from film to film, the series ages well. "Italy" initially felt like a retread, but "Spain" feels like an improvement just by virtue of time, all of its elements and flavors improving and congealing with patience and experience. All this makes the film's twist ending that much more unexpected. Suddenly there's a hint of plot continuity and it's as though we have no idea what to do with it. How the series proceeds will mean everything, but for now it's just a dash of mystery in an otherwise familiar and enjoyable film. ~Steven C Thanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Those coming into this third outing of The Trip should not be shocked to learn that the series is not changing directions at this point. If anything it seems to be entirely content with its base elements and keeps doing them. The good news though is that it does them a bit more than before. On the surface this means that the food and locations look even better and the show continues to take plenty of time over them. Personally though what I liked was that the more barbed content was pushed to be more than just brief moments of sad looks or moments alone for the characters. There seems to be more teeth and edge to this season, and I liked that the riffed digs and remarks tended to be closer to the mark and has some weight to them. Likewise the moments of reflection for the two leads seemed more genuine – and it connected into their discussions whether it be the shared experience of aging, or the attempts to be more than they are perceived to be. I imagine that their characters are far from their real selves, but at the same time a lot of it seemed convincing and engaged me more for it. The riffing and joking will not be to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed the gentle tone of it. The impressions are a bit more balanced out with other material, and there were only a few bits that I felt it could have done with less of (the guessing the bill bit for instance – although on repeat it does at least get used to reveal tension). Coogan and Brydon are both on good form, and they carry the season as normal. The loose plot is engaging enough to do the job – although I have no clue what sort of an ending that was meant to be (Coogan out of petrol, confronted by what appears to be ISIS). It was out of nowhere and just weird. Mostly this Trip has the same flaws and strengths as the ones before. There are things I think it does better, but generally if you liked the others or not, the outcome will be the same here.]

I surprised myself by actually enjoying this film. It is entertaining and light-hearted. The writer/director, Michael Winterbottom leaves the audience with an ending that encourages some interesting discussion as well as making me want to go grab a late night snack! The Trip to Spain is a deadpan comedy about two friends, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, playing themselves, traveling across Spain, writing about food while they take in culture and talk about life. This is the third in a series of "trip" films and aired at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. What I find interesting is Michael Winterbottom never actually wrote a script. It is more of an outline explaining where each scene takes place, who is in it and what subjects will be discussed. Most of the lines are improvised by the actors. The Trip to Spain is shot on location which allows for some magnificent cinematography. There are numerous breathtaking views from the many restaurants they visit. One thing I found annoying was the abrupt cuts the camera takes to show locals eating or sitting around. I found it unnecessary and actually distracting from the plot. I enjoy dry, deadpan humor. I also think the many impressions Steve and Rob do throughout the film are fun to watch. Obviously I cannot relate when they make references to their 50-year-old selves, but I often laughed at the situational humor. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18. Because of the content and dry humor, I think older teens and adults will appreciate it most. It is playing in theaters now so, go check it out. Reviewed by Tristan T., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

Good but not great, this movie had me smiling throughout at the lighthearted banter, which was apparently mostly unscripted. The movie follows two friends traveling through Spain so that one of them can write a series of restaurant reviews. The focus is on their dialogue while they visit some tourist sights or sit in restaurants. There is not much of a story, and overall the film comes across more like a travel documentary rather than a movie. The dialogue mostly covers food, Spanish history, and being middle aged. Most of the humor comes from the friends taking mild jabs at each other, and their impressions of mostly British celebrities such as Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Mick Jagger and Roger Moore. (There are many James Bond references.) Overall, the formula is entertaining but I would be lying if I said it was not wearing a bit thin by the end of the film. I understand there are now three "Trip" films. I have not seen the previous two and I want to see them, although I am in no hurry because this is not the sort of comedy you can easily binge on.