Coogan and Brydon Trip the Food Fantastic

Movie review: The Trip to Spain

The third instalment in Michael Winterbottom’s accidental series offers a sustained exploration of male friendships, plus a razor sharp satire of Mick Jagger

The Trip to Spain

3.5/5

Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon

Directed by: Michael Winterbottom

Running time: 1hr 48 mins

Rating: Parental Guidance

By Katherine Monk

It’s become the Before Sunset for men. Like Richard Linklater’s trilogy that started as a comic one-off in an exotic place and turned into an increasingly profound exploration of relationships, Michael Winterbottom’s collaboration with comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon is now more than The Trip, more than The Trip to Italy, and more than the most recent Trip to Spain.

The trio has created a thoroughly modern Odyssey, navigating the masculine soul through the Scylla of ego and the Charybdis of doubt, all set against a sea of celebrity self-awareness.

Each trip takes us a little deeper down the whirlpool of identity. What began as a witty exchange of Michael Caine impersonations and James Bond-meets-Monty Python moments is now a full-blown tribute to the Man of La Mancha, gravitas, ass, and all.

The whole thing rides on the shoulders of Coogan and Brydon, two privileged white men in their mid-fifties seeking the holy grail of personal legacy. Coogan seems to think it’s through career, and mentions his Oscar nominations for Philomena with false humility at every opportunity. Brydon, the willing beta, is beginning to think it’s through family — even though he realizes he started his own a little too late.

Each trip takes us a little deeper down the whirlpool of identity. What began as a witty exchange of Michael Caine impersonations and James Bond-meets-Monty Python moments is now a full-blown tribute to the Man of La Mancha, gravitas, ass, and all.

With no shortage of literal and figurative luggage, these two men head down to Plymouth and board a ferry destined for Santander. The hook is Coogan’s character has just been cast as a chef in an American TV series and he’s off to Spain for promotional reasons. Brydon is the willing wingman, looking to take in the regional history as well as all the local fare with his old friend, and familiar comic nemesis, Coogan.

They obsess about their age, and what others think about them. Yet, the only thing that seems to matter is the way they appear to each other, at least in each moment, which is what makes these movies so entertaining. Without a definite script, each actor is allowed to perform for the other, fusing bits and pieces of fake plot with strands of personal history. The one-upmanship is manufactured for the cameras, but there’s something sincere and noble in the mutual desire to make the other laugh.

There’s a relationship there, and because we can feel it, we’re happy to ride along for another formulaic round of restaurants, travelogue, impersonations and armchair psychoanalysis.

Few other bromances can quote Shakespeare and pull off a Mick Jagger impression in the same breath, but The Trip movies do it with ease because Brydon and Coogan are naturally funny. They’re also accomplished veterans, and this time around, they really have a grasp on character.

Though they are playing people with the same names, with the same jobs, and the same personality traits, they are not necessarily playing themselves. Their families are played by actors and personal details have been changed, giving them just enough distance to really skewer their respective personae.

Coogan indulges his arrogant side. Brydon enhances his inner puppy, and together, they make a little magic as the spirits of Don Quixote and Anthony Bourdain collide in the Spanish countryside.

When the talk gets dull, there’s always the food. When the food gets old, there’s always the scenery. And when the scenery gets dull, you can count on Winterbottom to give you a passing lesson in the history of the Crusades.

When the talk gets dull, there’s always the food. When the food gets old, there’s always the scenery. And when the scenery gets dull, you can count on Winterbottom to give you a passing lesson in the history of the Crusades.

Louis Malle’s 1981 movie My Dinner with Andre proved it was possible to make movies with little more than people eating and talking, but it’s not as easy as it looks. Imagine watching two comics at a strip mall McDonalds for an hour and a half — indulging the same impersonations ad nauseam. You need the right ingredients and the right setting for these wonders to work.

Winterbottom has found the formula and the technique. Most importantly, he found the right talents in Brydon and Coogan — a comic cocktail he discovered quite by accident on the set of Tristram Shandy – A Cock and Bull Story.

Each actor packs wit and emotion in their pocket like so many clown-scarves: a continuous parade of multi-coloured feelings thrown about the frame with an appreciation for comic spectacle. It’s fun to watch, but by the time the last polka dot hanky hits the floor, there’s a hint of confused melancholy as obvious as an oversized frown. Such is the life of a clown, served up as a five-course meal.

@katherinemonk

THE EX-PRESS, August 4, 2017

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Review: The Trip to Spain

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Summary

3.5Score

Call it the Before Sunset series for privileged white males -- or not. Either way, Michael Winterbottom has created a changing portrait of a single relationship with this accidental series of Trip movies starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. The trio has created a thoroughly modern Odyssey, navigating the masculine soul through the Scylla of ego and the Charybdis of doubt, all set against a sea of celebrity self-awareness. This time, they're going for the gravitas channeling the spirit of Don Quixote across the Spanish countryside. Served up with some wine and mussels, it's a pleasant way to spend an evening. -- Katherine Monk

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