The Trip to Spain (2017) Reviews

• Has some nice teeth, but shows them too infrequently – even if the rest is still amusing (SPOILERS)

  bob the moo2017-07-01

  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.]

• Spain without its heart and soul

  howard.schumann2017-09-04

  When I visited Spain for the first time many years ago, I immediately felt a sense of foreboding, as if I was being reminded of some long buried event, perhaps in another lifetime. Everything that happened during my stay there did nothing to dispel those feelings either and I have never gone back. Of course, I did not have the amenities available to English actors and comedians Steve Coogan ("The Dinner") and Rob Brydon ("The Huntsman: Winter's War") in Michael Winterbottom's ("On the Road") The Trip to Spain. Based on a TV series, it is the third in a series of "trip" films that follows the 2010 film "The Trip" (to Northern England), and the 2014 "The Trip to Italy." I wish I could say that the movie was a "trip" but, even though I did not experience any foreboding while watching it, I found it to be an essentially empty and only sporadically funny experience. Master impressionists as well as stand-up comedians, actors and screenwriters, Coogan and Brydon drive through Spain from Santander to Malaga, avoiding the well known tourist spots to visit small town Spain, places such as Getaria, Axpe near Bilbao, Prejano, Sigüenza, Almagro, and Malaga that we never hear about. They eat exquisite looking food, visit historic sites, and, of course, provide a staggering ton of impressions including those of Michael Caine, Mick Jagger, Robert de Niro, Marlon Brando, Roger Moore and many others. It goes without saying that driving a Range Rover for a thousand miles, staying in expensive hotels and eating in posh restaurants is not an experience that is readily available to most people. Of course, they are good comedians and some of the routines garner a lot of laughs, like the wordplay on the Moors and the family of Roger Moore, a sequence which is funny but unfortunately goes on too long. They also riff on James Bond movies, the Spanish Inquisition, and the character of Don Quixote which leads to their donning costumes and sitting on donkeys for a photo shoot. Playing fictionalized versions of themselves, the rationale for the trip is that Rob is going to write a series of restaurant reviews for The Observer and Steve is gathering notes for a book comparing his trip to Spain when he was younger with this new middle-aged one. While both men are outward successes, the two remain basically insecure and their prickly banter often has a sharp edge to it. Though Steve adapted the Oscar-nominated film "Philomena" for the screen (a fact he is not hesitant to throw in Rob's face with sickening regularity), his agent has walked out and he is dismayed by the fact that the studio is bringing in a new writer to "polish" his script for a new film. Steve is in love with Mischa (Margo Stilley, "The Royals" TV series), who is now married, but she turns down his offer to visit him on his trip. Rob, though he recently appeared in a big-budget Hollywood movie, seems to have become reconciled to being a supporting actor but longs for a starring role. One revealing segment takes place when a young busker performing near a restaurant for gratuities is invited by Steve to have a drink with them. Everything goes well until the musician starts recommending good places to visit in Spain which Steve finds threatening to his self image of being a man of the world and gets up and walks away from the table. While critics have found the repetitious format of the first two films to have become stale, not having seen the first two, I have no basis for comparison. For me, however, The Trip to Spain quickly became stale and tedious all on its own. The only music in the film is the lovely but overdone 1960s song, "The Windmills of Your Mind." In the land of Flamenco, however, we do not hear or see any, nor is there any more than a passing interest in the food being served. The world travelers do not meet or talk to any Spaniards other than waiters, bell boys or old girlfriends. There is talk about dinosaurs and we get some history lessons but there is no mention of Goya, Garcia-Lorca, Juan-Ramon Jimenez, Gaudi, Casals, Segovia or the Prado. Spanish poet and mystic San Juan de la Cruz said, "In savoring the finite joy, the very most one can expect is to enfeeble and destroy our taste and leave the pallet wrecked." The film may showcase the Spain you will find in a National Geographic special, but it is Spain without its heart and its sou

• The Trip to Spain - anything to gain?

  Grumphy2017-12-14

  As is the case with the previously released trips ('The Trip', 2010 and 'The Trip to Italy', 2014) with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, so it is with 'The Trip to Spain' that it does not really play out as a film but rather an extended TV show. Which it is. Although actually shortened and combined from the six episodes of the last (third) series. What kind of show exactly is 'The Trip' itself, is quite difficult to determine because although the trips are partly to do with reviewing food, a minuscule amount of comments made on the subject actually reach the viewer. Same is with visiting different locations, though at least in that aspect there are small bits of useful information pointed out every now and again. Though it's hardly ever an extensive introduction to the place visited. It's not a documentary even though it might come across as such. Calling it a talk show wouldn't be quite right either. In a way it is a different version of 'Top Gear' with just as beautiful camera work but less information and unfortunately - as it is listed under comedy - jokes. Steve and Rob get on with their usual antics which obviously include a lot of impressions, but it gets old at some point and I truly don't want the hear either of them say: "I told you to blow the bloody doors off" and then try to settle on the age of the voice etc. It's the constant competition between the two who's better at impressions which includes mimicking mainly just one sentence over and over and over and over and over and over again. Which brings me the horrific flashbacks from watching 'Dude Where's My Car' as a teen and not being amused. However, I can respect, accept and enjoy repetition (British comic Stuart Lee is a great example), but it has to serve a purpose. At the moment were not watching a film, ahem, TV show. We're watching to guys rehearsing for it. Despite that I'm not calling the show unfunny. No, far from it. 'The Trip to Spain' is still humorous. Just not necessarily laughing out loud funny. It has it's better moments though. So basically, if you've enjoyed the previous films or TV series, you can probably appreciate this one as well, if not, then there's nothing that will convince you otherwise. It has its entertainment value but not for everyone. If I had enough money to go out for even one meal like in the film with a friend, I would've done that instead and had much more fun. But on the other hand perhaps wouldn't have learned all I know about the invasion of Spain by Roger Moors.

• I knew they would go nonstop about Philomena

  ReadingFilm2019-03-30

  Coogan doing some heart-stringing Oscar-bait with Judi Dench that brought him major accolades, it could only exist in the 'Trip' world. But it happened. When I saw that film I so knew he would go nonstop about it in the next one, and sure enough they milked it with great fun. How indulgent is all this though? Why go with Hopkins and Caine impressions again for the third time? Are they making fun of how people only go to sequels to see the same stuff over and over again? These inside jokes in a hall of mirrors, and any time it wears thin they quickly cycle through the next of five things: travel, food, impressions, family/career, uplifting music. Rinse repeat. Meaning there's no scenario the formula won't work since it always catches itself.

• Some Grins But No LOLs

  lolchicken-987802017-09-06

  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.