Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon star in The Trip to Spain
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon star in The Trip to Spain
The location is new and stunning, but the formula remains the same in the third culinary adventure from Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
If you enjoyed their previous journeys through England and Italy you can expect a similar experience on this jaunt through picturesque Spain. The repartee is witty, theimpersonations impressive, the food mouthwatering and the scenery will have you googling 'flights to Spain'.
That said, there's a sniff it's becoming a little too familiar.
If you're new to these films, they've each been edited together from a BBC television series, directed by Michael Winterbottom, and star Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as versions of themselves. Coogan's on a culinary travel-writing gig and Brydon keeps him company; along the way they talk about fame and family, and perform as many celebrity impressions as it's possible to fit into a feature-length film - without us wanting to throttle them, just.
The food premise is fabulous cover for what is really a light-hearted and poignant story about middle-aged men dealing with ageing and the challenge of remaining relevant in the entertainment industry. It was delightful in the first two films watching them switch roles - in the first, Coogan's career was on the rise, along with his ego; in the second it was Brydon who experienced the career boost, and Coogan was humbler and more family-focused.
In this act, careers are again on both the rise and wane - but it's more familiar than insightful third time round. The same could be said for the impersonations - although Brydon's Roger Moore rift is brilliantly executed - while Coogan's family and love life takes a more fanciful tone and (a plus for some) there are less food porn shots to drool over.
Familiarity aside, these two gentlemen are excellent company, and the southern coast of Spain a worthy destination. Not a bad way to pass the time.
Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon Director: Michael Winterbottom Running Time: 111 mins Rating: M (Offensive language) Verdict: More of the same - but the company is too good to miss.
In 2013, Ocean's 11 director Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement from directing films. He decided to come out of retirement for Logan Lucky, which he describes as the "inversion of an Ocean's movie... it's an anti-glam Ocean's movie".
