Get ready to embark on a hilarious journey through Spain with comedic duo Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in Michael Winterbottom’s latest installment of “The Trip,” “The Trip to Spain.” This film, like its predecessors, follows the dynamic pair as they traverse a region, ostensibly on assignment, indulging in exquisite meals, engaging in witty banter, and reflecting on life’s complexities. While the food is a central element, the film’s charm lies in the witty improvisation, celebrity impersonations, and the relatable midlife musings of the two protagonists.
You may find yourself craving the dishes the duo savors, and it’s no wonder. The captivating cinematography of James Clarke captures the food’s allure, while Winterbottom meticulously curates a selection of the finest dining experiences Spain has to offer. Imagine a dedicated team, including the director himself, exploring the culinary landscape, visiting multiple restaurants, and weaving them into the film’s storyline. Winterbottom’s dedication to authenticity is clear: “It’s fun, all that research,” he says, revealing his passion for the project.
Behind the Scenes with Michael Winterbottom: A Culinary Journey
We caught up with Winterbottom in Puglia, Italy, to delve deeper into the humor of Coogan and Brydon’s food ambivalence, the absence of paella, and his personal experience tasting the best Spain has to offer.
One can’t help but notice the film’s lack of traditional restaurant critique. When asked about this, Winterbottom explains, “I knew they weren’t foodies, that they weren’t going to be obsessed. I did think that given that they were going to all these great restaurants they might occasionally mention the food. But I realized quite soon that they wouldn’t. I’ve given up trying to persuade them. There’s something funny about Steve and Rob eating great food while all these people are slaving away in the kitchen and all they’re interested in is talking about themselves and their careers.”
The “Trip” Unfolds: From TV to Big Screen
For those seeking a more immersive culinary experience, the episodic television version of “The Trip” may be a better fit. “In the episodic version, there’s more meal, there’s more of everything. There’s more time, so there’s also more conversation, more journey,” explains Winterbottom. He highlights the contrast between the first film’s relatively short journey around the Lake District in England and the expansive journey across Spain in “The Trip to Spain,” which follows the duo from London to the Sahara Desert.
A Director’s Eye for Food: A Visual Feast
Winterbottom’s background as a director of narrative features like “24 Hour Party People” and “A Mighty Heart” brings a unique perspective to the food presentation. He emphasizes a simple, authentic approach: “We shoot the food in exactly the same way as we shoot Steve and Rob, the restaurant, and the countryside. Obviously, we’re choosing restaurants with really great food. But we don’t really try and make the food look good, we just try to capture the experience of what being in the restaurant and the experience of being at a lunch with Steve and Rob is like. So if the food looks good it’s purely by virtue of the food, rather than the filming. If the food looks delicious it’s because it is delicious.”
The Culinary Choices: A Collaboration, or a Solo Venture?
While the film features a curated selection of Spain’s finest eateries, the stars have little say in the choice. “Rob and Steve don’t get any choices. But they don’t mind,” Winterbottom chuckles. “I just tell them where we’re going – and they don’t care.”
A Culinary Adventure: From Txoko to Etxebarri
The journey begins at Txoko, a charming restaurant in a storybook fishing village known for its freshly grilled anchovies. “Initially, we were recommended Getaria by a couple of chefs in London. There’s a Michelin-starred restaurant there that’s really good, but it didn’t feel like the right place for filming,” explains Winterbottom. “So we went down on the ports, and there was a whole string of restaurants. In the end, the one we chose was partly because the chef was really friendly and also it’s a good location because it’s close to the water.”
The film then takes viewers to Etxebarri, a restaurant voted the sixth best in the world in 2015. Winterbottom enthuses, “If you go to Spain, you should go to that restaurant. [The chef, Victor Arguinzoniz] does only one meal a day, a set menu. It’s fantastic food. Apparently, he used to be a carpenter, working in wood, then he started cooking. He has no formal training. In all the restaurants in Spain, they cook on wood on the street. But at Etxebarri, he has covered wood-fired ovens and uses all different sorts of wood.”
A Culinary Decision: The Absence of Paella
While “The Trip to Spain” features Spanish classics like chorizo casero, jamón ibérico, and croquetas, paella is curiously absent. Winterbottom clarifies, “It was a little bit of a choice. If Valencia was on our route in the end, maybe we would have included paella. But in England, the one cliché of Spanish [cuisine] would be paella. So it was quite nice to avoid it.”
A Touch of Satire: Steve’s Culinary Critic
The film features a humorous scene where Steve encounters a young traveling musician who criticizes his culinary choices. Winterbottom explains, “I just liked the idea of making fun of Steve’s pomposity. He’s like an earlier version of Steve, just as annoying but better looking. We thought that’d be quite funny. But all those places that he mentions? There were lots of great restaurants that in the end we had to cross off because they just weren’t on our route. So that was just our way of sneaking in references of places we didn’t end up filming.”
The Future of “The Trip”: A Culinary Journey Continues?
The question on everyone’s mind: will there be a fourth “Trip” installment? Winterbottom reflects, “When we did the first one we said, “There will be just one,” so who knows? I think enough time will have to go by so Steve and Rob will have grown and changed in some way. For me, I’d like it to be in Sweden or somewhere in the Arctic Circle. It would be funny to deposit them somewhere cold.”
