Michael Winterbottom’s latest, The Trip to Spain, continues the shenanigans first chronicled in 2010’s The Trip and 2014’s The Trip to Italy: Actor/comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel to fancy restaurants, ostensibly for review purposes, but really so they can do dueling Michael Caine impressions and wax humorously on the foibles of middle-aged manhood. Winterbottom took time out from his vacation (in Italy, in fact) to chat with the Mercury.
MERCURY: Each Trip film seems to get a little more melancholy in its humor. Is that intentional, or does it just reflect where you guys are?
WINTERBOTTOM: Well, there’s always been some level of melancholy. But yeah, these guys, they’re 50 now, and, you know, 50’s not that young, so maybe it gets a little more melancholy. It’s also the landscape. The landscape in Spain is amazing, but it’s quite severe.
Speaking of darkness, this movie has jokes about “tentative Nazis” and the Spanish Inquisition, but maybe the riskiest bit is when Rob and Steve do David Bowie impersonations. Too soon?
I think if it had been satirical or hostile, we wouldn’t have done that. Because of course we’re all huge fans of Bowie, and it was meant to be respectful. So I hope no one is offended at our Bowie impressions!