Bunny and the Bull (2009)

A young shut-in takes an imaginary road trip inside his apartment, based on mementos and memories of a European trek from years before.

Director:

Paul King

Writer:

Paul King (screenplay)

Stars:

Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby, Verónica Echegui

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Edward Hogg	...	Stephen
Simon Farnaby	...	Bunny
Verónica Echegui	...	Eloisa
Richard Ayoade	...	Museum Curator
Julian Barratt	...	Atilla
Noel Fielding	...	Javier
Sylvia Syms	...	Hotelier
James Fox	...	Narrator
Rich Fulcher	...	Captain Crab (voice)
Gus Brown	...	Horse Race Commentator
Madeleine Worrall	...	Melanie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Foster-hunt	...	Fairground worker

Storyline

Stephen has agoraphobia and, in the flat he won't leave, meticulously labels and stores everything from nail clippings to urine. In long flashbacks we see a trip to the continent he took with his only friend Bunny, an outgoing, inveterate gambler. The European trip is a bit dull (Stephen wants to visit every museum imaginable) until one night in Poland they meet Eloisa, a Spanish waitress, and offer to drive her home for her city's fiesta. We can guess that the trip won't end well - because Stephen is now stuck in his flat with occasional visits from Bunny - but will anything in the reverie move Stephen to action?

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Plot Keywords:

fiesta | gambler | poland | agoraphobia | restaurant | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 November 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Petit Trip Entre Amis

Filming Locations:

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warp X, Screen Yorkshire

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When they pull up at the gas station they fuel the car, which is a Trabant, in the back of the car. The Trabant's fuel tank is to the front, under the hood and so is the hole where you put the pump in.

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Quotes

Javier: Much has been written about the art of bullfighting, but I can sum it up in one sentence: get out of the way of the bull, you idiot! Otherwise he will rip open your anus like it was a cheap velcro wallet.

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Connections

Featured in Live from Studio Five: Episode #1.57 (2009)

User Reviews

A visual feast of a debut.

Firstly this isn't a Mighty Boosh film and secondly this isn't a comedy, yes it has some funny moments, but it's more of a drama. Quirkily telling the story of a road trip across Europe by friends Bunny and Stephen the action is told through a series of lo-fi set pieces which is a heady blend of Gilliam, Gondry and even Oliver Postgate. There is a real sense of a hands on glue and scissors approach. This comes across in the film as the attention to detail in the sets often threatens to overshadow the actors but it's the central friendship which is at the core of the film that keeps the fantasy in check. Grounded in a reality that most people should be able to recognise the story is at times a heartbreaking flashback to misspent youth and the bonds, no matter how strange, we form as humans. It's an age old story of boy meets girl, girl meets boy's best friend etc but the way the story unfolds with the aid of the animation gives it a fresh lease of life, its surreal and weird but at the same time charming and real. A series of cameos from three fifths of the Boosh are a little light relief in what turns out to be quite a dark tale but it's really Simon Farnaby as the lovable rogue Bunny that shines above all else. Clearly 'Withnail & I' had a big influence on the director if not the film and you will spot similarities, which isn't a bad thing, Whitnail is a classic. Whether this resonates as much with today's youth as that film did we will have to see but all in all director Paul King's leap from small to big screen is a success. It's clever, funny and dark and the start of a big screen career that will be well worth following.