ROAD TRIP (2000) Review by Jerry Saravia August 1st, 2001
Sex has become so mainstream in its explicitness that it has lost all its mystery. 1999's "American Pie" proved that sex sells, particularly in teen sex comedies. Today's teenagers need not worry about school or their prospective futures. All they apparently think about is sex, and nothing else. Dating is a thing of the past, just get down and dirty on the first date and worry about relationships later (there was the phenomenon of date rape, still a possibility but now it is mulled over in favor of getting down and dirty). "Road Trip" is simply a sex comedy, and the emphasis is clearly sexual with comedic overtones.
Breckin Meyer, who has played his share of stoners, is the sweet, clean-cut guy named Josh this time. Gasp! He now attends a university in Ithaca where he is failing a course that could get him in serious academic trouble. But a passing grade is the least of his worries - he is too wrapped in a long-distance relationship. His childhood sweetheart is attending the University of Austin and Josh misses her greatly. What is Josh going to do, and how can he prevent himself from meeting other sexy chicks, including the luscious Beth (Amy Smart)?
Needless to say, Josh and Beth end up between the sheets and record the event with a trusty camcorder (You know it is the 21st century when all private activities are recorded with a camcorder). Josh is no longer sullen and inhibited, though the taped event is now lost! Apparently, one of his buddies mailed the wrong tape to Josh's girlfriend (initially, Josh just recorded a taped message to her). Josh enlists the help of his buddies to go on a road trip to Austin to prevent Tiffany from receiving the tape. Josh's buddies include Kyle (DJ Qualls), a nerd who masturbates endlessly, Rubin (Paulo Costanzo), an intellectual pot-smoker and E.L. (Seann William Scott), the pseudo-cool guy who doesn't like the concept of learning. Together they endure one mishap after another, including car explosions, hot babes, blind women, irate pistol-packing fathers, an African-American fraternity, and more hot babes.
"Road Trip" starts with the time-honored tradition of the road picture though we barely get much of a glimpse of America - an 1,800 mile trip from Ithaca, New York to Austin, Texas must have some locations of interest. No matter, this movie is all about sex, sex and more sex - oh, and there is a package to intercept. What we merely get in "Road Trip" is a host of comic situations. At the sorority, Kyle gets his chance for a real romp in the hay with a sensual BBW. E.L. and Josh go to a sperm clinic where E.L. receives unlikely professional help. Rubin merely smokes weed and thinks too much to worry about sex. Meanwhile, the buddy who decided to stay in Ithaca, Barry (Tom Green), an eight-year resident of the university, spends his time trying to get a mouse eaten by a snake. Considering Green's shenanigans of late, this whole subplot should come as no surprise.
"Road Trip" is fitfully funny and at times, surprisingly sweet-tempered. I like the idea that the film does not aim for the gross-out gags of "American Pie" or other teen flicks. Director Todd Phillips ("Hated: The G.G. Allin Story") decides to cut back from the gross level, playing it safer than usual. This results in numerous gags that often work, and some that are recycled from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (the car bit is an obvious lift). The blind woman scene works because she sees more than she lets on when confronted by E.L. The restaurant scene is a let-down but some gags and situational humor work in spite of themselves. I was surprised how much I laughed during the film, particularly at Tom Green who serves as the film's narrator (his university tour guide scenes are hilarious). The actors are all appealing and fun personalities to watch and the humor never sinks lower than a toilet bowl. But I must ask again as I did when I saw "American Pie" - do freshman college students have anything else on their minds besides sex? Apparently not.
Footnote: The video camcorder incident is in question over authenticity. There is a scene where Beth tapes an interview with Josh before getting hot and heavy with him while the camera records the whole event. The camcorder used is a digital Sony DV camera. In order to record anything, the camera must have a mini-DV tape in it, otherwise recording is impossible (as with all camcorders). It is clear that the DV camera is recording because the red light indicator is on. Therefore, a mini-DV tape must be in the camera. Later on, Josh reluctantly shows his buddies the taped event. Only the tape is now full-size, 1/2 inch VHS tape. This can only mean that Josh either simultaneously recorded the event on DV and VHS or dubbed the mini-DV tape to VHS. No actual scene shows this, and it is also clear that Beth set the recording on for the camcorder only (despite it being viewed on Josh's TV monitor). Since he shows his buddies the wrong tape, one can assume that the DV tape was mailed to Tiffany. Since a later scene shows Tiffany viewing a VHS tape, then it is clear the filmmakers are unaware of how DV cameras work, or Josh taped his interview on DV and then transferred it to VHS so Tiffany could view it on her TV. Either way, a transitional scene is missing. Oh, the details we video nuts must worry about.
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