“Road Trip” is a zany movie, a film, like “American Pie,” that borders on raunchy yet is never cruel, that uses hijinks and sex to tell it’s story. It’s a college movie. This is unmistakeable from its opening, which features a dumbed down tour of Ithaca College by an aloof character named Barry (Tom Green in his first film appearance). Unlike “American Pie” (or its excellent closer, “American Reunion”), “Road Trip” is not so much about relationships or even sex. It’s comedy, and uses these as fodder for it’s plot, and nothing more. If comedy alone is your goal, with shallow plotting and characters as your guides, then “Road Trip” may appeal to you.
The basic plot here is the film’s main character, Josh (Breckin Meyer) attends Ithaca College, while his girlfriend Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard) has decided to go to school in Austin, Texas. The two have been together forever, and made a vow to stay faithful to each other through college. However, Josh finds this hard to do, especially when he gains the affections of a beautiful coed named Beth (Amy Smart), and believes, mistakenly that Tiffany is cheating on him. After a night with Beth (and sex tape the two make), the film sets up its piece de resistance – the sex tape, instead of an “I miss you tape,” gets mailed to Tiffany by mistake. The rest of the film then has Josh, along with 3 friends, attempting to drive the 1,800 miles to get the tape back before Tiffany can see it.
Probably the only reason that “Road Trip” works at all is because of its cast, who work well together and are generally likable. As the film’s lead, Meyer does a good job as Josh, who is not perfect, but certainly not a bad guy. He’s followed by classmates played by Seann William Scott (“American Pie”), Paul Costanzo (“40 Days and 40 Nights”) and D.J Qualls (“The New Guy”).
Scott is true to his character from “American Pie,” egging on Josh to give up on his girlfriend and ‘experience college’ while he has a chance. Costanzo is introduced as just another buddy, but interestingly has (with a grandfather the foursome meet along the way), the only scene of introspection in the film. And Qualls is basically playing the same character he would play in “The New Guy” – a overly shy and anxious virgin who, of course, will experience sex before the film is over.
The events the four encounter are broken up with cuts to Barry back at home, and Tom Green basically makes a character that combines awkward boredom with just being a weirdo. He does things like engage in a thresome with two beautiful girls (though it’s unlikely any girl would find Barry attractive), and get overly excited about feeding a pet snake. If you’ve seen “Freddy Got Fingered,” you know what to expect from Green here.
The film’s strength is that it actually is funny, and, like the great “The 40 Year Old Virgin” is kind to its characters, not dragging any of them through the mud for comic relief. The film shows some racy material – such as a trip to a sperm bank or one character stealing a bus from a school for the blind – but does so in the spirit of accomplishing their mission to make it to Austin. You will laugh while watching this movie, even as an adult, which says something about director Todd Phillips’ ability to helm a decent comedy.
Where the film suffers, regrettably, is in the thin plotting and even thinner character development. The characters in the film are basically reduced to stereotypes throughout, as we never really get to know anything deep about Josh or the rest of his friends. You’re not meant to know anything about Barry; he’s just the film’s storyteller. But it would have been nice to paint the rest of the cast a little deeper. This is evident in later scenes, especially between Josh and Tiffany, that should have been emotional but aren’t. “American Pie” knew enough to throw some emotion and life lessons into the mix. But “Road Trip” is a shallow comedy, and takes pains to make sure we never forget this fact.
All in all “Road Trip” is not a bad film. It has comedy, it watches easily, and it doesn’t offend. It’s an empty film, better watched for pure laughs, and might alienate some audience members who are looking for more. If you want a laugh, give the movie a try. Just don’t expect to be blown away.
– by Mark Ziobro
