EuroTrip (2004)

EUROTRIP

Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten
Grade: B
DreamWorks Pictures
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Written by: Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, David Mandel
Cast: Scott Mechlowicz, Jessica Bohrs, Jacob Pitts, Michelle
Trachtenberg, Travis Wester
Screened at: Loews 34th St., NYC, 2/20/04

If you come from a big city like New York and patronize the major museums like the Metropolitan, you may see large groups of kids with their teachers, but don't be surprised if you never run into a couple of local college-age residents looking at the paintings with no assignment pressures. This could make people wonder why so many lucky guys and gals in the 18-23 year age bracket can't wait to slap on their backpacks and make the scene on the Continent. Are the museums in London that much better? Is the Sistine Chapel ceiling a turn-on for them? Not likely. Nowadays the young men have their antennas out for the young women and vice versa. Take the freedom that they have thousands of miles away from anyone they know at home, add that to the theory that America was founded by prudes and that the action is better in Europe, and you have the makings of a sex comedy. Who better to stage one of those than the production team that gave us "Road Trip" (a teen comedy with gross-out gags and lots of nudity) and "Old School" (30-something pals try to rekindle their more youthful days by opening an unofficial fraternity house)?

Though your Aunt Rose who had never been to Woodstock when the going was good might bolt for the exits after the first ten minutes, "Eurotrip" is delightfully gentle in its humor, its characters save for a dominatrix in Amsterdam and some rough soccer characters in London are either goofy or innocent and altogether likeable.

The plot (such as there is) kicks off after a creative cartoon spoofing airline safety instructions on a high-school graduation, a day of misery for Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) who has just been dumped by his long-term girfriend and further ridiculed by Matt Damon's blasting a rock song to a cheering crowd about how the innocent Scotty was blind to his girl's many cheats. When a dejected Scotty returns to his laptop and to his email pal in Berlin whom he believes to be a man until he finds out too late that "Mike" is really a gorgeous blonde, Mieke (Jessica Boehrs)- - he heads off to Berlin followed by his mellow, Dana-Carvey- type pal Cooper (Jacob Pitts). The pair become a foursome when joined by Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and her twin brother Jamie (Travis Wester). After losing their money in a London mugging, they must make their way to Berlin the hard way on foot, in vans and in friendly charter buses.

"Eurotrip" is not as flat-out funny as "Road Trip," perhaps because we've become accustomed to Farrelly-style gross-outs and are immune to their attempted shock value, but also because the principals are all people we wouldn't hesitate to have dinner with or more. In a series of Saturday-Night Live sketches which is what the movie is for better or worse--the gang wind up having experiences far removed from visits to art galleries and churches and dinners in the best French restaurants.

Compare the picture to a 15-round boxing match: in some rounds, the excitement is palpable, in others the fighters just dance around looking for an opening. A scene with a human entertainer dressed and acting like a robot goes on much too long as does a pool escapade that has one perfectly-shaped woman removing her top. For the scenes that do work, however, the pic is a must-see if you're in the sophomoric crowd, though the more mature will simply become envious at the wild fun no longer open to hormonally-challenged adults.

Obviously the mayhem that the foursome create at the Vatican wherein Scotty is elected the new Pope did not take place in that part of Rome; in fact, the entire work is filmed "on location" in Prague, benefitting from Allan Starski's creative production design and David Eggby's lensing. Jeff Schaffer has made a worthy debut film, falling short only in occasional bad comic timing and lapses in Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer's script.

Rated R.  92 minutes.(c) 2004 by Harvey Karten at
Harveycritic@cs.com

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