Movie Review

Eurotrip (R)

Guylaine Cadorette

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Hollywood.com Says
With its fresh cast, unapologetically lewd storyline and laugh-out-loud predicaments, Eurotrip makes for a delectably rare fun time at the movies.

Story
It's graduation day for Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) but the celebration comes to an abrupt end when his girlfriend Fiona (Kristin Kreuk) dumps him by blatantly announcing she has been unfaithful to him--over and over again. At a graduation party that night, Fiona makes her point by jumping on stage during rockers Lustra's performance of "Scotty Doesn't Know," which goes something like this: "Scotty doesn't know that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday..." Dumbfounded, Scotty gets drunk and goes home to confide in his Berlin-based computer pen pal Mieke (Jessica Boerhs), who suggests coming to America for a "rendezvous." Scott rudely rebuffs him (and that's putting it mildly), not aware that Mieke is not a guy but actually a really hot high school girl. He tries to make amends but Mieke won't read his e-mails so his pal Cooper (Jacob Pitts) convinces him to go to Berlin and meet her face-to-face. Short on cash, they take a cheap courier flight to London where they meet up with twin pals Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Travis Wester) before hopscotching to Amsterdam, Bratislava, Rome, Vatican City and finally, Berlin. Of course, the chase is always better than the kill and Eurotrip is no different: Whether Scotty gets Mieke is beside the point; the amusement is all in the journey there. Who knew, for example, that you could spend the night in a five star hotel and partake in a night of clubbing in Eastern Europe on $1.87 U.S.-and still have 27 cents left over when it's all over?

Acting
Newcomer Mechlowicz is perfectly cast as the lead here, playing a character that is simple-minded, daring, sympathetic and charming. But it's Mechlowicz's personal spin--his bewildered expressions--that really nails the role for him, whether he is witnessing the twins accidentally making out on the dance floor in a drunken stupor or waking up to find a strange passenger cozying up to him on a train. As his buddy Cooper, Pitts (K-19: The Widowmaker) plays the wisecracker of the bunch and although he doesn't go over the top with the crassness, there is a little too much David Spade influence in his delivery (and the similar haircuts don't help the matter either). Like the rest of the cast, Wester is careful not to typecast his character Jamie, a meticulous planner who can't travel without Frommer's, by loosening him up slightly. Jamie, for example knows when it's time do drop the book and experiment, even if it means nude sunbathing. Trachtenberg (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer) also infuses her twin character Jenny with the perfect blend of sexuality and innocence. The result is a cast of mishmash characters that are just so darn likeable. Look for a surprise cameo from Matt Damon as well as small but hilarious performances from Vinnie Jones as Mad Maynard, a Manchester United soccer hooligan; Lucy Lawless as S&M mistress Madame Vandersexxx; and Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen, credited as "the creepy Italian guy."

Direction
Jeff Schaffer makes his directorial debut here from a screenplay co-written with his longtime partners, scribes Alec Berg and David Mandel. And ads touting it as a comedy "from producers of Road Trip and Old School," may be exactly what Eurotrip, a comedy starring relative unknowns, needs to draw the coveted teen crowd. After all, Ivan Reitman, the producer responsible for catapulting low budget comedies into box-office gold territory, has secured quite a following--and fans won't be let down with this latest offering. Unlike its predecessors, Eurotrip isn't afraid to be crass, and while the characters are sweet, the storyline is anything but. In this Euro-centric tale, writing trio Schaffer, Berg and Mandel proudly embrace every stereotype imaginable but do so at the expense of the inexperienced foursome, which makes the material funny rather than offensive. Nude beaches, the young Americans discover, aren't necessarily packed with hot, gorgeous women and Amsterdam's sex industry isn't exactly the stuff young male fantasies are made of. With one hilarious gag after another as well as funky map graphics with dotted lines that transport viewers from city to city, the film maintains its fast-moving pace throughout. Surprisingly, the film was shot entirely on location in the Czech Republic with Prague doubling as London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Vatican City, Bratislava--and even Hudson, Ohio, with landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum and Big Ben added using CGI. Accompanied by an awesome soundtrack featuring Lutsra's "Scotty Doesn't Know," Chapeaumelon's "My Generation" and The Salads "Get Loose," this film succeeds on all levels.

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