Plot: What’s it about?
Essentially every movie about college that comes out is automatically compared to “Animal House”. Though the days of the fraternity movies may be left back in the 80’s, college is still the focus point for many a mindless comedy. This is where Road Trip comes in. Featuring an ensemble cast, Road Trip doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s a darn good thing. Featuring the one and only Tom Green, and if you haven’t seen this guy…he’s about the funniest person alive, as a college vet giving tours on campus and assorted other activities as well. A quick background on what a “Road Trip” is…essentially it’s mindless college kids packing up cases of beer, heading into a car and going to another college campus (usually to party). What’s wrong with that? In this case, Josh (Breckin Meyer) and his longtime girlfriend Beth (Amy Smart) have gone to different colleges. She’s at the University of Austin (not Boston…it makes sense once you’ve seen the movie) and he’s at a college in the northeast. The two still remain loyal (or try to, anyway) to each other, but events take place that could jeapordize their long-standing relationship.
After a party, Josh and Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard) hook up. Tiffany is the object of everyone’s desire and it’s lucky Josh that takes the excitement back to his room. Tiffany has the bright idea to film them while they, uh…make whoopie. Josh, hesitant at first, quickly changes his mind once Tiffany takes her clothes off. Now this isn’t the problem…the problem is that Josh was in the middle of a videotape letter to Beth as she has not been returning his calls. Josh thinks she is cheating on him and sends her a “heart and soul” message via videotape. Josh then asks his friend, Rubin (Paulo Costanzo) to mail the letter for him and in the process the tape of Tiffany and Josh is on it’s way to Austin for Beth and all of her friends to see. So this is where the “Road Trip” part of the movie comes in. They have to race halfway across the country to beat the mail so they can make sure that Beth doesn’t see the tape and the relationship is saved, yada, yada, yada…
Of course, all the fun of a road trip is getting there, right? Taking local nerd, Kyle’s (D.J. Qualls) car, the foursome is off to Austin to get the tape. It’s not long before Kyle’s parents are on his trail as he has maxed out their credit card and destroyed their car. But fear not, the gang soon hijacks a schoolbus and is back on track to intercept the tape. It’s amazing the amount of things that happen and the lengths that they go to to get money (details I’d rather not mention here). Still, Road Trip is an instant classic “college” movie. Tom Green really has no point in the movie other than to make us laugh harder. As mentioned before, he’s a tour guide trying to help a group of high school students make their college decision. And he has a real taste for seeing if the pet snake will ever eat his dinner…While Road Trip may not be the best movie ever made, it’s funny and one that you’ll probably watch on more than one occasion. Dreamworks has added a few interesting supplements which should make your viewing all the more enjoyable. Drink up friends…and enjoy!
Video: How does it look?
Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve seen Road Trip but time hasn’t really take its toll on the way the movie looks. Detail looks above average, certainly better than the previous standard DVD and colors appear warm and vibrant. The print seems very clean, free of any debris and though I caught a few instances of some inconsistency, they were few and far between. A visual movie such as this doesn’t rely on the technical specs so much, but it’s nice to know that the movie does look better in HD than its predecessor. But we already knew that.
Audio: How does it sound?
As a rule, most comedies (teen comedies at that) don’t really feature robust soundtracks. Though this Blu-ray has been “upgraded” to a DTS HD Master Audio mix, the improvement over the previous Dolby Digital soundtrack is minimal. Vocals are clear, we get to hear Tom Green’s mumbling in its HD glory. Surrounds don’t get too involved save for a nice little explosion about halfway through. As mentioned, this is a nominal improvement in sound but since it didn’t need help in that department to begin with – it’s a moot point.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This seems to contain the same supplements as the previous DVD. The original theatrical trailers as well as a teaser trailer, are included. An “Eels” music video is present as well. We get “Ever Been on a Road Trip” which is your typical making of…featurette as well as a few deleted scenes and a music video.
