Plot: What’s it about?
Josh (Breckin Meyer) and Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard) have been together since they were little kids, but the strain of being apart for college has started to show. Josh is paranoid that she has found someone new, calls her almost every hour, and has pushed her roommate beyond her level of tolerance. Now Josh hasn’t heard from Tiffany in days, which confirms his inner fears that he has been replaced, which means one thing to him, he needs to find someone new also. His friend E.L. (Seann William Scott) encourages him to hook up with the beautiful Beth (Amy Smart), who happens to show signs of having a crush on Josh. So after a party later that night, Josh and Beth do the deed twice, all while Josh’s camera is capturing each detail of their session. The next morning when he agrees to show the tape to his friends, he realizes he has mailed the wrong video to Tiffany, who he just learned has been at her grandfather’s funeral, not with some other man. So he enlists the help of his closest friends and an oddball down the hall to reach Tiffany’s dorm before she does, recover the tape, and save his relationship. But when Beth finds out about this, she decides to do some work of her own, setting out to find Tiffany and let her know what Josh has done to them both.
I saw this previews for this film and knew it would be funny, but I worried that Tom Green would consume too much screen time. I went to see the flick in the end despite my bad feelings, but I was surprised at how small Green’s role turned out to be. I was pleased he was given a small role in the background of the story, which allowed the more talented workers to carry the load of the movie. Green’s segments have a few laughs and he is much less annoying than usual, but I still wish a more gifted comic was given this part in the end. The rest of the film is hilarious though, especially with the added footage in this disc’s unrated edition of Road Trip. Of course, the extra running time goes to nudity and such, but the more the merrier, that’s how I feel. Road Trip is a classic teen flick in all respects, lots of breasts, some hilarious sex jokes, and of course, a lot of low brow humor. This one packs some real gross moments, so those with weak stomachs might want to close their eyes a few times here. This is one of the best teen/college aimed movies in years, so I am more than happy to give it my highest recommendation, especially in this unrated edition form. The film is non stop laugh material and this disc rocks, so I think a purchase is in order in this case, because you’ll want to watch this one over and again.
As I stated above, Tom Green plays a rather small role in this film, with the rest of the cast taking the rights to the leads. I am not a fan of Green’s “I wish I was Andy Kaufman” routine, but if you like his style, you should find yourself laughing at his antics in Road Trip. But remember, his role is smaller than you might think, so don’t expect this to be a Tom Green movie in the least. He’s more of a narrator to the storyline than a true character within the movie, which works out well in the end. The main cast features a few faces, as well as some teen flick veterans, led by Breckin Meyer. Meyer has been a lot of movies like this one, so he seems natural and well suited for this role. He might be short and an average actor, but he manages to make roles like this one work pretty well. You can also see Meyer in films such as Clueless, The Craft, Tail Lights Fade, Can’t Hardly Wait, and Go. Also present here are Amy Smart (Varsity Blues, Strangeland) and Seann William Scott (American Pie, Final Destination), both of whom also seem well cast for their characters. Also seen in Road Trip are Ethan Suplee (American History X, Mallrats), Andy Dick (The Cable Guy, In The Army Now), Fred Ward (The Player, Tremors), DJ Qualls (Cherry Falls), Paulo Costanzo (Josie and the Pussycats), Rachel Blanchard (The Rage: Carrie 2), and Anthony Rapp (School Ties, Twister).
Video: How does it look?
Road Trip is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a good transfer, but lacks the usual level of excellence we see from Dreamworks. The flaws seem to lie within the source material though, so I am unsure how much could have been done to improve this one. It seems like about half the film is laced with grain, which isn’t a big deal, but can become a little bothersome. This grain seems to be at worst in some darker scenes, where it can be very annoying, but overlookable most of the time. I also found the print to be less clean than a new film should be, with frequent marks and other debris. Again, not a massive flaw, but worth a mention in a review, I think. The colors seem pretty bright though, no real problems there and flesh tones come off as normal, no distortion evident at all. The contrast seems a little dark, but not to the extent that detail is obscured, so no real complaints. This is still an above average transfer, but I guess I expected a little more from this release.
Audio: How does it sound?
As has become the norm with Dreamworks, this disc sports dual 5.1 surround tracks in Dolby Digital and DTS. This film doesn’t have a lot of powerful audio in the end, but the soundtrack allows a lot of room for the surrounds to work. The usual amped soundtrack is present, which is of course, a must for any teen aimed motion picture these days. The sound effects seem rather conservative most of the time, but some nice flares do surface at times, which provide some solid surround use. The mix never forces that though, so the mix has a very natural overall sound, which is good. The dialogue is sharp also, no problems with volume or clarity with this mix. I think the DTS has the edge as usual, but both tracks will give you more than your money’s worth. The disc also contains a 2.0 surround track and English subtitles, should you need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc also has a nice assortment of supplements, although there’s not an audio commentary track included. The disc houses a brief featurette hosted by Tom Green, which runs about like one of those made for cable promotional sports. It is fun to watch and all, but doesn’t have much in terms of insight or behind the scenes footage to speak of. The main draw here is a selection of deleted scenes, which are a lot of fun to watch. I wish there were even more included, but these are still worth a look, to be sure. You can also find two theatrical trailers for the film, some production notes, talent files, a music video from the Eels, and some DVD ROM content as well.
