Eurotrip
Release Date: February 20, 2004
MPAA Rating: R for sexuality, nudity, language and drug/alcohol content
Written and Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Travis Wester, Jessica Boehrs, Kristin Kreuk, Lucy Lawless, Joanna Lumley, Molly Schade, Jonathan Mankuta, Matt Damon (cameo)
Plot:
When the German pen pal that a high school student, Scott Thomas (Mechlowisz), has been using to help him get an "A" in German (by translating his homework over the Internet) for years suggests that they meet, the boy's reaction is to freak out, thinking that "Mieke" is a) a guy and b) some sort of older sexual stalker, looking for a young boyfriend. When he discovers to his delight that his pen pal is actually a cute fraulein (Bohrs), he and his best friend, Cooper (Pitts), who tries to con his summer internship boss into thinking he's still in America, fly to Europe, accompanied by twins Jenny (Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Wester), after graduation to meet her, in an exciting and sometimes wacky trip across Europe (London to Paris to Amsterdam), headed for Berlin.
Review:
The internet is something that is used quite often nowadays to get a date or just to meet someone in general. Scott Mechlowicz who plays Scott Thomas in Eurotrip does exactly this. After a few misunderstandings he begins to become good friends with a girl in Germany. They become so close over the internet that she insists on meeting him. Scott knows the German language somewhat, but he reads a message incorrectly and even thinks that its a male and not a female who he has been talking to all this time. Well, he makes a big mistake and then plans a trip with his friends to Germany. This is when the journey begins.
Scott's group of friends that tag along with him consists of two twins, male and female and another good friend of his. They find themselves having to go to London before Germany because the next flight to Germany is weeks away. Along with London, they visit Paris and other cities as well. All of their transportation is done by civilians that they meet. Scott does all of this just to take his mind off his girlfriend that dumped him and to have fun of course.
And who did his girlfriend dump him for? Matt Damon. I was surprised to see Mat Damon make a cameo appearance. He was the lead singer of a band and sings quite a humorous song. Before Scott decided to take the trip to Germany he had a girlfriend that dumped him. We find out that his girlfriend has been sex partners with Matt for a while.
That was a scene that I enjoyed and laughed, but that is something I can't say about Eurotrip entirely. Eurotrip lacked the way to deliver laugh-out loud comedy. There was none of that to be found here. Although there was plenty of chuckles and under the breath laughs, nothing stood out as a completely hilarious scene.
As far as the screenplay goes, they could have done a hell of a lot better. I can picture many more instances in which they could have been involved with in the countries. We had the pleasure of witnessing odd characters from a man that is continuously touching Scott wanting to get on top off him to a mad man that loves soccer and breaks beer bottles over his head with the help of Scott and his friend.
Its almost as if this film makes it seem like the majority in Europe are all about sex and that it is easy to get a date there. I'm not one to say about whether it is or not as I have never been to Europe, but I can certainly say that it is complete exaggeration what Eurotrip shows.
Eurotrip figured that while showing plenty of exaggerations, the audience would laugh and enjoy it. I'll have to respond with a no on that one. Not only does Eurotrip become stereotypical about the people in Europe, but they also show U.S. coins and dollars being worth a lot on certain cities. Yes, U.S. money is worth a good amount in other countries, but it is not holy, nor is it gold by any means.
With the teens only carrying somewhat over a dollar, they don't know what to buy with the last bit they have. Eurotrip transforms that bit of U.S. money into the teens buying themselves tuxedos, dresses, expensive dinners, facials and getting service like a filthy rich person. If there was an award for most stupid exaggeration of the year, the award would hands down go to Eurotrip. The fact that they went ahead and placed such an exaggeration in the film, makes it stupid and it is not comedy at all.
I have to mention that the overexposure of nudity was definitely aimed for teens. Not only for male teens this time, but female teens as well. Eurotrip is almost pushing the R rating it received because it definitely shows a hefty amount of sex and nudity. There is full frontal male and female nudity to be seen in the movie. It was all done for laughs, but instead it is merely a failed attempt at catching the crowd's attention.
At times, there is entertainment in Eurotrip, but for the most part it lacks completely in what it needs to make its genre succeed. This film should have gone a different route and should have planned the comedy more carefully. There are even plenty of situations in Eurotrip that are not funny at all and simply waste time. They failed in their immature jokes and this is a trip that seems fun for the tourists, but not fun for the audience.
Eurotrip delivers in a disapointing matter and for laughs you can go elsewhere. Everything is completely forgettable and lame. I wouldn't say Eurotrip is a bad movie, but it certainly isn't far from being bad. There is just nothing that stands out in Eurotrip and it certainly doesn't deliver in the laughs department.
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