I have to say this is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in quite a while. Everything worked for me, from the girl who’s looked at as just one of the guys until they notice she has breasts, to the soccer hoodlums who hate France, to the nude beach scene loaded with dangling penises. Sure there are naked breasts, but there is equal time spent on the male anatomy so it kind of evens things out in a twisted way. And the nudity isn’t just there for affect; it’s actually used only as a punch line or an integral part of a gag. So many dumb teen movies throw in a bare breast here or there to liven up an otherwise forgettable scene. “Eurotrip” throws them in, never missing a chance to cross the line of good taste, and yet it works so well. Lavishing praise on “Eurotrip” feels kind of weird, but it is seriously funny.
The producers of “Road Trip” and “Old School” are responsible for this wild comedy and it has their fingerprints all over it. “Eurotrip” follows Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz), a nice-looking kid who goes through a nasty break-up with his slutty girlfriend who’s apparently been sleeping around behind his back. After Scotty endures the public humiliation of having his ex’s sex life sung about at a graduation party (great cameo by a punked up Matt Damon), he decides to take off for Europe to track down his email pen pal, Mieke. Backtracking a bit to explain an important plot point, Scotty believed Mieke was a boy’s name and after slamming ‘him’ for suggesting a get-together, he discovers Mieke’s a hot-looking German girl. Grabbing his best friend Cooper (Jacob Pitts), Scotty takes off for Europe where they join up with the vacationing twins - Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Travis Wester). The four then embark on a trip across Europe encountering locals and exploring locales you won’t see displayed on any tourist brochures.
Though the entire movie pretty much had me laughing there’s one scene I walked out of the theater still shaking my head over. When people discuss this movie, it’ll be the mime scene that is chuckled over the most. Mimes kind of freak me out (as do clowns) but I’d be willing to watch a good hour or so more of Scott Mechlowicz doing battle with the disco-looking silver-toned mime. That was pure comedy and it was hilarious. I’m hoping the outtakes and any additional footage get included on the “Eurotrip” DVD.
Aside from the cameo by Matt Damon and brief appearances by Lucy Lawless (fab as a leather-clad dominatrix) and Vinnie Jones, the cast is young and unrecognizable, with the exception of Michelle Trachtenberg. Trachtenberg played Sarah Michelle Gellar’s much younger sister on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but with her bikini clad role as Jenny, she shows she’s ready to work her way into more mature roles. Having been a fan of “Buffy,” it was a little disconcerting seeing Trachtenberg play this character. I kept thinking the real-life 18 year-old was only 16-ish, so it took me a while into the movie to accept her as a graduating senior. But after getting past that, it was obvious she was right for the role. Her comic timing and physical comedy ability led the way for the cast of male newcomers, each of whom did a terrific job.
From the animated opening credits sequence depicting airplane passengers barfing on each other and sex acts by random strangers, “Eurotrip” thrills in delivering cheap shots and never misses an opportunity to pull off a sight gag. Going beyond the subgenre of raunchy teen-oriented comedies, first-time director Jeff Schaffer and his writing partners Alec Berg and David Mandel have given us an entertaining, no-holds-barred romp sure to be grabbed up when it hits video stores.
Finishing off this review, I realized this isn’t an in-depth review dissecting how scenes were shot, going over plot points that don’t really go anywhere, or discussing the socially redeeming value of this movie (there isn’t any). It’s pretty much a surface level review of a movie that’s not meant to do anything more than entertain for 90 some odd minutes. Sometimes, as in this case, that surface level entertainment is enough.
GRADE: B
"Eurotrip" was directed by Jeff Schaffer and is rated R for sexuality, nudity, language and drug/alcohol content.
ADDITIONAL "EUROTRIP" RESOURCES:
Interview with "Eurotrip's" Michelle Trachtenberg
Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts and Travis Wester Interview
"Eurotrip" Photos, Credits, Trailer and Websites
