Arts & Entertainment
 

'Eurotrip' finds success

Dreamworks rehashes old formulas for raunchy comedic vacation

By Sarah Ohmer
The Daily Cougar

The producers made a satisfying profit from Road Trip and Old School, so they couldn't resist the temptation to force Eurotrip on the masses. And it worked just as well. A full house laughed its heart away at the stereotypical Europeans and clapped for more erotic adventures. 

The movie follows the consistently simple American Pie recipe -- a hot chick, a horny pre-college student, and a random objective for the sake of the plot. The shots of Europe remind you why you came to see this movie -- not to appreciate foreign cultures, but to get a good American laugh at what could happen on the other side of the ocean. Eurotrip bursts with the favorite Spring Break flavors -- beer, butts and boobs. And what better location than Europe for such a setting -- the land the Puritans left because of its steamy sex habits? 

It all starts on the Puritans' land, at a house party, where a daring young Cooper (Jacob Pitts) fools a recently graduated blonde into taking her bikini top off -- herself -- and stroking her left breast. Oh yeah. And the crowd goes wild in the theater. That sums up the movie well enough.

Follow the pre-med Scotty (Scott Mechlowitz), and pre-law Cooper on their quest to the Holy Grail -- Mieke, the foxy German from Berlin. They meet their naïve twin friends in Paris -- Jenny and Jamie (Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester) -- and agree to make the quest for the Holy Grail a collective one. Who shall receive the European sex first?

There are a few surprise appearances, like Vinnie Jones from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. He does a predictably threatening impersonation of a Hooligan in London. His short performances remind us why Guy Ritchie picked him in both of his movies, and how fortunate Eurotrip director Jeff Schaffer was to have him on his set. Even the warrior princess shows up. In the erotic jungle of Amsterdam she was promoted to queen of anal probings or Madame Vandersexxx. 

The rest of the cast consists of teens on the rise to stardom. Mechlowitz just graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles Conservatory Acting program with honors, and should show that UCLA taught him how to act in Mean Creek, an independent film he will co-star with Rory Culkin.

No more family movies for Trachtenberg. Harriet stopped spying and grew up to be twin sister Jenny, which may have been Inspector Gadget's fault. Many boys are surely happy to see her out of bland family movies and in flesh-baring big screen vacations. Pitts has already been seen in K-19: The Widowmaker, or Sex and the City, Law and Order. He should return to the authentic Broadway stage before he goes on another bad "trip." The last protagonist, Wester, comes fresh out of the small and onto the big screen. After an appearance in Teddy Bear's Picnic, this is Wester's first starring role. 

Besides the incredible potential for success displayed by the film's talented cast, this is also Schaffer's directorial debut. With help from his screenplay co-writers and longtime collaborators Alec Berg and David Mandel, he is able to bring this low-budget comedy into an area very favorable to success -- low-brow comedy with a professional touch.

The movie is not rated R for portrayal of drug use, but for portrayal of alcohol and impotent absinthe use. The Amsterdam coffee shop scene doesn't even occur in a coffee shop. The incest humor barely makes up for that, but the nudity satisfies the masses.

The Schaffer, Berg and Mandel writing trio boldly take casual sex to a new level. The confessional in the Vatican makes for innovative flesh shots.

From the Internet romance to the nudist Frenchmen, Eurotrip coaxes a satisfied grin out of many audience members, but will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of educated film watchers.

Eurotrip

Rated: R

Starring: Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg

Dreamworks Pictures

The verdict: As American as apple pie with accents and less cleanup.

Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu