EuroTrip

Okay, I admit it. Sometimes I enjoy dumb comedies, like "Police Academy" or "Joe's Apartment". And this is nothing if not a dumb comedy.

This type of film--the teen sex comedy--is precisely the sort of movie professional critics love to hate, instead recommending that we see artsy, coma-inducing independent, documentary and/or foreign-language films. But let's face it: "Animal House" was better than "Eraserhead". "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was better than "Babette's Feast". "American Pie" was better than "The Crying Game". And "Eurotrip" is better than "Capturing the Friedmans".

Now, since my favorite movies include "The Godfather", "Citizen Kane" and "Vertigo", you may ask why I liked this picture. Is it well-acted? No. Isn't the script stupid? And how. Is there any socially redeeming value? I couldn't find any. Isn't it xenophobic? Uh-huh. Doesn't it portray women as merely sex objects? Yep. Isn't it awfully crude? Yewbetcha. But what makes this film worth watching is quite simple: It's funny.

Granted, there's no greatness here. You will not see anyone as funny or talented as John Belushi, Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Cameron Diaz, Eugene Levy or Will Ferrell here. The only cast members with any real acting or comedic mettle are Matt Damon and Fred Armissen, who only make brief cameos. On the other hand, you won't see anyone as gut-wrenchingly awful as Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Tom Green, Seann William Scott, or Ashton Kutcher.

There's not much plot to speak of. A nice guy (Scott Mechlowicz) who has just graduated high school goes on a trip to Europe to find the girl of his dreams, a Berliner named Mieke (Jessica Boehrs) and takes along his three best friends: a lazy ne'er-do-well looking for kinky sex like in European erotica (Jason Pitts), a girl looking for romance like in European novels (Michelle Trachtenberg) & a nerd looking for museums like in European travel brochures (Travis Wester). Along the way they run into all the various European stereotypes: thuggish Brits, pretentious French, perverted Italians, desperately poor Eastern Europeans, etc.

Yet as crude and xenophobic as this movie can sometimes be, it is never anything but good-natured. I never got the sense that the filmmakers displayed any ill will towards the peoples they were lampooning. And I must say, for as much sex and nudity as there is in this movie (and there's a whole lot of it), the biggest laugh I got was a PG-rated battle of the robot mimes in Paris, which may be the only scene in the movie that can be shown un-edited on TV.

Although this may not be great art, or even great comedy, "Eurotrip" is a terribly crude, but awfully funny movie. 7 out of 10.

Every now and then comes a teen-comedy in which the plot and plot twists are so predictable that they drag the whole movie down. This is not one of those, because while Eurotrip is certainly cliché, it is simultaneously hilarious and well worth the watch. The film has some very cheesy moments and within the first ten minutes you will probably be able to guess who ends up with whom in the end and which character goes through the biggest development.

However, none of this matters because sometimes comes a joke in Eurotrip that is just so funny it takes your breath away. This is stuff like a creepy Italian man on the train with the American teens as they travel through Europe, and all of his lewd passes as the train enters a tunnel. Or, the fact that two of the Americans--the two twins--get so wasted that they make out with each other. Or Vinnie Jones as a Mancunian football hooligan. And lastly, we have a Matt Damon who shaved his head to sing in a band specifically for this film. If stuff like that doesn't promise an awesome movie, nothing does. 7/10

First off this movie is definitely not for families. There are some scenes that some might not like or depending may find offensive but I found this movie funny, even today it still makes me laugh.

It's no academy award winner but no one is asking it to be. It's a funny, at times raunchy comedy that knows what it is and delivers that comic escape from a world that lately has gone insane quite well.

For so many years I've been thinking, WHY did they have to travel to Europe to meet Mika in person?

Mika blocked Scotty's email address, but he could've just made a new one, email her back and apologize. The end, movie would've been over in 15 minutes LMAO.

Anyways, back then I was in high school when I started watching this and I wanted to try to live like them, so I traveled to Europe to "have fun" during my university years, however, I was hit with a harsh reality that nobody wants to be with a broke male college student, so I ended up just disappointed. Might sue the movie producers later idk.

Comedies like this is hard to rate. It's a bad movie, technically, acting-wise and in many other aspects. But it's funny, no denying that. After all, isn't that what comedies are about?

You would think a comedy like this would appeal only to Americans, but you are wrong. I know Germans, Aussies, Swedes and Hollanders who like this movie. I'm sure there are Brits, Italians, Eastern Europeans and Balkans who like it as well. You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

What the movie is about is a bunch of typical teens going for a little quest through Europe in search of the dream girl. Nothing new here. The misadventures on the way, the xenophobic jokes and stereotypes and odd characters are what you laugh at. Vinnie Jones as a crazy ManU supporter, Rade Serbedzija as a Bratislavian truck driver, and many other not that well- known actors doing silly and memorable roles.

Some scenes work, some don't. Some are really funny, like the robot battle outside the Louvren, and the Italian pervert smoking a post-sex cigarette. Matt Damon turns up somewhat unexpectedly in the USA and sings the catchy "Scotty doesn't know" song.

All in all, this is a great comedy to watch with your friends, and even better in international company.