Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jacob Pitts, Kristin Kreuk, Travis Wester
Director: Jeff Schaffer
You might think EUROTRIP is just another road movie filmed against some pretty European background but I would recommend you stop a minute and take another look because EUROTRIP might use some well worn ideas but it uses them in a fresh way that concentrates on the ideas themselves rather than the locations.
The story is very basic, Scotty Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz) has a long distance email relationship with a German girl, the gorgeous Mieke (Jessica Boehrs), whom he believes could be the girl for him and decides to go to Europe to meet her before they each start college. So he and a friend Cooper (Jacob Pitts) fly to Europe where they meet up with two other friends, twins Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Travis Wester) who are touring Europe during their summer break. Things however don’t go as planned and after ending up in the wrong country the four trail through Europe trying to catch up with the elusive Mieke.
A lot of the comedy in EUROPTRIP arises out of using old cliches about various aspects of European culture and if I were to describe any here they would certainly seem liked tired and used up material, a statement which immediately makes me think of some of the awful scenes in the movie JUST MARRIED. But where JUST MARRIED wasn’t much more than a travel brochure with some poorly executed attempts at comedy, EUROTRIP almost ignores its European locations and concentrates on playing its comedy out with good direction and some decent acting from all of its cast.
Also while all of the four leads have equal roles Michelle Trachtenberg will stand out to fans of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER where she played Buffy’s younger sister Dawn. In a way this is Michelle’s first adult role and as is noted in the film – she’s grown up in to quite a babe!
EUROPTRIP isn’t a laugh a minute film that will have you rolling in the aisles but does provide quite a number of worthy laughs and will keep you smiling throughout its duration.
