ARTSETC.
‘Road Trip’: No need to fasten seatbelt, journey slow
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by Amanda Beyer
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
There are many life-altering questions we all must face at
one point or another. One still vivid in our minds is where to go to college. While
many peruse colorful brochures and countless Google searches, others take a
more hands-on approach with a road trip to visit campuses of interest. Disney’s
“College Road Trip,” however, fails to capitalize on any of the well-traveled
genres its title invokes.
Melanie Porter (Raven-Symoné of the Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven”) has always been the
perfect daughter. She got good grades in school, she was polite, and she didn’t
go out and party — or so her father thought. Her father, Chief James Porter (Martin
Lawrence, “Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins”) is convinced that the perfect place
for his daughter is
All Melanie wants, however, is to gain some independence,
and after receiving an interview with the board of admissions at her preferred school,
Georgetown, a glimmer of hope seems to have finally arrived. What was supposed
to be an exciting road trip with her gal pals to visit the school quickly turns
into a nightmare when her father hears of her plans and decides to tag along.
It became a journey not only to find the perfect college but to heal a
relationship.
As you may expect, “
Younger audiences, namely the giggling group of girls that
carpool to the theaters for a weekend night out with their friends might enjoy this
latest Disney creation. The cute guys, feminine stereotypes and occasional
hilarity make it a great movie for these girls, but this was probably not what
was intended. The film is presumably aimed more at those leaving behind the
days of high school as opposed to entering them, but it instead caters to a
less mature audience.
It is a shame that a talented actor such as Symoné is
apparently unable to break through the barrier
Martin Lawrence, let’s not forget, is by no means
untalented. Yet even the greatest actor is doomed to fail if the script he
accepts is lousy. “
2 stars out of 5
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