ArtsEtc.

‘Road Trip’: No need to fasten seatbelt, journey slow

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 Northwestern University, not more than 40 miles from home and the best place for Chief Porter to keep an eye on daddy’s girl.

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, “College Road Trip” is not lacking in comedy, or at least the attempt at it. After all, it does star two talented comedians. But the tired and predictable comedic aspects of the film take a lot away from the enjoyability of the movie as a whole. Ultimately, it becomes nothing more than one of the mindless caricatures the Disney Channel has been churning out as of late. Walt Disney would be ashamed by the lack of creative work the company’s film producers have put out in the past few years, and “Road Trip” is no exception.

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 Hollywood has set before her. Given a chance to take on a more serious role, she definitely possesses the talent to succeed.

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. “College Road Trip,” I’m afraid, is simply one of those films that was never meant to be produced.

 

2 stars out of 5