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-Symon? 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
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, ?
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 Symon? is
apparently unable to break through the barrier
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. ?
Trip,? I?m afraid, is simply one of those films that was never meant to be
produced.
2 stars out of 5
