The Ugly Americans, Eurotrip Unseen (DVD Special Edition)
No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film.
Rating: 7/10
Running Time: 90 minutes
US Certificate: R UK Certificate: 15
On DVD
Eurotrip comes to us from the producers of Road Trip and a clutch of the writers from Seinfeld but it shares far more in common with the former than the latter. Its loud, its obnoxious, and more often than not its cringe-worthy in its all-out ignorance of European cultures and lifestyles. But, much more importantly than any of that, it also works surprisingly well, and for this reviewers money is actually funnier than many of the countless teen gross-out comedies it takes its lead from.
In an opening premise unashamedly similar to that of the afore-mentioned (and inferior) Road Trip, it stars Scott Mechlowicz as Scott, a High School graduate forced into an impromptu journey to set things straight with a lady. Accompanied by best buddy Cooper (Jacob Pitts) and brother-sister combo Jenny and Jamie (Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester), he heads for Germany to tell pen-pal Mieke (Jessica Boehrs) that now that he knows shes a babe, rather than a bloke he thinks shes the one. Its a ridiculous plot but hey, its an excuse to trek across the continent and poke fun at Johnny Foreigner in the process, so what the Hell, eh?
Clichés, stereotypes and downright inaccuracies abound, from Scotts insistence that England is an island and has no drinking age, to the Amsterdam sex dungeon, snooty French waiter and portrayal of Eastern Europe as a depressing, backward-thinking hole. Hell, theres even a German kid who dresses up as Hitler and goose-steps around his living room surely pushing the boundaries of taste and sensitivity just about as far as is humanly possible yet, somehow, the bulk of the gags hit the mark.
Of course, the plot is perennially of secondary-importance to the need to squeeze in as many belly-shakers and breast-barers as possible, to the point that when the thing is finally resolved it seems almost as if the screenwriters cant be bothered doing it properly. We dont get to see Scott explaining to the love of his life that hes spent most of the time hes known her thinking shes male, and neither do we get to see Meikes reaction to said explanation. But no matter just because its a no-brainer of a movie doesnt mean it fails to achieve its one and only aim, and thats to make us laugh.
It's Got: A London thats crawling with Manchester United fans so its not all inaccurate then.
It Needs: To be watched right through to the end of the credits if you dont want to miss out on some extra funnies.
DVD Extras This unseen edition of the flick contains an audio commentary, some out-takes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a short behind-the-scenes look at the filming of one particular scene set at a nudey beach. DVD Extras Rating: 0/10
Summary
This fun teen jaunt might not be worth a trip across the continent and back but it is worth a trip to your local DVD store.