Watch American teens set free from high school and hungry for wild European sex — because America was founded by prudes — with a groovy-cool Euro-rock sound track and a better aftertaste than any American Pie. See Scott (Scott Mechlowicz) start out predictable, then transform his “freshly dumped” status into an impromptu odyssey of a lifetime in search of Mieke, the pen pal in Berlin, with his best friend Coop (Jacob Pitts). Hear Matt Damon sing (or at least mouth) a catchy headbanger, all pierced and fierce and having a blast. And beware of full frontal (and rear-al) male nudity, but it’s OK — remember? They’re in Europe.
Fresh from the producers of Road Trip and Old School, and — if you can believe it — the same writing crew that penned The Cat in the Hat screenplay, Eurotrip is a sexified comedy of delightful errors and running jokes that manages to stay funny all the way through while adorned with little touches of truth. If you’ve ever backpacked through Europe, you’ll empathize as a creepy Italian guy squeezes in between the American boys on the train, excusing himself as he accidentally gives Jamie (Travis Wester) a back rub, and you’ll recall those embarrassing episodes with exotic intoxicants in strange discotheques that didn’t seem like a crime against nature at the time. Waiting for trains, getting robbed, bonding with soccer hooligans, beating up French performance artists — all that good nostalgic stuff will come back up like a bad baguette.
Eurotrip delivers a savvy potty jocularity, probably because some of that European culture rubbed off on the penis jokes. It’s imbued with an acute attention to detail, caring and sensitive to our moviegoer needs. Like, for instance, intensifying a Euro-babe rendezvous with the hovering image of David Hasselhoff crooning a bewitching German ballad, and casting Lucy Lawless as Madame Vandersexxx, the strict yet lovable dominatrix Coop visits in Amsterdam’s red light district.
Too bad the film loses some steam as it gets close to the climax (and I mean climax), in an unnecessarily wacky Vatican shtick that gets too Dude, Where’s My Car? But I forgive it. Eurotrip won’t change your life, but at least you’ll happily bust out laughing through some of it, like a great trip with best friends and a couple of pints.
Anita Schmaltz writes about film for Metro Times. E-mail [email protected].
