(2004)
2
Jeremy Wheeler
By default, Eurotrip is bound to be lumped in with the countless other gross-out comedies of its time, which is too bad, since it's chock-full of as many outlandish gags as all of the third-string American Pie rip-offs combined (including the truly dreadful American Wedding). Written by three Seinfeld alumni, this teen flick plays by the rules for the most part: The leads are fairly standard, while the surrounding wacky side characters usually take the spotlight whenever there isn't wall-to-wall (and non-discriminating) nudity. What separates this one, however, is the brilliantly bizarre situations into which the characters seem to get themselves. Sure, all the laughs stem from a borderline bigoted viewpoint, but that's the whole point (something that would've been more clear if the movie had kept its original title, The Ugly Americans). The flick does have its downsides, namely that you'll have to wade through some shabby "been there, done that" plotting in between the big laughs, but if you're game, it'll all be worth it when the fireworks hit. (The scene with the kid and the markers is shockingly funny in the worst possible way.) In fact, it remains to be seen just how many will be truly offended by this rowdy romp; with everyone from the Pope to Nazis being up for grabs comedy-wise, Eurotrip has the chance to make a lot of its sensitive audience pretty angry -- though to be fair, it wasn't made for them. This is a hard R-rated teen flick full of juvenile and ridiculous material that the kids will no doubt eat up. At the very least, it's worth it for the early scene-stealing cameo from Matt Damon, which gives the film one of its heartiest laughs.
Eurotrip on AllMovie
Eurotrip (2004)
