Eurotrip Ain't For Prudes

Release date: February 20, 2004
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Travis Wester

When you get over Eurotrip's initial homophobia — protagonist Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) freaks out because he thinks his German penpal is a guy making a pass at him — it's surprising how likeable and funny a movie about a dorky kid and his quest for sex can be.

Most movies that are slotted into the teen comedy genre have at least one character — usually a horny jock — dishing out mean-spirited jokes and jabs. But the four main characters in Eurotrip are kinda nerdy and sweet, which lends charm to the gags. As good-natured as it is, director Jeff Schaffer (along with the rest of the team responsible for Old School and Road Trip) returns to the heyday of the adolescent romp, loading the movie with tits, booze and full frontal male nudity. But where it would be obvious to spend much of the movie showing Scotty getting stoned in Amsterdam, they dwell more on his initiation into a gang of soccer hooligans, with much funnier results than you'd get by showing him enjoying his first spliff.

It's probably obvious to say that Eurotrip's plot is as flimsy as the many bikinis worn throughout the film, but what would you expect from a movie with the tagline, "No Europeans were harmed in the making of this film?" For what it's worth, Scotty is a nice boy unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend on the day of his high school graduation. Upon realizing that his German penpal is a hot girl, he and his smarmy friend Cooper (Jacob Pitts) embark on a trip to Europe to find her. Along the way, they hook up with their twin friends Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Travis Wester), who originally intended to spend the summer enjoying Old World cathedrals and castles. The foursome treks across Europe with a Frommer's guide and a nose for adventure.

Regional stereotypes are painted with broad strokes and it's likely a lot of people will be offended by one element or another, but the typecasting is so outrageous that it's pretty obvious that it has no basis in reality. Besides, Fred Armisen as a creepy guy on a train wearing sock garters and affecting an Italian accent that sounds like his Venezuelan accent — and his New York accent, for that matter —is pretty great by any comedic standards.

Eurotrip isn't a cinematic feast for the senses and it's probably not something anyone needs to see more than once — except to play a game of Spot-Matt-Damon in an near-unrecognizable cameo appearance — but as far as gag movies go, this one is way more successful than not.