Eurotrip DVD Review:

Dumped at his high school graduation by Fiona (Kreuk), Scott (Mechlowicz) gets completely drunk and staggers home. Semi-conscious he receives an e-mail from his German pen pal Mike saying he would like to come to America and arrange to meet him. Scott panics as his best friend Cooper (Pitts) had told him this would happen and that his pen pal is probably an internet pervert, so he sends the German a not very complementary reply and passes out. He awakes to find his brother reading his e-mails and laughing because for all their correspondence he had never realised that Mike was in fact Mika, a very sexy German babe. Now he had to get to Berlin to find her and sort it out before he lost his chance at happiness. The problem is that getting to Europe isn’t going to be easy without a little help from his friends.

Gross out comedies seem to be the only domain of the American teen movie but could Eurotrip be any different? Well, no.

While not the most original movie to ever grace the silver screen, Eurotrip does provide many a laugh for your hard earned cash. Coming from the producers of ‘Road Trip’ and ‘Old School’ this doesn’t really push the genre to any new levels but it does still entertain. The humour suitably placed very much at the toilet level and never raises its head above the bowl but there are times when you cannot help but laugh out loud as the hapless American students come face to face with a whole new continent.

The performances from the four leads are good. Scott Mechlowicz makes his break into the big time as our leading man. He plays Scott just right as a naïve, trusting friend who never does anything adventurous until he is forced to come out of his skin and take a few risks. Jacob Pitts is ‘Mini David Spade’. The young actor is a carbon copy of the Saturday Night Live veteran right down to his hairstyle, mannerisms and voice. It is uncanny. The only difference is that Eurotrip is better than any movie David Spade has ever starred in. Michelle Trachtenberg leaves Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer behind to become Jenny, the girl the boys don’t notice until she hits those European beaches. Anyone who has seen the series will know that she is a good actress but her she shows a flair for comedy. Travis Webster is good as uber-geek Jamie, who finally comes out of his shell during the trip after a visit to Amsterdam.

Besides from the four leads the movie is filled with really funny cameos. Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk is girl who breaks Scott’s heart and a brilliant Matt Damon is the man she leaves him for. This is an excellent comic term by Damon and he really looks the part as the lead singer of a rock band. Xena herself Lucy Lawless plays a Dutch dominatrix and surprise, surprise Vinnie Jones plays a English football hooligan but the joke is that he is a Manchester United fan with a really broad London accent. Joanne Lumley also makes an appearance as a manager of a youth hostel.

Eurotrip might not be the most original movie in the teen gross out comedy genre but when are they ever. There is enough here to keep you pleasantly amused for the duration and with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments there is more to like than dislike about the film. Now where is my passport?

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is very good, as you’d expect from a modern movie. The picture quality is sharp throughout, even during the darker nightclub scenes. The sound quality is also very good, with the energetic soundtrack and Matt Damon’s “Scotty Doesn’t Know” filling the speakers.

BONUS FEATURES

Party Along Commentary
Writer/Director Jeff Schaffer and fellow writers Alec Berg and David Mandel design a drinking game around their commentary for Eurotrip. Drinking every time a character drinks or swears and when there is any nudity or sexual references, the trio get more and more drunk as the track progresses, leading to many a funny moment. The track starts off as normal, covering how the movie was put together, location shooting, casting and deleted scenes. As the alcohol continues to flow, the track transforms into a just a group of friends have a laugh and getting drunk. This is a great approach to a commentary that really mirrors the fun of the movie.

Gag Reel (5.28 mins)

A montage of gaffs and goofs featuring the many mistakes made by Vinnie Jones, Lucy Lawless and all of the main cast.

Deleted Scenes (17.55 mins)

Thirteen scenes that didn’t make the final cut entitled “What do we do with our clothes?”, “Chess with the soccer hooligan”, “Morning Train”, “French Waiter”, “Cooper photographs his junk”, “Cooper hits on Jenny”, “Amsterdam Youth Hostel”, “Stripping on the Autobahn”, “Hapi Djus Commercial”, “Summer at Sea/walk to the Vatican”, “Vatican Fireplace”, “Confessional Sex and “American Robot Man”. Highlights include Michelle Trachtenberg on the Autobahn and Joanna Lumley running a Youth Hostel. A commentary track or introduction should have been included however, as we don’t find out why some of these good scenes were removed.

Alternative Ending (2.42 mins)

Watch the ending of the film that isn’t as happy as the original

Nude Beach Exposed (6.14 mins)

Writer/Director Jeff Schaffer and fellow writers Alec Berg and David Mandel take you behind the scenes of the German Nude Beach scene. The trio talk about the comedic potential of the naked male ass and how the cast coped with forty nude Germans chasing them.

How to pick a director (1.32 mins)

Writer/Director Jeff Schaffer and fellow writers Alec Berg and David Mandel reveal how they chose who should be the director of the movie because the Director’s Guild of America who not let them all direct the movie.

Eurotrip Bootleg (3.39 mins)

Writer/Director Jeff Schaffer and fellow writers Alec Berg and David Mandel review a pirated, camcorded version of Eurotrip they bought on their travels.

The Music of Eurotrip (7.12 mins)

Your chance to watch the full video for “Scotty doesn’t know” and a sing-a-long version

Photo Gallery
A collection of behind the scenes and promotional images from the film

OVERALL

DreamWorks have produced a decent DVD for the comedy release. The commentary track is excellent and some of the deleted scenes are extremely funny and should have been included in the film. The lack of a dedicated making of… featurette and commentary on the deleted scenes let’s the disc down however but the rest of the features more than make up for it. A good buy for fans and well worth a trip to rent it for everyone else

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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