College Comedy ‘Road Trip’ a Sophomoric Knee-Slapper

“Road Trip” marks the major studio debut for director Todd Phillipps and his co-writer Scot Armstrong, and it’s an auspicious, sometimes outrageous way to start. They’ve come up with an uproarious college comedy for DreamWorks, which is releasing it at the perfect moment, just as summer is nearing but before moviegoers are inundated with seasonal blockbusters.

Ivan Reitman produced “National Lampoon’s Animal House” 20 years ago, and “Road Trip”--which Reitman co-executive produced with Tom Pollock--continues that rowdy tradition.

During a tour of Ithaca College in upstate New York, someone complains to the guide, Barry (Tom Green), that the school seems a dull place; Barry replies by telling the amazing adventure that becomes the story line of “Road Trip.”

Barry, a sly cynic himself, has a pal Josh (Breckin Meyer) who has sworn to stay faithful to his girlfriend Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard). He’s known her since they were kids, but she’s gone off to college in faraway Austin, Texas.

The likable Josh is low-key in contrast to his aggressive friends and perhaps that’s why he attracts Beth (Amy Smart), a blond beauty who’s all but stalked by a nerdy, nasty philosophy department teaching assistant, Jacob (Anthony Rapp).

Josh succumbs to Beth’s charms but only after he hasn’t been able to get Tiffany to return his calls for several days; her evil roommate, instead of explaining that Beth’s unexpectedly away for her grandfather’s funeral, implies she’s dumped him. Josh also consents to Beth’s desire to videotape their encounter. One of Josh’s well-meaning pals mails the tape to Tiffany, mistaking it for another, gushy romantic tape Josh intended to send to her. So naturally with the weekend coming up, Josh and his buddies head out on a “road trip” to intercept the tape at Tiffany’s dorm before she can get her hands on it.

*

Phillips and Armstrong have thus cleverly set up a sturdy premise for all the shenanigans Josh and pals will encounter in their journey--an adventure that for all its hi-jinks is not without a maturing effect on everyone concerned. Along for the ride is E.L. (“American Pie’s” Seann William Scott), a fearless and unabashed hedonist; Rubin (Paulo Costanzo), more brainy than zany; and Kyle (DJ Qualls), a skinny, unprepossessing outcast cajoled into joining in because he has a car (it works out nicely for him; he’s exuberantly liberated along the way).

Meanwhile, Barry, who stays behind, has been charged with feeding white mice to Josh’s pet python. This duty sets up an elaborate and ultimately gratifying gag, but the filmmakers dwell too long on Barry enjoying holding up a little mouse by its tail, squirming to get free; one relatively quick dangle of the mouse should be enough before Barry gets his comeuppance as a tormentor. It suffices to say that just about everything you might imagine happening to the travelers on the road does happen--and then some, much of it raunchy and inspired by films such as “American Pie,” “There’s Something About Mary” and even “Porky’s.”

*

“Road Trip” is consistently funny, but, to be sure, it’s undergraduate-guy humor, hilariously gross and sometimes unfeeling. Yet on the whole it works because its over-the-top humor is supported by the filmmakers’ ability to view life with a clear-eyed lack of sentimentality. They recognize that life is full of treacherous villains and poke tart fun while cheering on those daring to overcome every obstacle in pursuit of their goals.

Even so, some women will not see “Road Trip” as the thigh-slapper most men of all ages will. Smartly produced and consistently lively, the film shows its young actors to terrific advantage, and there is every reason to expect that “Road Trip” will jump-start their screen careers.

* MPAA rating: R, for strong sexual content, crude humor, language and drug use. Times guidelines: The film is especially strong in the gross-out humor of its genre, plus there are liberal doses of nudity and implied cruelty to animals.

‘Road Trip’

Breckin Meyer: Josh

Seann William Scott: E.L.

Amy Smart: Beth

Paulo Costanzo: Rubin

DJ Qualls: Kyle

Tom Green: Barry

A DreamWorks Pictures and the Montecito Picture Co. presentation. Director Todd Phillips. Producers Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck. Executive producers Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock. Screenplay by Phillips and Scot Armstrong. Cinematographer Mark Irwin. Editor-associate producer Sheldon Kahn. Editor Peter Teschner. Music Mike Simpson. Costumes Peggy Stamper. Production designer Clark Hunter. Art director Max Biscoe. Set decorator Traci Kirshbaum. Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.

In general release.