It seems like an eternity ago that Martin Lawrence was considered an edgy comic. Nowadays, the actor is all too predictable, and his constant mugging is tiresomely corny. In this family comedy, Melanie (Raven-Symoné) eagerly looks forward to taking her first big step on the road to independence, planning a girls-only road trip to check out prospective colleges. But her overbearing father (Lawrence), who also happens to be the local police chief, insists on coming along, turning the dream excursion into a veritable nightmare. It's hard to understand the popularity of these “family road trip” movies that take a lowest-common-denominator approach to generating laughs, especially those that are slanted towards very young viewers (this film is actually rated G). Lawrence and Raven-Symoné, under Roger Kumble's direction, overreact outrageously to every situation, establishing a hysterical (as in insane, not funny) tone with the first minor crisis, and the decibel level only rises thereafter. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Roger Kumble and costar Raven-Symoné; the other with writers Emi Mochizuki and Carrie Evans), 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary (13 min.), “Raven's Video Diary” (10 min.), an alternate opening and ending (4 min.), “the music video for “Double Dutch Bus” performed by Raven-Symoné, “On the Set: Double Dutch Bus” behind-the-scenes footage for the music video (4 min.), a three-minute gag reel, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a bland family film.] (E. Hulse)
College Road Trip
Walt Disney, 83 min., G, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, July 15 Volume 23, Issue 4
College Road Trip
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: