College Road Trip [Blu-ray] Reviews

• Tell the driver that you're goin' to a Double Dutch Affair

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-08-26
  "But I have to be sure
  When I walk out that door
  Oh how I want to be free"
  (Lyrics by Queen)
  
  
  "I won't let you down
  So please don't give me up
  Because I would really, really love to stick around"
  (Lyrics by George Michael)
  
  
  
  Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
  
  1. Formulaic story about a possessive father, and a daughter who wants to break free and go to a college of her own choosing
  2. Martin Lawrence plays the same character he's been playing for years
  3. Ditto Raven-Symone
  4. Donny Osmond does "perky"
  5. The other actors don't do very much
  
  
  This movie is sweet in places, funny in others, dumb a little too often, and predictable in its entirety. That said, it's harmless G-rated fun, rated suitable fare for captive audiences on airplane flights that exceed 2 hours.
  
  To make a long story short, there are three things you'll remember from this movie:
  
  1. Raven-Symone's version of "Double-Dutch Bus"
  2. Donny Osmond
  3. The scene stealing pig (!)
  
  Recommended as a rental when young `uns are going to be watching.
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, August 25, 2008
  
  
  

• College Road Trip - Good Movie For Families With Younger Kids, Check it Out!

  
  By A17BUUBOU0598B on 2008-03-08
  College Road Trip [Theatrical Release]
  
  College Road Trip is a slap-stick comedy that is a great movie to take your kids to, as long as they are young. The main criticism I have of this movie is about the marketing, since most kids that are college bound are probably too old for this. The jokes are very predictable humor. If your kids are older than 14, they will probably find this style of humor too childish for their tastes. In that way this movie is a missed opportunity for Disney to expand their market to all the older Martin Lawrence and Raven fans.
  
  If you've seen the trailers, you pretty much know the entire story. Dad (Martin Lawrence) takes daughter (Raven) on a road trip to check out colleges. Antics ensue.
  
  Martin's character is a very over-protective police chief who is a bit of a control freak. His daughter has long outgrown being daddy's little girl. He wants her to stay local for college, but she wants to go away.
  
  There's a genius younger brother and a pet pig to add the cute factor. There must be a lot of young geniuses out there because little brothers never have normal intelligence in movies or TV anymore, but I digress. Raven's friends are cliched teenaged valley girls who aren't even from the valley.
  
  Most people who initially may be interested in seeing the movie are either Raven fans or Martin Lawrence fans. Yet this movie was made for an audience of much younger kids.
  
  I am a huge Martin Lawrence fan and I think Raven is very talented and funny. But both of them were under used in this movie. Martin Lawrence is frequenty upstaged by his co-stars, and Raven does a good job but doesn't have the best lines. In fact, Will Sasso, Donny Osmand, his daughter, and the pig are the highlights of this movie. And they don't have enough scenes to make this movie really funny for adults.
  
  Young kids from 5 to 12 or 13 will love the jokes. College bound kids will find themselves wondering why they called this "College Road Trip" when it's clearly designed for kids that aren't even out of grade school.
  
  Overall, this movie is somewhat disappointing. It could have been so much more with the cast that they collected here. If you've got a group of young kids and want to take them to a fun and wholesome Disney movie, this is it. If you're kids are college bound, or even high school sophomores, they probably would rather see something else.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
  

• Papa, Can You Drive Me?

  
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2008-03-12
  There's a sequence in "College Road Trip" in which a pig destroys a wedding because it's hopped up on coffee beans. This is soon followed by Raven-Symoné leading a busload of Asian tourists in a rendition of "Double Dutch Bus." Near the end of the film, Symoné and Martin Lawrence become on-the-spot skydivers; they land in a golf course where they just happen to run into the man whose daughter's wedding was destroyed by the pig. I'd like to say that this material is expected of a G rated film, but is it really? It seems more likely that the filmmakers were just grabbing at comedic straws and hoping that something would come of it. I won't say that this movie is bad, because I'm well aware that it's aiming for younger audiences. But it definitely isn't trying very hard; the theme is transitioning into adulthood, but the sense of humor is the kind only young children can appreciate.
  
  The plot: seventeen-year-old Melanie Porter (Symoné) wants to attend Georgetown Universtiy in Washington D.C., but her insanely overprotective father, James (Lawrence), wants her to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is only a forty-mile drive from their home just outside of Chicago, and as a police chief, he believes that such a short distance will keep his daughter safe. Besides, he had been planning this for her ever since she was born. He's clearly a control freak, which is partly why Melanie wants to go to a far-away college. But there's more to it than that: she wants to study law. Unbeknownst to James, a judge visiting her high school promised to arrange an interview for her at Georgetown. Also unbeknownst to James, Melanie and her friends had planned a road trip that would end up in Washington D.C. When he learns of all this, he decides to take Melanie on his own version of a road trip; hopefully, he can convince her that Northwestern is the best possible choice.
  
  The comedic hijinx begin almost as soon as the trip. At the first stop--Northwestern--Melanie quickly discovers that her father staged an elaborate scheme; tour guides, students, and faculty all tell Melanie that Georgetown is a violent place. One person says that her father is smart and cool. After this fiasco, James' car gets a flat tire in the middle of the woods, and from this we discover that his brainy young son--Trey (Eshaya Draper)--has stowed away, along with his pet pig, Albert (who James doesn't trust; he calls him Houdini Pig). James jacks the car too far up, causing it to roll down a hill and into a ditch. They then stay at a hotel where the abovementioned wedding is being held. They then meet the father/daughter duo of Doug and Wendy Greenhut (Donny Osmond and Molly Ephraim), who are also on a college road trip. They happily drive James and Melanie to a bus station. Actually, "happily" is not a strong enough word here--they take perky to a level I don't care to describe.
  
  Naturally, Melanie and James start reconnecting as the journey continues. But more importantly, James begins to realize that Melanie is no longer his precious little girl; he has to take the steps to let her go so that she can live her own life. Unoriginal, yes, but I think we all know that issues of love and trust play major roles in any such story. We even get the obligatory advice from Melanie's grandmother (Ametia Walker), required by the unspoken laws of family films to understand her granddaughter's frustration. None of that bothered me. What did bother me were scenes that took the comedy to unnecessary heights. Example: after sneaking into a sorority house to spy on Melanie, James is tasered by the sorority mother and arrested. Why did this scene have to be in the movie? Do you think young kids would find that funny? How many young kids actually know what a taser gun is? I suppose it may be more than I think, and that's sad when you stop and think about it.
  
  Moments like that are genuinely bad. Everything else about the film is just mind-numbingly routine, offering nothing new in the way of character, theme, setting, or resolution. The best that can be said is that the actors look like they're having fun. This is especially true of Donny Osmond, who hams it up so thoroughly that it's more or less convincing. Raven-Symoné seems to be in her element, but that isn't saying very much since her resume is largely composed of "That's So Raven."
  
  I think by now you get the point I'm trying to make. Most films like this suffer because the filmmakers don't know how to handle the material; they make them too goofy or too sappy or too crazy, even when the story doesn't call for it. I didn't get that feeling from "College Road Trip"--it seemed like the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing. That's fine, I guess, as long as you don't mind family films that are zany, sickly sweet, and predictable. I can pretty much guarantee that kids will enjoy this film, if not for its message, then for the delight of watching the adult characters do silly things. The pig will also get some laughs out of the little ones. Let's face it--the pig is damn cute. Parents, on the other hand, will get almost nothing from the film, save for a couple of tender moments between Lawrence and Symoné. "College Road Trip" is only as good as it wanted to be, a fancy way of saying it didn't want to be very good at all.
  
  

• "That's A Great Dad" ~ Calculating The Distance Between Here And Far From Home

  
  By A141HP4LYPWMSR on 2008-07-18
  `College Road Trip' released in '08 is another slick Walt Disney Production that offers its audience 83 minutes of amusing and harmless, albeit mindless family entertainment that any self respecting adult should not be watching unless in the presence of a child under the age of 10. The scenarios are predictable and unoriginal and yet there's still enough magic in the old Disney vault to somehow make it work nonetheless.
  
  I hate to say it but in my opinion the best sequences in the film revolve around the life-sized grinning Cheshire cat better known as Donny Osmond. His totally insane, off-the-wall performance was so far out there that it added a surreal atmosphere to an otherwise ordinary storyline.
  
  Watch this one with a room filled with children. At least you'll enjoy seeing them have a good time even if you don't.
  
  

• Avoid. Even for fans of Lawrence/Raven/Osmond/Disney/pigs, this movie is a waste.

  
  By A3LOXOMPX3ZPRK on 2008-03-24
  Lar-ry-view:
  This film is awful, how many ways are there to say it? It's a waste of time to watch, and a waste of time to review.
  
  I love Martin Lawrence, Donny Osmond, Disney, and good G rated films, but this is just a bad movie.
  
  I knew it was bad from the very start, when the mock-trial featured high school students with clown like wolf and pig noses rubber banded to their faces. It got worse from there.
  
  I would have walked out after the first twenty minutes, but I forced myself to watch the whole movie so that I could see all of Donny's appearances. His performance is OK, more of the nerdy white guy schtick. There is about one funny joke in the entire movie, and Donny gets that at the very end. But nothing could be worth that wait. It's such a shame to see Donny's immense talent and charm absent from the screen for 30 years, only to surface in this wasteland. I'm glad to see him on the screen and his name in the credits, but I can't see how this is a good career move for him. Also, I wish he would be proud of his white style and awesome 1970s accomplishments, rather than trying to show that he's hip enough to recognize that he's nerdy. Trying to prove you're cool by showing that you recognize how uncool you are seems to be silly.
  
  Why does Disney schlock out these supremely lame live action movies? With such masterful dramatic treatment of stories like Alice in Wonderland and The Little Mermaid, they have shown they know how to make a great story. It's sad.
  
  The pig is a complete waste. If you are entertained by a pig walking on to the screen, then it might be ok. Except for one feature scene where he gets hopped up, that's all he does. The Einstein little brother is a complete waste. The wife is a complete waste. The crazy grandma is a complete waste. Basically I'm just compulsively typing to say that almost nothing works in this movie on any level.
  
  There's one funny sequence where the GPS system takes them out to the wilderness. I've had that experience with GPS, many times.
  
  Raven gives us one good performance of "The Double Dutch Bus," and Donny gets one funny joke. Other than that, this film is horrible. For the last half hour I was fidgeting and internally screaming "I can't take it anymore!" Boy was I glad when it was over.
  
  
  
  
• Great Movie For The Whole Family!
  By A2FJKM50AYXYHQ on 2008-03-29
  This movie stars Raven-Symone and Martin Lawrence, in probably one of the best Family events of the year. Martin's humor, Donny's humor, Raven's great acting, and the pig, make this movie a must-see. It is really a great film, and close to the end, it becomes one of those movies that are cry worthy...
  
  
• Please stop trying to sound smarter than you are, STOP hating African Amercian comedians!!!!
  By A36ES5G5K6R3DB on 2008-05-09
  First off, anybody who does not like this movie either
  1. Does not have a family.
  2. Does not have a daughter.
  3. Has been a Martin Lawrence hater in the past because he does not make "As funny" movies as he use to.
  
  Look I do not care what anybody else says or thinks about this movie because obviously I have a different opinion. If you are not a person with family, or does not get a different type of humor other than your everyday normal corny jokes, then do not watch this movie, it is not for you. I mean seriously one reviewer said tha Donnie Osmond was the highlight with one good joke at the end, are you that stuck on past not funny people? The movie has many funny moments from the start of the movie when Dad is trying everything you would never even think of to keep his daughter as close to home as possible for college, until the end where there is a very funny ending that anybody could relate to. If you appreciate a good family movie that you and your kids can enjoy together, have a few laughs at a Dad losing his daughters expense, and like to see cute animals do somewhat funny things, then this is the movie for you. I saw this movie about 2 weeks ago, and I thought it was a pretty good movie, not GREAT, but good. It had my kids laughing AGES:4,6,and 8 months. And even my wife loved the movie, and she is a hard sell sometimes with the movies. Just have an open mind and do not EXPECT anything from this movie, just watch it and enjoy.
  
  
• Want to Laugh Out Loud? GET THIS MOVIE!
  By A2LP0LS52619XV on 2008-07-11
  I enjoyed this movie so much when it was in theaters and I can't wait to see this again.... I laughed so much! It made me feel better after a hard days work. I would even so my parents this because in a way .... THIS TELLS EXTACT how I feel about college and the NEED to GET AWAY from HOME! Donny Osmond was the Best PART, even tough, I like Raven and Martin. I truly think you should consider purchasing this movie... I truly can't wait for a second one with these two families.
  
  
  
• What was Donny Thinking?
  By A35GK9DHB15M0T on 2008-07-18
  I guess a pay check is a paycheck and Donny has earned the right to work on what ever tickles his fancy at the time, I understand it was a great time on the set. Personally, I think Donny should stick to singing, live shows and musical theater. It looked like he was having a great time and it was wonderful to see him on screen and to see his name in the credits but the movie was a real stinker. Not my type of film or humor. I gave it three stars because Donny is in it.
  
  
• College road trip..
  By A33PNAQ33DGBJG on 2008-07-24
  A cute family movie. Of course, hollywood has to protray the parent being over protective when the should be making the parent look like they LOVE their child! Any decent parent is not hopping at the bit to get rid of their kids! Anyway, I think they bring out the best on both sides and make it a bit funny.
  
  No foul language (which is surprising from Martin lawrence) and a good story to top it off. I can recommend it to the whole family.
  
  
• Great Family Film!!!
  By AI69U88HXU9LC on 2008-04-05
  I definitely love COLLEGE ROAD TRIP.
  
  Despite, it is sort of a Children movie, even though it deals with College, the movie is a great movie for all ages, and families!
  
  Plus Raven-Symoné makes this movie all better!!!!
  
  
• A Movie You Have To See!!
  By on 2008-07-16
  College Road Trip is my favorite movie in the world. (One of them, at least.) Every child or grown up would probably love it. It's not about the usual "high school." The characters are different. This is a great and unique movie.
  
  
• College Road Trip
  By A6X09NS5V1LU4 on 2008-07-17
  I just loved this movie its the best clean movie in a long time im a big Donny Osmond and Raven Fan so his movie was just what i needed for my collection of dvds .
  
  
• Family Movie With Hidden Treasures!
  By A1FWFCJU2G7TRA on 2008-07-18
  What to watch with teens and preteens in the house? This movie did the trick! A 12 year old and 16 year old enjoyed the funny jokes, pig antics and songs. The acting is "Disney" over the top but very enjoyable. There are some fun references to past Disney faves such as "Father of the Bride" and "Flubber". A fun scene with Martin Lawrence has him doing the John Belushi ladder scene from "Animal House". Loved Donny Osmond. Not a bad way to spend an evening in front of the TV!
  
  
• A Fine, Fine Film
  By A6OCA1EWM0EQX on 2008-07-26
  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Raven is a doll. Martin is Martin in a G-rated version. I like the way they interact and I am glad to see a movie with a clean-cut black family. I like the fact that there is a Mom and Dad that seem to love each other and their children. This movie can be related to by all families. It gives a person hope that there are still decent people living decent lives.
  
  
• Great fun
  By AZU5C4GXRP8G3 on 2008-06-04
  This movie was really good. I took my two daughters and they really loved it. They then took their dad. He liked it as well.
  I am very surprised by some of the reviews. I have seen some really bad movies(Napolean Dynamite comes to mind), but this one is sweet, a bit over the top, but still funny. I will be buying this movie as soon as it comes out. My girls 14 and 11 want to have a sleepover and watch this with their friends.
  
  
• Martin's the man
  By A1NIGUK4M2ST8 on 2008-07-17
  Another road trip with Martin Lawrence ("Nothing to Lose") but this time G-rated, Disney, no language,and lots of family fun. Of course, it's predictable and full of slapstick, but what do you expect from this genre?
  
  Martin Lawrence is hilarious- he has the expressions and voices down for every situation; my 5 year old loved the pig; Donny Osmond appears to have the time of his life as the over the top, "Sound of Music" singing, annoying, white guy with his equally, grating family. Raven sings and revs up a busload of Asian karoke lovers, and she and Lawrence bring just the right amount of daddy-daughter sentiment to score with knowing parents.
  
  Take the trip, enjoy the laughs and leave your daily worries behind, at least for now, that is, until your daughter heads off to college.
  
  
  
• The college road trip
  By A6QMHYK4GISET on 2008-07-19
  A Walk Through Life College road trip is silly and way over the top!
  
  Synopsis
  Choosing which college to attend can be the most exciting and thrilling time of a young womans life ... unless your overprotective father isnt quite ready to let you go. In this family comedy, Melanie (Raven-Symoné) is eagerly looking forward to her first big step towards independence when she plans a girls only road trip to check out prospective universities. But when her overbearing police chief father (Martin Lawrence) insists on escorting her instead, she soon finds her dream trip has turned into a nightmare adventure full of comical misfortune and turmoil.
  
  D A Poole.
  
  
  
• Classic Disney Fun!
  By A84FLVDK2R5JF on 2008-08-07
  Disney has always had a unique way of entertaining while teaching life lessons in their films, and College Road Trip is no exception to that rule!
  
  Disney's College Road Trip tells the story of a battle for independence between a loving but protective father and his teenage daughter. Disney Channel favorite, Raven-Symone (TV's "That's So Raven," "Cheetah Girls"), stars as Melanie Porter, an overachieving high school student with her heart set on attending Washington D.C.'s Georgetown University. Martin Lawrence (Wild Hogs), turns in a great performance as the overbearing dad who wants her to stay closer to their Chicago home -- and will literally do whatever it takes to keep her there!
  
  As the familiar Cinderella Castle is displayed and the film starts rolling, you know you are in for a great time! Martin Lawrence is at his best as the Dad who only wants the best for his daughter and Raven-Symone, and the rest of the cast (including Einstein the pig), keep everyone laughing from beginning to end.
  
  However, even throughout the terrific comedic laughter, Disney has a deeper important message -- once in a while too much love can sometimes drown out what your children are really saying.
  
  The film also hosts a variety of familiar actors and actresses from the Disney family including Donny Osmond, Brenda Song (Suite Life of Zack and Cody), and Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical).
  
  The College Road Trip DVD presents the film in both full screen (1.33:1) and also widescreen amaphoric (2.35:1). The DVD itself is also full of extras including an alternative opening and ending scene, along with Raven's "on the set video Diary" and the music video of "Double Dutch Bus", performed by Raven-Symone.
  
  College Road Trip is a great family film and hits close to home for parents having problems with letting their children grow up, which so many do because it is a very difficult task.
  
  
• WHERE does the TIME really go?
  By A19H1KSVMYKVHQ on 2008-08-18
  What a great movie this was. If this movie wasn't made by Disney I bet a lot more adults would actually admit that they liked this movie. Martin Lawrence is a wonderful actor, infact everyone did a great job in this film and I think they deserve more credit for how well they performed.
  
  To be honest I don't really see why any child under 13 would want to watch this movie, especially without their parents. It seems like this movie would be directed more to adults relating to this same problem of a child leaving the nest, or what this father thought was a problem, and of course the kids don't mind watching. Only because this movie was so, so, so, so, funny, I must have laughed atleast a dozen times, and I don't usually laugh that often while watching movies. Setting aside the comical spontaniousness all throughout the film it was very heartwarming and touching. I've never seen Martin Lawrence act so much like a father, and role model as he did in this movie. I was very surprised, I thought it would have been just as bad as the movie "Are we done yet?"
  
  I rented this movie on demand, but I think I'll buy it.
  
  
• Going to buy it...
  By A1S41XZ36HCUCP on 2008-08-30
  Just watched this with the family and loved it! Maybe because I can identify with the over-protective parent who didn't want their baby going off to college far away. Yes indeed, where does the time go? Martin Lawrence carries the movie with his humorous lines and gags. It's touching, funny, and you just might cry towards the end too. Donny Osmond and actress daughter deliver a lot of laughs too for their zaniness. Loved the ending!
  
  
• Great Family Movie
  By A6D6YZHYAVJYA on 2008-09-01
  The film may be formulaic and somewhat predictable, but I would hope that people watching it are looking for a lighthearted, enjoyable family movie vs. "Clockwork Orange". Sometimes you need to relax, enjoy a movie and be entertained.
  
  The relationship between a father and his overachieving daughter who is getting ready to depart for college hit on everything we went through with our older daughter (who is now headed to law school). Our 7 year old laughed through most of the movie - and loved the science minded younger brother with his pet pig. My husband (a military pilot who leans toward being overprotective) enjoyed the movie immensely, as did I.
  
  There are fun situations for everyone in the family; work relationships, silly things we do under the guise of protecting family, use/overuse of technology (GREAT GPS sequence!), poking fun at stereoypes of older family members, and sentimental songs of growing up (a fun version of Double Dutch Bus by Raven Symone). We see the parent's view, but also understand the teenager's view. Hard to beleive but we parents were teenagers at one time also!
  
  The pig is a somewhat nonsensical addition - but all in the name of fun.
  
  A very enjoyable movie!
  
  
  
  
• Awesome Family Fun!!!
  By AER15RIMV8E6D on 2008-09-09
  I thought this was a very good movie. It has a lot of funny scenes and some tender scenes between father and daughter. Melanie wants to go to Georgetown college, but her dad (Martin Lawrence) wants her to go to another one. They meet some weird characters on their trip, like the hyper-singing father and daughter. If you enjoy comedies and movies about parents trying to learn how to let their children go, you will love COLLEGE ROAD TRIP!!!
  
  
• Entertainment for all ages
  By A1JDT2VPCZVQW9 on 2008-09-09
  This movie is fluff, no doubt. Fluff that the little ones and grandma can watch together without anyone covering their ears. My husband and I watched this during a bad rainstorm. It was quite enjoyable. Donny Osmond is the true standout in this film. He does a nice parody of himself. Martin Lawrence as an overprotective dad didn't seem "okay" at first, but we got used to him. Raven hams it up, complete with a karaoke version of "Double Dutch Bus". The karaoke version was the most painful part of the film- the lyrics won't suit anyone under 4 years of age.
  
  There are some inaccuracies in this movie. For starters, sorority life in Omega Psi Lambda, supposedly at UPitt, is nothing like what it is in real life. There would never be 5 sisters home on a Saturday night. (Seriously, don't gloss over sorority life!) Second, Georgetown does not have any fraternities or sororities, so why include them in this movie? And, all of Georgetown's campus is wrong, wrong wrong!!!
  
  
  And how she physically arrives at Georgetown is way beyond believable. It wasn't even funny. Now, the Japanese tour bus, was odd but believable. Not so with the way she gets to Georgetown.
  
  Nevertheless, if there's nothing to do and you need a movie for the family, Disney's College Road Trip is a fine choice. Bula Bula!
  
  
  
• Over the river and through the woods to the Porter's house we go!
  By A2NMXYVQYTWMLD on 2008-09-22
  I saw this movie in the theatres last spring. And I knew I'd love it. This is probably the best Disney Movie since Mary Poppins. It's about a college bound girl Melanie Porter(Raven Symone) and her father (Martin Lawrence), who loves her so much that he won't let her go anywhere but Northwestern in Evanston, and they live in Chicago. Ironically I lived in Evanston when I was 3 and my Dad worked for Nortwestern Library.
  
  Towards the end of the movie the father realizes that Melanie has to know her own heart, and lets her go to Georgetown in DC. The scene where they drop her off at college makes me cry every time I watch it. I love the little song her friends sing when they bring her home for Thanksgiving.
  
  So by all means add this wonderful film to your collection, before it goes in the Disney Vault!
  
  

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