“College Road Trip” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Fathers and Daughters
Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symone star in “College Road Trip,” a movie that focuses on that special relation ship between fathers and daughters. This is a sweet movie in the mode of “Father of the Bride” and Lawrence is able to be just as loving and sentimental as Steve Martin was.
In the film Lawrence plays Police Chief James Porter. His daughter Melanie (Raven-Symone) is seventeen and just about ready to graduate high school. Porter thinks she is going to Northwestern for her college years and that school; is only forty-five miles from their home. Melanie informs him she wants to consider Georgetown and that college is many miles away.
Coerced by his wife (Kym E Whitley) James agrees to take his daughter on a college road trip to look at some schools. This road trip turns into a disaster as one mishap after another occurs. The biggest is running into another father/daughter team, Doug and Wendy Greenhut (Donny Osmond and Molly Ephraim).
Most of the situations are funny, especially those involving Donny Osmond, but some are too far out – such as the pet pig wrecking a wedding party. The pig and Porter’s genius preteen son (Eshaya Draper) seem extraneous to the movie. There is also a musical sequence that is supposed to play to Raven-Symone’s fans that also seems forced.
The best parts of the movie are those which focus on the father/daughter relationship and the feeling of loss when a child grows up. These are the ones that give heart to the movie and make it most effective and entertaining.
Lawrence is best known for his R rated movies so having him in a G rated one is quite a surprise, but then he is surprisingly good in his role. He has good chemistry with Raven-Symone and that is key to the success of the movie.
Raven-Symone is bright, pretty and happy in her own skin. She is not some starved teen beauty but rather is a girl who looks like a teen-age girl could look. Her comedic skills are perfectly matched against Lawrence’s and the two make the emotional scenes really touching.
Osmond is the wild car. He bursts into the film like someone insane and makes every cameo appearance one to be enjoyed. He is so obnoxious you can’t help but hate him, but even when you are hating him you are waiting for his return.
It is rare when you get a chance to see a G rated movie that entertains, and this one certainly does. So gather up the family and have a “family night” with “College Road Trip.”
I scored “College Road Trip” an automated 6 out of 10.
