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COLLEGE ROAD TRIP
Reel Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Reels Cast: Raven-Symone, Martin Lawrence, Brenda Song, Kym E. Whitley, Adam LeFevre, Donny Osmond, Molly Ephraim SYNOPSIS: This family-friendly flick stars Raven-Symone, Lucas Grabeel, and Brenda Song, all Disney Channel stars that kids know and love. Raven-Symone plays Melanie Porter, a college-bound teen who’s desperate to get out on her own and away from her controlling cop-dad (Martin Lawrence). When the two end up on a road trip with her little brother and his pet pig, chaos ensues. Sex/ Nudity: Mild flirting between Melanie and a couple of college guys. Brief kisses and hugs between parents. Violence/Gore: Comic action when Melanie’s dad falls from a second-story window and sneaks into the sorority room where she’s staying one night. A pig runs rampant through a wedding reception, two people are buzzed with a taser, and other slapstick-type stunts involving skydiving, a golf cart, and people pushed into a pond. Profanity: Mild words like “stupid” and “dumb.” Which Kids Will Like It? Ages 7 and older who like Disney Channel shows, including “That’s So Raven,” which stars Raven-Symone. Will Parents Like It? Yes. There’s nothing too original here, but it’s fun and innocent and offers a good message about trust and family. REVIEW: This fun flick stars Raven-Symone (“That’s So Raven”) as Melanie Porter, a college-bound teen who wants to study law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Her dad, James (Martin Lawrence), is a control-freak cop who’d prefer she attend the nearby Northwestern University, just minutes away from their Chicago home. Melanie’s sensible mom, Michelle (Kym E. Whitley), is on her daughter’s side. She realizes that even though James thinks he has Melanie’s best interests at heart, it’s actually the other way around. He has to learn how to let go. I have to mention one scene where Melanie and her friends are dancing in an upstairs room at a sorority house. Through the window, it appears to her dad like she’s being strangled and/or murdered. In reality, it’s just the girls having fun, and one of them has a scarf around the other’s neck and is sort of pulling her backwards. I just thought that was a weird scene to include, and I hope kids are smart enough not to try that at home – because they could be seriously hurt. Other than that, this movie could easily have found a home on the Disney Channel. It has the same wacky stunts and moral message (family and friends are important, trust the people you love) as movies typically found on the tween network. Familiar stars, a few laughs, and a funny pig make this a pleasant movie for the whole family. And if you’re a parent of tweens and teens who will be leaving home sooner than you think, don’t be surprised if you end up bawling during the poignant scene where Melanie says goodbye and goes to college. I did! I’m sure I embarrassed my 10-year-old daughter sitting next to me. JANE’S REEL RATING SYSTEM : One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it. Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender. Three Reels: Something to talk about. Four Reels: You want the truth? Great flick! Five Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of. Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries. Visit her online at www.ReelLifeWithJane.com or email jboursaw@charter.net
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by Jane Louise Boursaw
When Melanie gets an unexpected interview at Georgetown, she decides to take a road trip with her best friends, Nancy (Brenda Song) and Katie (Margo Harshman). James catches wind of the idea and decides to take her himself – and try to convince her to attend Northwestern in the process. Adding laughs are Melanie’s little brother Trey (Eshaya Draper) and his pet pig Albert (a math and science whiz!), who stow away in the back of the van.
You know things aren’t going to go as planned, because it’s a Disney movie. Along the way, the group loses their car when it accidentally rolls over a hill (they’re not in it, thank goodness!), and they end up hitching a ride with saccharine-sweet college-bound girl, Wendy Greenhut (Molly Ephraim), and her equally-saccharine-sweet dad, Doug (Donny Osmond).
I’m sure Raven-Symone will probably break out sooner or later and do more grown-up films, but I’m glad she hasn’t gone there yet. I love her because she doesn’t fit the mold of super-skinny young starlets, and she seems happy and proud to be who she is, rather than fitting someone else’s ideal of “perfect.” That’s a good message to give young girls.