College Road Trip

Blu-ray Review

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Rating: G

Release: July 15, 2008

Martin Lawrence has been a staple over the years for family comedy, with films such as Big Momma’s House 2, and others. His most recent effort though is a G-rated family comedy he did with Disney called College Road Trip. Is it any good, or does this road trip quickly break down?

Martin Lawrence stars in College Road Trip as James Porter, a police chief in a very small town. Porter has high hopes for his daughter’s education, and believes she can go to Northwestern. His daughter, Raven-Symone, has her heart set on going to Georgetown, and gets an interview.

The problem though is she has to be there in just 3 days, and Porter will not allow her to go with friends, hence the College Road Trip title. You end up with the father and daughter bonding scenario as the daughter is stuck in the car shotgun for the trip.

I will not lie, there were some moments here where I did laugh, as there is some quality entertainment in some scenes. Overall though Martin Lawrence seemed out of place trying to do a G-rated comedy film, as he seemed to not have much to work with.

You get lots and lots of whacked out scenarios throughout the film, as well as plenty of father/daughter talks. If you have a kid who wants to see some Disney Channel stars in a movie, this may be worth a rental. Other than that though there is nothing over the top here.

The video quality for College Road Trip on Blu-ray is actually very well done. The transfer is extremely sharp, and very colorful from start to finish. Considering the source material, and the fact that it was just in theaters a few months ago, you get a very detailed image. A great looking Blu-ray disc.

The audio is presented in a 24-bit, 48KHz PCM mix which is pretty standard for a comedy. It relies heavily on the front and center for the dialogue, and uses the rear channels a bit for ambience in some scenes. The musical soundtrack is pretty solid and sounds great.

In terms of extras, College Road Trip packs two audio commentaries. The first is with director Roger Kumble and Raven-Symone, while the second writers Emi Mochizuki and Carrie Evans. Both of the audio commentaries are pretty well done, while the first was my favorite of the two.

Those who are a fan of the Disney Channel star Raven will enjoy the 10-minute Raven’s Video Diary, which follows the actress as she runs around the set of the film with a camcorder, taping interviews with actors, the director, etc.

You also get 15-minutes worth of deleted scenes, which come with optional audio commentary by Roger Kumble. On top of that, three alternate endings and a 3-minute gag reel are there to try and provide added entertainment. All in all these extras are fun to watch for the kids if they liked the film. It is clear why they were cut though.

Rounding out the extras is a music video, Double Dutch Bus, performed by Raven-Symone.

Overall College Road Trip runs for just under 90-minutes and proves to be a decent comedy for the kids. Martin Lawrence does a good job with the material he was given, and there are a few scenes where even adults will crack up a little bit. Overall though, you still have a pretty average family comedy, as this is just worth a rental.

Movie: 6.0

A G-rated family comedy which relies too much on slapstick entertainment to get laughs, not much more than a rental.

Video: 9.0

A very good looking Blu-ray transfer, little to complain about.

Audio: 8.0

A nice audio mix with good dialogue, and a great soundtrack.

Extras: 7.5

The audio commentaries are nice, and the deleted scenes are a bonus. The film may not be entertaining enough to make you want to check all of it out though.

Final Score: 7.0