College Road Trip

NEW YORK (CNS) -- "College Road Trip" (Disney) is an unobjectionable, though uninspired, family comedy. While the film conveys good messages about parental concern and the need for trust, most of its humor is too implausible to really work.

Small-town Illinois police chief James Porter (Martin Lawrence) is a loving but wildly overprotective father to his 17-year-old daughter, Melanie (Raven-Symone). As Melanie prepares to choose a college, James is intent on only one option: nearby Northwestern University, where he'll be able to keep an eye on her.

Melanie, however, aided by her sensible mother, Michelle (Kym E. Whitley), wants to explore other possibilities, especially Georgetown University in distant Washington. When her two best friends organize a road trip east to visit different campuses, Melanie tries to convince her father to let her go along.

Instead he determines to drive her to Washington himself in his police van, which he christens the "Georgetown Express." The consequences are predictably disastrous.

They fall behind schedule when James makes a detour so they can visit Northwestern; they rely on a police global-positioning system, only to get lost in the woods; then a tire blows out, leaving them stranded. When James goes looking for the jack, he instead discovers his small but precocious son, Trey (Eshaya Draper), who has stowed away in the rear of the van, along with his pet pig, Arnold.

Director Roger Kumble's film is generally pleasant, but lacking in originality, borrowing as it does from "Green Acres," "I Love Lucy" and even "Animal House." Some of the finer comic moments are provided by Donny Osmond, who keeps popping up as the irrepressibly perky, Broadway-musical-number-spouting father of another prospective college student.

Otherwise the film has positive values, but not much verve.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audiences. All ages admitted.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops