I can't say I don't have time but I am sooooo disorganised!
I can't say I don't have time but I am sooooo disorganised!
Member since:08.12.2005
Reviews:100
Members who trust:51
Hmm.. well I'm not too convinced about the whole area code thing. How it is claimed that as long as you are not in the same area code as your girlfriend/boyfriend(?) you are not cheating by sleeping with other people.
Anyway, this is one of all the stupid philosophical lessons you are taught in this disgustingly hilarious film.
The Story
The storyline goes a bit like this: Boy called Josh (Breckin Meyer) knows girl, Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard) since early childhood. They get on really well. They become boyfriend & girlfriend. Their lives eventually take different turns when they leave home to attend University - in separate places. Josh then meets some new friends & hall roommates, including EL (Seann William Scott), who in fact declared that sex in another area code is not classified as cheating - according to his rules, anyway.
EL manages to convince Josh that it's time he made the most of his youth-hood. A long-distance relationship is bound to be difficult & how would it feel to wake up old one day & know you had only had sex with one person? Well… since these days it is more commonly acceptable to sleep around (tut tut), it seems our nice old Josh is more than happy to follow his friends like the naïve sheep that he is. (Sorry guys). Unfortunately for him, he also has the brains of a sheep. He meets this sexy lady called Beth (Amy Smart) & she persuades him to let her video-tape them… having sex. Then, in a bit of a mix-up, it appears that rather than a taped message he meant to send to his girlfriend, he sends her this sex tape. This is no problem for EL, who already has a plan - Road Trip! They
borrow a car from a friend, Kyle (DJ Qualls) with a rich (but mean) dad, & EL reluctantly agrees to let him join them on the journey, as well as another friend, Rubin (Paulo Costanzo). Off they go on an eventful journey to recover the tape & save Josh's relationship before it is too late.
There is also a side-story, with the narrator, (Tom Green) Barry Manilow & his snake - who is to be fed a mouse. Okay, the real side story is that Josh has an exam coming up that he cannot afford to fail & another geeky student obsessed with Beth is determined to jeopardise things for him. Plus, Josh has hardly studied for his exam, so he will need to learn it all before he returns from their mission!
The Acting
If you know anything about Seann William Scott, you'll know this - his characters will do anything & I mean ANYTHING. EL has a way of convincing you that he knows exactly what he is doing, even if he hasn't a clue. He is absolutely hilarious in this film but all 4 of the lads make it what it is. From time to time the jokes seem to go too far or make you cringe in your seat, but this is really a laugh out loud kind of film.
DJ Qualls, as repulsive as I found him, is incredibly talented & develops his character by miraculous transformation from a nerdy student that always does as he is told, into a rebel, a dreadful but funny dancer & a bit of a ladies' man (not for me though, thanks).
Paulo Costanzo has more of a serious character, but one with a close relationship to certain drugs. He is incredibly intelligent & pulls off the know-it-all-but-not-a-geek look pretty well (a bit like me in this respect, *cough*...what? no?). He also has his daring moments, like at one point he persuades them to get the car to jump over a huge gap by calculating the distance & speed needed.
Josh, of course, is really quite silly & frankly in my view, still a sheep. Breckin Meyer does, however, pull it off nicely. He is the kind of guy that smiles a lot yet always has a semi-worried expression on his face (or is that just me?), so he was probably perfect for the part. Nevertheless Josh seems happy to go along with whatever his friends suggest regardless of how much risk is involved. This makes the film work quite well.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is young & (at the time) up-to-date. It has lots of rock & hip-hop so generally appeals to most people. Sorry I'm knackered & run out of stuff to say as I wrote this bit last I will come back & add more!
Moral of the story? Or not!
To be totally honest, as much as I enjoyed this film, I was not too happy about the messages it was sending across to young people, especially in a world where sexually transmitted diseases are rife. Okay, perhaps the moral of the story is rather than send a sex tape to your girlfriend, let her down gently & move on. However, to me the very idea that it is necessary (not just acceptable) to have more than one sexual partner, just for the sake of it, is really a depressing idea. Perhaps it's because I am a girl, or because I have been brought up in a family that strongly disapproves of separation etc., but for whatever reason, I simply find that hard to accept. I would be saddened to hear (as I suspect the comments might say something like this) that I really need to loosen up & learn that life is all about living for the moment & that's why we should not be tied down to one person. Then again I also find it weird that childhood friends end up in a relationship. But if a relationship is working, why end it? If you can't handle a bit of distance for a few years, perhaps you are too young to be in a relationship.
I also have to say whilst I could not really complain about the fact that drugs are treated as normal & virtually cool in this film, since nearly everything I watch on t.v. or listen to has the mention of drugs in it, I have to at least say I don't think it is very responsible for film-makers to go ahead & glamorise them but oh well.
There is also a lot of swearing & dirty language in this film but to be honest I am just mentioning that because for some it may be offensive. For me, they are just words… I like to use… now & then.
People with strong beliefs about family values should also steer clear as there is a blatant crossing-the-line lack of respect (even if it does seem quite justified or at least understandable) in this film. It made me slightly uncomfortable to see a father portrayed in such a harsh light but the reality is that such people probably do exist & probably there is only one way to deal with them.
Overall
Despite my huge whinge, above, I would definitely recommend this film. The rating means that those who watch it are either already off the rails (underage tut tut) or old enough to know better (than Josh) & copy the actions of the film. Plus, the idea of sending a sex tape to the girlfriend is bloody hysterical. So give it a go. If you've seen it, I hope you liked it too.
(Also on DooYoo.)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Production Year: 1992 - Comedy - Director: Tim Robbins - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ray Wise, Alan Rickman, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Robbins
When you are in a committed relationship and have sex with another person: i) It's not ... more
cheating if you're in different area codes; ii) It's not cheating if you're too wasted to remember it because if you can't remember it it never really took place; ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days