"National Lampoon's Senior Trip" is a throwback to the counter-culture drug comedies of the '70s and the rude and raunchy sex comedies of the early '80s, blending the worst of both genres . . . . And they weren't so hot to begin with.
The plot has a group of Ohio high school losers writing a letter to the president as punishment. Then, to their surprise, they find themselves invited to Washington, D.C., to speak out on the education system.
The film is ensemble in nature, with the usual mix of deadheads — a "Bill & Ted" pair (Jeremy Renner, Rob Moore), a black activist (Michael Blake), an overweight kid who is always eating (Eric "Sparky" Edwards), a computer nerd (Danny Smith), a Madonna wannabe (Tara Cherendoff), a brainy virgin who doesn't want to be either one (Fiona Loewi, who, after she finally loses her virginity, looks in a mirror and says, "Mission accomplished!"). Then there's the psycho crossing-guard (Kevin McDonald) who thinks he's a character in the original "Star Trek" . . . the less said about him, the better.
They board a bus driven by Tommy Chong (still playing a '60s burnout), while their uptight principal (Matt Frewer) and a prim-and-proper keyboard-teacher (Valerie Mahaffey) quickly lose control.
The cast tries hard but what can you do with a script that strains to get laughs from vomiting, flatulence, urinating and drunken driving? Not to mention, racial slurs!
How do movies like this get made at all, much less wind up released in theaters?
There is also a potshot taken at Salt Lake City early in the film. Or didn't you know we are the generic stereotype for all that is bland and boring?
"Senior Trip" is rated R for non-stop comic violence, vulgarity, profanity, sex and drug abuse.