Sometimes, a raunchy teenage comedy comes along that is just right, but Eurotrip is not that movie. Yes, there is lots of cussing, scatological humor, hot naked women and drugs, but everything has a forced, artificial feel to it. It's like the film is trying to have viewers believe it is funny because the filmmakers say it is, not because it actually is. There are some inspired moments, but most everything falls by the wayside to broad generalizations and cheap laughs. Eurotrip take four high school graduates and throws them into a bacchanal across Europe, with the original goal of getting to Berlin. Scott's (Scott Mechlowicz) girlfriend just broke up with him, and he also found out his longtime pen pal Mieke (German tv actress/pop star Jessica Boehrs) is actually a really hot girl. A misunderstanding about her gender caused Mieke to stop e-mailing Scott, and he decides to go to Berlin to win her back.
He takes along his horny friend Cooper (David Spade, oh, sorry, Jacob Pitts, K-19: The Widowmaker, Pipe Dream) who is looking for some easy Euro-trash. The problem is that they do not have enough money, so they fly to London in the hopes of catching a bus to Berlin the next day. The bulk of the film is one gag after another, usually something specific to whatever country the kids are in at the time. Although they are all high school graduates bound for college, something happens each time to cause them to go on another detour. They stop in Paris, Bratislava, Amsterdam, and a few other places in their circuitous quest for Mieke. Along the way, they meet up with their friends, twins Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg, Can't Be Heaven, Inspector Gadget) and Jamie (Travis Wester, Teddy Bears Picnic, Barstow).
Movies like this are not usually renowned for their depth, and a trio of writers Alec Berg and David Mandel (The Cat in the Hat), and director Jeff Schaffer (The Cat in the Hat) do not disappoint. Each of the main characters embodies on characteristic; Scott is the normal guy, Cooper is horny, Jamie is uptight, and Jenny is bland all around. Schaffer plays on the stereotypes of each country, coming up with buffoonish Europeans at every stop. It's not offensive, because all the stereotypes are old and worn. If anything, all the proceedings come off as a little dull. Ooh, kinky sex and hash brownies in Amsterdam? Goose-stepping kids in Berlin? Not that funny.
The frequent nudity and crude humor serve mainly to keep the viewer awake. Eurotrip never gets to the point where it is boring, but it skirts close to it at times. In the end, it doesn't matter if Scott ever makes it to Mieke (although it is blatantly obvious that he will). What matters is what weird things will happen to each person as they trek across Europe. Like most other raunch fests, Schaffer feels the need to develop some emotion to make the film redeeming. He does, but when it finally happens, it feels arbitrary, although the foreshadowing was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.