Road Trip is a 2000 American comedy film written by Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong and directed by Todd Phillips.

Plot[link]

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Josh (Breckin Meyer) and Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard) were long time friends but soon high school sweethearts. But they both had to face a long distance relationship when Josh enrolls to University of Ithaca and Tiffany enrolls to the University of Austin. But they made a promise to be true to each other and call each other every day. But when Tiffany doesn't call Josh, nor answering Josh's calls, Josh is worrying that Tiffany is seeing another man (actually, her maternal grandfather died). But to show that he is still in love with her, he makes a daily recorded video blog to her. During Josh's last blog, his friends Rubin Carver (Paulo Costanzo) and Barry Manilow (Tom Green) barge into the video. Barry then keeps checking on Rubin's snake, Mitch, urging Rubin to over-feed Mitch. Josh tells Rubin to mail in his blog tape to Tiffany before leaving to class.

During Josh's class time, Josh is flunking Ancient Philosophy class and needs a B+ on his mid-term to pass the semester. But Josh knows that he will flunk anyway. Still worrying about Tiffany, Josh's friend E.L. (Seann William Scott) encourages Josh to move on to another woman, such as Josh's friend Beth (Amy Smart) at his party. But Jacob, (Anthony Rapp) the teacher's assistant, has a huge crush on Beth and she even knows that Josh likes her. Unbeknownst to Josh, he is being set up by Jacob to fail Ancient Philosophy.

During E.L.'s party, Josh attends and E.L. holds a auction for women, including Beth in the bid. Jacob also attends the party, too. Beth convinces Josh to outbid Jacob. But E.L. helps Josh win the bid at $26 when Jacob had $30. But E.L. acclaimed that since Jacob was a teacher's assistant, his bid didn't count. But after Josh and Beth dance, they decide to have sex. When they arrive at Josh's room, Beth decides to record their sex with the same camcorder that Josh uses for his video blogs to Tiffany and they start having sex.

The next day, Barry sings a song called "Tiny Salmon" as Josh arrives in the room in a very jolly mood. He confesses that he had sex with Beth. His friends object and want proof. Josh attempts to play the tape but then realizes that Rubin accidentally sent the sex tape to Tiffany. Josh thens receives a voice mail from Tiffany saying that she didn't call him because her grandfather died and will be cleaning his house until Monday. Josh decides to go on a road trip because he doesn't have enough money for a plane ticket. So Josh and E.L. get Kyle (DJ Qualls) to come along for his car. Kyle is a compulsive worrier who lives in constant fear of his overly strict father, Earl Edwards. So Josh, E.L., Rubin, and Kyle try to head to Austin, Texas for 1,800 miles in less than three days and leave Barry to take care of Mitch.

While Barry is taking care of Mitch, Beth asks him where Josh is. Barry tells her that Josh went to his Tiffany in Boston, in confusion with Austin. Beth then goes to the girls' showers where everyone is naked for some advice. They suggest that she should go to Boston to tell Tiffany about the situation, which Beth does. However, the Tiffany she confronts in Boston is the wrong one.

But while on the road, the group talk about loop holes and then come across a ten foot gap that they think will waste 5 hours back tracking. But they soon think that they could jump the gap. Kyle objects but they jump it anyway. They make it but the wheels fall off and the car explodes. They continue on foot and stop at a motel. Rubin tries to score marijuana off the Motel Clerk (Andy Dick) and is informed that Kyle's credit card is maxed out.

Meanwhile, Kyle's father, Earl (Fred Ward) tries to pay for a meal with the maxed out card, but is denied service. He then begins an all-out search for Kyle when he is informed by the police that Kyle's car has blown up and Kyle has turned up missing. On their way to Austin, the group goes through a series of hilarious misadventures, such as Rubin successfully bluffing his way into an all-Black fraternity house at the University of Tennessee and a riotous visit with Barry's grandparents. Since Josh's books were destroyed in the explosion, he calls his professor and gets an extension on his midterm.....or so he thinks.

The group finally gets to Austin and, once they get to Tiffany's dorm, Josh intercepts the tape he sent to Tiffany, who has just arrived back at school. Meanwhile, Earl shows up. He is enraged over what happened with the car and the credit card and threatens to take Kyle back home with him. Kyle finally gets the courage to stand up to him and states that he is going back to school with his friends. Josh and Tiffany watch the tape, which turns out to be nothing but Barry mooning for the camera. Beth has found out where the real Tiffany is and she calls to warn Josh that he has been duped by Jacob. Josh now has 48 hours to get back to school or else he will fail his midterm, fail the course, and, possibly, be kicked out of college. After they talk, Josh and Tiffany agree to break up and remain friends. Josh and his buddies head back to school and Josh arrives just in time to take his midterm - with a little help from Beth. Josh passes the course and he is now free to hook up with Beth and they make more videos together.

Cast[link]

• Breckin Meyer as Josh Parker
• Seann William Scott as E.L.
• Amy Smart as Beth Wagner
• Paulo Costanzo as Rubin Carver
• DJ Qualls as Kyle Edwards
• Tom Green as Barry Manilow
• Rachel Blanchard as Tiffany Henderson, Josh's long distance girlfriend
• Anthony Rapp as Jacob
• Fred Ward as Earl Edwards
• Andy Dick as Motel Clerk/Bus Passenger
• Ethan Suplee as Ed
• Jaclyn DeSantis as Heather
• Horatio Sanz as French Toast Guy
• Rhoda Griffis as Tour Group Mom
• Edmund Lyndeck as Jack Manilow, Barry's Grandpa
• Ellen Albertini Dow as Mrs. Manilow, Barry's Grandma
• Jessica Cauffiel as Wrong Tiffany
• Mia Amber Davis as Rhonda
• Mary Lynn Rajskub as Blind Brenda
• Tim Ware as Officer Bortz

Locations[link]

The fictional University of Ithaca is based on both Ithaca College and Cornell University both located in Ithaca, New York. Filming took place on the campuses of High School Woodward Academy, Georgia Tech, Emory University and the University of Georgia.^[2][3] The university seen in a flyover in the opening scene is actually Harvard University, the same footage was later used in the film Old School in 2003.

The diner scene was shot in Lawrenceville, Georgia at the Gwinnett Diner, as it says on the coffee mugs.

One the last scenes of the tour was filmed at Founders Park at the University of Southern California.

Reception[link]

The film received mixed to positive reviews. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes calculate and overall rating of 59% based on 88 reviews, with 20 top critics giving it a rating of 65%. The consensus was "Some humor is hit or miss, depending on the audience tastes, but the movie is funny overall. Mixed reviews for the cast, especially for MTV's Tom Green."^[4]

Box office[link]

The film opened at #3 at the North American box office making $15,484,004 USD in its opening weekend, behind Gladiator and Dinosaur.

Sequel[link]

A direct-to-video sequel called Road Trip: Beer Pong was released on August 11, 2009, this time by Paramount Famous Productions as Paramount Pictures had acquired DreamWorks' back catalog in its 2006 purchase of the company (since undone).^[5] Only two of the original cast or crew appear in the sequel film, DJ Qualls as Kyle Edwards, and Rhoda Griffis as Tour Group Mom.

See also[link]

• Road Trip (soundtrack)
• Eurotrip

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Road Trip

• Road Trip (film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Road Trip (film) at Rotten Tomatoes
• Road Trip (film) at Box Office Mojo

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (March 2008)

A road trip is any journey taken on roads, regardless of stops en route. Typically, road trips are long distances traveled by automobile.

Road in the French Pyrenees

History[link]

Ramses II on chariot

Pre-automobile road trips[link]

The first recorded road trip was attested in stele in the court of Ramses II. He was said to "come down on the Medeans in his chariot after driving all night from Memphis."

Road trips were important throughout antiquity. Alexander's march into India was described by the historian Nearchus. During the Roman Republic, it was not uncommon for young patrician men to gather together to tour the Roman world.

Young European men of means would often go on a grand tour during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. People of many religions went (and still go) on a pilgrimage.

Carl Jung identified the road trip as a "persistent element of human culture."^[1]

The first road trip by automobile[link]

Bertha Benz, the first long distance automobile driver in the world, driving the Benz Patent-Motorwagen ca. 1886