Aside from one song, one touching moment, and Osmond and Ephraim's antics, there's not much here.
Because "Cheetah Girl" Raven stars, of course there's a song, and we get a karaoke bus number with her belting out "Double Dutch Bus" with a busload of Japanese tourists on back-up. That's the big number, and as brief as it is, it still seems more substantial than the comedy--the biggest routines of which we've already seen in early "Brady Bunch" episodes. Aside from one song, one touching moment, and Osmond and Ephraim's antics, there's not much here. Simply put, "College Road Trip" isn't a ride worth taking.
Video:
This DVD comes with two viewing options: full screen (1.33:1) and widescreen (2.35:1), but since the default appears to be set for full, if it starts to play automatically just click on "menu"and then "play" to get the widescreen option. Though there's a little noise on dark edges in the middle distance in some scenes, for the most part the DVD looks clean and bright, with natural colors and a good amount of detail for non-HD.
Audio:
The audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with a 2.0 French language track and French and Spanish subtitles. No one would expect it to be as dynamic as the PCM track on the Blu-ray, and for my taste the bass is cranked down a bit too far. The treble is bright, though, and there's a nice balance between the dialogue, music, and FX/ambient sounds.
Extras:
It always seems that mediocre movies give you more extras than you care to watch, and "College Road Trip" is no exception. Instead of one commentary there are two. Director Kumble teams up with his young star as they talk us through the film, offering the usual blend of anecdotes and mutual backslapping. The writers of the first screenplay who appear on a second track are the same, more pleased with the final product than the audience. It's tough to watch, given that gap.
Other features? There are two very brief ones that spotlight Raven: "On the Set: Double Dutch Bus" (behind-the-scenes) and "Raven's Video Diary" (a typical tour) both of which were made to air as Disney Channel snippets and teasers. Also included is the "Double Dutch Bus" music video, an under three minute gag reel, less than four minutes of alternate scenes, and 12 minutes of deleted scenes. But as brief as those were, they were still painful to watch, considering how disappointing the film was. When we hear Kumble say "Cute scene, but we didn't need it" on his optional commentary, you can't help but think of dozens more that did make it into the film.
Bottom Line:
If you're looking for characters like Otter and Bluto, you won't find them here. "College Road Trip" is really a sappier, more pedestrian, and unfunny variation of "Father of the Bride."
Video:
This DVD comes with two viewing options: full screen (1.33:1) and widescreen (2.35:1), but since the default appears to be set for full, if it starts to play automatically just click on "menu"and then "play" to get the widescreen option. Though there's a little noise on dark edges in the middle distance in some scenes, for the most part the DVD looks clean and bright, with natural colors and a good amount of detail for non-HD.
Audio:
The audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with a 2.0 French language track and French and Spanish subtitles. No one would expect it to be as dynamic as the PCM track on the Blu-ray, and for my taste the bass is cranked down a bit too far. The treble is bright, though, and there's a nice balance between the dialogue, music, and FX/ambient sounds.
Extras:
It always seems that mediocre movies give you more extras than you care to watch, and "College Road Trip" is no exception. Instead of one commentary there are two. Director Kumble teams up with his young star as they talk us through the film, offering the usual blend of anecdotes and mutual backslapping. The writers of the first screenplay who appear on a second track are the same, more pleased with the final product than the audience. It's tough to watch, given that gap.
Other features? There are two very brief ones that spotlight Raven: "On the Set: Double Dutch Bus" (behind-the-scenes) and "Raven's Video Diary" (a typical tour) both of which were made to air as Disney Channel snippets and teasers. Also included is the "Double Dutch Bus" music video, an under three minute gag reel, less than four minutes of alternate scenes, and 12 minutes of deleted scenes. But as brief as those were, they were still painful to watch, considering how disappointing the film was. When we hear Kumble say "Cute scene, but we didn't need it" on his optional commentary, you can't help but think of dozens more that did make it into the film.
Bottom Line:
If you're looking for characters like Otter and Bluto, you won't find them here. "College Road Trip" is really a sappier, more pedestrian, and unfunny variation of "Father of the Bride."
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[release]24233[/release]