Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

EuroTrip Blu-ray Movie Review

Scotty Doesn't Know (What Happened to the Unrated Version)

Reviewed by Michael Reuben November 30, 2013

The original title for EuroTrip was "Ugly Americans", but Dreamworks insisted on changing the name to echo its earlier success with 2000's teen comedy Road Trip, which shared producers but was written and directed by a different creative team. The strategy didn't help the box office, but it did suggest to an older crowd (like me) that the film would be generic raunch with little to recommend it. Then one day I idly popped a rented DVD into the player and was shortly greeted by Matt Damon's cameo—Matt Damon?—as a musical wildman yelling out "Scotty Doesn't Know", a rock tribute to the kinky predilections of the girl who had just dumped the film's hero at graduation. I fell over laughing, and there were plenty more occasions before EuroTrip ended. The writing/directing debut of former Seinfeld writers Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg and David Mandel (the Directors Guild would let only one of them take credit, which was Schaffer), EuroTrip is silly, childish and wildly uneven, but it has too many moments of inspired lunacy to ignore. As the creators admit in their commentary, they were learning as they went. But they were already funny when they started.

Unfortunately, though, the film I watched on DVD isn't exactly the same one that Warner is releasing on Blu-ray under its licensing deal with Paramount, which now owns much of the Dreamworks catalog. The preferred DVD version is an unrated cut that runs 2-3 minutes longer than the R-rated theatrical cut and contains substantially more nudity and graphic language. Paramount has provided Warner with only the theatrical cut. Amazon currently lists a second, more expensive version that some fans hope will prove to be the unrated cut, but I have been assured by Warner's press department that they are releasing only one version. (Note on Dec. 2, 2013: Amazon now lists this version as "Currently unavailable".)

Why? I have no idea. Fortunately, the funny parts of EuroTrip are still hilarious, even without the extra skin.

Four teens from Ohio form the intrepid group braving the wilds of Europe during summer break. The main one is Scott Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz), the poor sap who is dumped at graduation by Fiona (Smallville's Kristin Kreuk), while his clueless dad snaps photos (the reliably funny Jeffrey Tambor, who shot all his scenes in one day on a break from filming Hellboy). Then, while Scott tries to drown his sorrows at a graduation bash that evening, he's treated to "Scotty Doesn't Know" by Donny (Damon), Fiona's now not-so-secret boyfriend, leading the band that actually wrote and performs the song (they're called Lustra). Sample lyric: "I can't believe he's so trusting, / While I'm right behind you thrusting." Bitter and depressed, Scotty blows off his German email pen pal, whom he calls "Mike" and whose offers of comfort he mistakes for a gay proposition. Too late, he realizes that "Mike" is really "Mieke" (Jessica Boehrs), a gorgeous blonde who wants to get closer now that Scotty is available. He resolves to get to Berlin, by any means necessary, to apologize in person.

The second member of the group is Cooper Harris (Jacob Pitts, now Deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Gutterson on Justified), Scotty's best friend directly from central casting: leering, lascivious and always urging his buddy in the wrong direction. Still, for all his bad behavior, Cooper frequently (though not always) escapes unscathed. When the two of them head to Europe, Scotty has to give us his pre-med job at a clinic, but Cooper manages to keep his law firm gig (and paycheck) by phoning in from all over the world and pretending to be slaving away in the file room.

The remaining pair are two fraternal twins, Jenny and Jamie (Travis Wester and Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Michelle Trachtenberg), who were already heading to Europe when Scotty's plans changed. Jamie is the requisite nerd, with his face buried in a copy of Frommer's guide and their trip mapped out to the minute. Jenny is an intriguing character who keeps getting treated as one of the guys, no matter how many times she reminds them that she's really (really!) a girl. The beatific look on her face when a chance encounter introduces her to a charming French operator named Christoph (Patrick Rapold) lights up the screen—and you just know Jenny's being set up for a pratfall.

As the members of this group zigzag across Europe—in fact, the entire film was shot in Prague, which doubled for everything, including Ohio—EuroTrip plays like a classic road movie with numerous misadventures along the way. Some of the side trips work better than others, and the best are usually those featuring familiar guest stars. Former pro footballer and Guy Ritchie regular Vinnie Jones appears as an intimidating soccer hooligan named Mad Maynard, a part that was written for a "Vinnie Jones type", and Shaffer et al. couldn't believe their luck when they got the genuine article instead. Lucy Lawless appears as the proprietess of an Amsterdam brothel where Cooper gets much more than he bargained for. In a deleted scene that plays during the credits, Joanna Lumley is hilarious as the owner of a youth hostel. An almost unrecognizable Fred Armisen, formerly of Saturday Night Live, joins the foursome in their train compartment, playing a role identified only as "Creepy Italian Guy". And Croatian actor Rade Serbedzija, who has played just about every Eastern European nationality there is, as both good guy and bad guy, plays a native of Bratislava, who gives the quartet a much-needed ride.

The less said about the French nude beach or the havoc in the Vatican, the better. And the kung fu robot battle seems like a cartoon short that was added from another movie. (It's pretty funny, though.)

EuroTrip ends on a sweetly unrealistic note that feels just right. They say travel broadens the mind. After this particular summer, Scotty does know a lot more than he used to.

EuroTrip Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cinematographer David Eggby, who shot the original Mad Max and, most recently, Riddick, is credited by EuroTrip's three creators with helping them learn how to shoot a movie, while letting them make their own mistakes. Eggby's greatest challenge was to coordinate with the production design team in simulating numerous varied locations in and around Prague.

Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray of Eurotrip's R-rated theatrical cut, from a Paramount transfer, offers a generally sharp, detailed and colorful presentation of this straightforward comedic material, which its trio of directors concede they were learning to stage as they went along. Their background in TV is evident in their framing, although the crew and effects team managed to make the whole affair look much bigger than the limited budget would ever lead one to expect.

Blacks are solid, which turns out to be most significant in the sequences with Creepy Italian Guy, because it involves a series of complete blackouts as the train in which everyone is riding goes through a series of tunnels. Colors can be rich and saturated in lively locales like Paris and Amsterdam, and especially in the bar scene where much absinthe is consumed and Eurotrip's own version of the Green Fairy (Steve Hytner) appears, or washed out and dull, as in the Bratislava scenes. (As the filmmakers acknowledge, this is a nightmare version of Bratislava, which is in fact a beautiful modern city.) A fine natural grain pattern is visible, and there is no evidence of filtering, sharpening or other inappropriate digital manipulation.

The average bitrate is a surprisingly low 19.62 Mbps, especially considering that unused space remains on the BD-25. Warner, which does the mastering for these Paramount-licensed titles, continues to push for the tightest possible compression. Once again, though, they seem to have gotten away with it.

EuroTrip Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's original 5.1 mix is presented in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1, and it's especially strong in big scenes like the party where Scotty learns Fiona's secret (and the whole crowd joins in the song) or the encounter with Mad Maynard's soccer hooligans in the pub called "The Fiesty Goat" (and yes, the word "Feisty" is misspelled; listen to the commentary for an explanation). The multi-channel array is also well-used for expressive effects such as the "whoosh" that accompanies the CG camera showing us the endless line to get into the Louvre. The events at Club Vandersexxx also benefit from having a full dynamic range and multiple speakers to convey the numerous events happening to Cooper.

Dialogue is always clear, even with some of the foreign accents. The score by James L. Venable, a regular collaborator with Kevin Smith, strikes the right tone of madcap frenzy. Various pop tune plays key functions and sound great, including Sheena Easton's "Morning Train", Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" and a cover of "99 Luftballoons" as the gang finally nears Berlin.

EuroTrip Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The extras have been ported over from the 2004 DVD of the R-rated theatrical cut released by Dreamworks. I do not have the DVD for comparison, but from what I have read, it appears that not every extra has been included. If someone who has the DVD sends me additional information, I will update the review. (Note that the unrated DVD had different features, including a different commentary.)

• Filmmakers' Commentary with Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel: For three comic writers, the creators of EuroTrip deliver a remarkably serious and informative commentary in which they frankly discuss their mistakes and pay numerous tributes to the crew and cast that helped them out of tight spots, especially DP David Eggby; the production design team and effects artists who made the city of Prague double for Ohio, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and a fantasy version of Bratislava; and the many familiar faces who put in a day or two of work in front of the camera to give the film extra heft and credibility. The trio also touches on their comedy background and how their work on Seinfeld influenced their approach to EuroTrip. (Note that all of them went on to work on Curb Your Enthusiasm.)



• Gag Reel (480i; 1.78:1; 5:28): Some of it is amusing, but the film is funnier.



• Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentary) (480i; 1.78:1; 21:49): Bits of many of these scenes made it into the closing credits. The "Alternate Ending" reflects the script's original concept, and the writer/directors discuss in the commentary why they chose a different approach.
• What Do We Do with Our Clothes?
• Chess with Soccer Hooligans
• Morning Train
• French Waiter
• Cooper Photographs His Junk
• Cooper Hits on Jenny
• Amsterdam Youth Hostel
• Stripping on the Autobahn
• Hapi Djus Commercial
• Summer at Sea/Walk to the Vatican
• Vatican Fireplace
• Confessional Sex
• American Robot Man
• Alternate Ending



• The Music of EuroTrip: These are the same music video, except that the sing-along version has subtitled lyrics and a bouncing ball.
• "Scotty Doesn't Know" Sing-Along (480i; 1.78:1; 3:36)
• "Scotty Doesn't Know" Music Video (480i; 1.78:1; 3:36)



• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:27): "No Actual Europeans Were Harmed in the Making of This Film."

EuroTrip Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Will we ever see the unrated cut of EuroTrip on Blu-ray? Who knows? The virtue of the R-rated version is that the comedy remains intact. On that basis, and as long as people know what they're getting—and what they aren't—the disc is recommended. But I wouldn't blame anyone for sticking with their unrated DVD.