Martin Lawrence (Are We There Yet?) plays the overprotective father James Porter. Raven-Symone (That's So Raven) plays the daughter Melanie Porter, who has chosen to go to Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Kym Whitley (Grey's Anatomy) plays the role of Michelle Porter, the supportive mother.

Melanie wants to get as far away from her father as she can. She feels stifled under the protective shield of her police chief father. Melanie is smart and plans a career in Law. She plans a road trip with her best friends after she is informed she has an interview in three days with Georgetown.

James Porter feels that this would be a perfect time for bonding with his daughter and so takes three days off work to drive her to Georgetown. Circumstances happen and the vehicle they are driving in gets totaled. The adventure begins as Trey Porter (Eshaya Draper) is found stowed away in the back of the SUV with his pig Albert.

While James sneaks in a college tour of NorthWestern (40 minutes from home) we meet Doug Greenhut (Donny Osmond) and his daughter Wendy Greenhut (Molly Ephraim), a father and daughter team who loves to sing and is overly nice and jolly all the time. Together they help out the Porter family achieve their goal of reaching Georgetown and in the end The Porters and the Greenhuts become friends.

I have come to the point where I really enjoy Martin Lawrence in his Disney-like performances (Are We Done Yet?, Black Night, Big Mama). Some people feel he has fallen far from the tree of success.

" This film goes to show that you can be on top of the world and fall all the way down. With "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins","Wild Hogs" and now "College Road Trip" under Lawrence's belt, i don't know how much more he can take." Author: Joe Canton from United States. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997047/)

I am enjoying knowing he is becoming an actor I can trust in films I show children and grandchildren.
Raven-Symone is attempting to break out of her shell as Raven on "That's So Raven". Her character and performance fits well in this film.
Kim Whitley I loved! Her smile is contagious and her portrayal of the wise Matriarch of the home was A-typical of a woman with children and a spouse.

In all honesty, I purchased this movie because Donny Osmond was in it. Hey once a fan always a fan. Donny's role kept me returning to his performance in Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" video. Take a peek and watch the background.



I don't know if Donny got this role because of his performance in this video or if he got it because of his performance in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Perhaps he was truly perfect for this role with his Osmond smile and friendly demeanor.

This movie is rated "G" and is very viewer friendly. I recommend it for a lighthearted evening. You gotta love Albert the pig too. Him and his eye on James Porter.



Join the Neighborhood Newsletter . . . Subscriptions are free and joining is easy. Just by signing up and maintaining your subscription to receive the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter, you become eligible for our "Thank You" prizes. Our dozens of giveaways range from a trip for two to China, to iPods® (each with a $50 gift certificate for LDS music), cruises, and more.Learn about our amazing monthly, quarterly, and annual giveaways by clicking here.

Return to the Neighborhood

Everyone in the household was worked up to see Cloverfield. An American Godzilla story set in Manhattan Island (Why is it always the New York City area that gets destroyed?). After watching it last night I was grateful I hadn't spent money at the theater to watch it.

The story is about Rob who is moving to Japan after receiving a promotion. Rob and his long time girlfriend Beth are going through a rough time. A surprise going away party is hosted for Rob in which Beth attends with a date.

Jason is Rob's brother who is in love with Lily. Lily and Jason are the brains behind the surprise party. Jason is trying to console Rob about Beth while encouraging Rob to do something about it.

Hud is the brother's friend who is documenting the whole party on video so that Rob will have something to watch while in Japan when missing his family and friends. Marlene is the girl that Hud likes, but she isn't really into anyone at the party. She's a loner for the most part.

Those are the characters and believe me when I say that is the best part of this movie. While the party is in full swing an "earthquake" happens that shakes Manhattan Island. Going down to the streets the people find a gruesome "thing" knocking Lady Liberty's head off. Fire erupts from buildings every time this monster hits a building.

The goal for our six characters to get off the island safely. Well is doesn't happen. Everyone dies, except maybe the Lily, but we never know for sure. Hud is recording everything as this group runs helter skelter around the island. Now Rob is trying to get to Beth who is impaled in her apartment building. Jason dies while trying to get across the Brooklyn bridge. Marlene explodes after getting bitten by one of the "thing's" babies. Lily gets on a helicopter, but it is left unknown as to whether she really makes it off the island safely. Hud gets eaten by the "thing". Rob and Beth die together when the military bombs the area they are hiding in.

All of this filming is done as a video recording from Hud. There is no follow up as to whether the "thing" is killed or if it moves on to another part of the area. There is no explanation as to where it came from or what it exactly is. There is not a happily-ever-after ending. The movie lacked in plot support and closure. The acting itself seemed to be on the same level as amateur home movies.

It is rated PG-13 for violence and dramatic scenes. They failed to note the language used in the rating. If you really must see a preview to see if my critique is tainted here it is. Don't say I didn't warn you.




Join the Neighborhood Newsletter . . . Subscriptions are free and joining is easy. Just by signing up and maintaining your subscription to receive the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter, you become eligible for our "Thank You" prizes. Our dozens of giveaways range from a trip for two to China, to iPods® (each with a $50 gift certificate for LDS music), cruises, and more.Learn about our amazing monthly, quarterly, and annual giveaways by clicking here.

Return to the Neighborhood