EuroTrip (2004)

About half of EuroTrip runs on gags too rude to describe on a site kids read. What’s left is a scrappy, cheerful road trip with a sharp eye for how silly tourists look. Scott Mechlowicz plays Scotty as a sweet, frantic mess chasing a pen pal across a continent, and Jacob Pitts’s Cooper is the friend whose every plan makes things worse. Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester are the best part as Jenny and Jamie, twins who bicker like they’ve shared a backseat their whole lives, and Jamie’s devotion to his guidebook is the best running joke. A gang of rowdy soccer fans turns into the most unexpectedly loyal travel buddies around. The problem: plenty of jokes lean on stale national stereotypes, and the rest lean hard on shock. It made $22.6 million worldwide on a reported $25M. A 5.0 because the energy is real and the jokes hit about as often as they miss. $86.39 says you mispronounce a European city in front of someone who’s actually been there, and they’re too nice to correct you.

What works: The twins, Jamie’s guidebook obsession and the soccer fans give it real comic energy and a goofy sense of adventure.

What doesn’t: Too many jokes lean on tired national stereotypes or pure shock, and the story is just a string of detours.

Who it’s for: Older teens and grown-ups who backpacked once, or always meant to, and want a goofy travel comedy.