The James Logan Courier

By Christina La, Courier Editor-in-Chief

Choosing which college to attend is suppose to be one of the most exciting and thrilling time of a young woman's life, unless her father isn't quite ready to let her go. In “College Road Trip,” Melanie Porter (Raven Symone) is an overachieving high school senior who is anxiously looking forward to excel and grow as a college student. However, when she plans a trip to visit several different schools with her girlfriends, she has a wrench thrown in her plans as her overprotective police chief father (Martin Lawerence) insists that he escort her instead.

Since an infant, Melanie’s father, James has always pursued the idea of her attending Northwestern University, for the simple fact that he can drive there in only 28-minutes when ever he wishes. But Melanie is eager to go to Georgetown University where it would be more suitable for her to fulfill her academic needs. However, she is currently wait-listed and is given an admissions interview to further decide her acceptance.

So the road trip goes as Melanie only hopes to make it on time to Washington D.C. for her interview. Of course her father has plans of his own to make her change her mind. At the start of the trip, James aims to achieve his goal: to make sure his daughter’s only college knowledge is clean, non-sexual and non-fun, and to encourage her to stay close to home and go to Northwestern.

Moreover, Melanie’s brother, Trey (Eshaya Draper) manages to sneak along on the trip with his pet pig who’s smart enough to play the game of the chess and lead the way out when the family gets stranded. During the trip they undergo quite a few obstacles as they get lost, wreck the police car they're driving, literally crash a wedding, hitch a ride on a Japanese tour bus, and meet another father/daughter pair who always smile and sing show tunes.

Overall, the basic premise of a father learning to let go of his daughter as she becomes an adult is worthy of exploration. This is a family movie that parents can actually take young children to see and not cringe while they're watching. I actually thought it was a good laugh and very entertaining throughout. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars.