Ensight – Jeremy Wright

Every now and again a movie pops up that I want to see, but I’m ashamed to admit I want to see (EuroTrip, Princess Diaries 2… Shaolin Soccer). Other times movies come out that I don’t want to see that I see anyways (Road Trip springs immediately to mind).

Well, this weekend I had the collision of both, in one movie. I know it sounds impossible but it happened. Without A Paddle. The poster never made me want to see it. The “Just like Road Trip Dude!” reviews I kept hearing didn’t make me want to see it. But, I did want to see it, and I was damn embarrassed about it as well.

So, like the smart little kitten that I am I… went to see it.

And I loved it. Honestly. I laughed out loud enough that some people even laughed at me (which is always a good time).

Obviously it’s a road trip movie. Bunch of buddies are childhood friends. The best among them dies and leads them on a treasure hunt. They go on said treasure hunt and everything goes wrong. Sure, like all road trip movies it goes over the top wrong… But somehow I was able to feel the character’s pain and fun. Maybe it’s because the jibing and ribbing and teasing they were giving each other was something I could relate to. And I’d been in situations that, while not quite as extreme, were certainly as memorable.

It’s a stupid comedy, so I won’t comment on the soundtrack, acting or camera work. But, for some reason it really, really worked for me.

I won’t buy it on DVD, but I’ve stopped sneering at the poster, which is (my psychiatrist tells me) a good first step.