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Review by Dustin Putman
2 stars out of 4
"Boat Trip" joins the ranks of 1995's "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything,
Julie Newmar" and 1996's "The Birdcage" as a big-screen gay-oriented
comedy made for mainstream consumption. In other words, it is of the
cookie-cutter variety and nothing more than one big stereotype--even
if some of the stereotypes are admittedly accurate to a degree. Directed
by Mort Nathan, the film has its definite amusing moments, but at
its core is a defeatist artificiality that leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
Six months after his girlfriend, Felicia (Vivica A. Fox), dumped him
for a hunkier guy, the depressed Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) still hasn't
been able to get his ex off his mind. In an attempt to get him around
a bevy of beautiful women and over Felicia, best friend Nick (Horatio
Sanz) persuades Jerry to go with him on a week-long cruise. What they
do not realize until hours after the ship has left port is that, through
a cruel trick set up by the travel agency, they have entered a gay
cruise. Without any way to get off the ship, Jerry and Nick attempt
to make the most of it. As Nick bonds with a group of gay poker players,
Jerry becomes smitten with beautiful dance instructor Gabriela (Roselyn
Sanchez). Because Gabriela believes him to be gay, Jerry must convincingly
act the part even as he secretly is falling in love with her.
The plot hook of "Boat Trip"--two straight males who accidentally
end up on a gay cruise--is clever and pretty wacky. What follows is
little more than a stream of skits and gags with just enough of a
narrative to pass as a 93-minute comedy. Some of it is undeniably
funny, such as the ongoing advances Nick receives from both a smooth-talking
older gentleman (Roger Moore) and a horny, over-the-hill tanning coach
(Lin Shaye). Additionally, the mere sight of Cuba Gooding Jr. on stage
in drag, lip-synching to Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out," is something
hard to forget and unavoidably destined to tickle one's funny bone.
Unfortunately, "Boat Trip" strains all of its comic possibilities
long before the finish line has arrived, and what is left is another
one of those boring romances that hinges dumbly on the mistaken identity
of one of the characters. It is a given that Gabriela will eventually
find out Jerry has been lying to her about his alleged homosexuality,
and the predictable breakup will be followed by Jerry eventually convincing
Gabriela that he understands the error of his ways. This sort of plot
contrivance can work if the writing is worth two cents, but here the
viewer is never given a reason to care about the characters or the
relationship. Everything is at the service of the plot, and the result
is more than a little tiresome.
What makes "Boat Trip" tolerable are the actors, who clearly are having
a ball. Cuba Gooding Jr. (2002's "Snow Dogs"), still searching for
a solid follow-up role that makes good on his 1996 Oscar win for "Jerry
Maguire," hasn't found it here. Nonetheless, he and Horatio Sanz (2001's
"Tomcats") make a likable comedic pair, playing off one another with
natural ease. As Gabriela, Roselyn Sanchez (2001's "Rush Hour 2")
is a promising find, despite her eerie resemblance to Michael Jackson
in some shots that is simply too uncanny for its own good. In the
thankless part of Felicia, the underrated Vivica A. Fox (2002's "Juwanna
Mann") is once again criminally wasted. And ex-007 Roger Moore delightfully
plays against type as a gay vacationer attracted to Sanz's Nick.
"Boat Trip" is an innocent enough diversion, innocuous and silly,
but there is not enough worthwhile material to withhold its 93-minute
running time. A one-minute speech about tolerance is thrown into the
mix just to be politically correct, but it comes off as more of a
cheap ploy so as no one in the audience will be offended by what surrounds
it. The final fifteen minutes are, especially, a chore to sit through,
as a number of false ends come and go without any sight of the end
credits. Still, the movie does have its moments (Artie Lang and Will
Ferrell turn in hilarious cameos at the onset); it's too bad there
aren't more of them to make "Boat Trip" more than just mere throwaway fodder.
Copyright © 2003 Dustin Putman
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out of 4
