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★★★ Stars
Directed by: #KitaoSakurai
Written by: #KitaoSakurai, #DanCurry, #EricAndré
Starring: #EricAndré, #MichaelaConlin, #LilRelHowery, #TiffanyHaddish
“This mix of a scripted buddy comedy road movie and a real hidden camera prank show follows the outrageous misadventures of two buds stuck in a rut who embark on a cross-country road trip to NYC. The storyline sets up shocking real pranks.”
I do enjoy my fair share of road trip comedies but I’m always picky about the ones I choose to tell people about; was it really that good to want to share the experience? They aren’t my go-to when it comes to comedies. However, Bad Trip can be labelled in this category but sit in its own sub section within it as well. Two best friends find an opportunity to go on a road trip but things begin to swerve out of control very quickly – all with the added excitement of the public’s reactions thanks to hidden cameras.
Bad Trip is an incredibly well directed film in my perspective. The story is composed of chaotic, slapstick scenarios that are smoothly pushed into real life and must be done so in a convincing way; Kitao Sakurai manages to pull this off brilliantly. With writing credits as well, it is obvious that Sakurai perfectly understood the project and its components and how the film needed to be developed which resulted in a cinematic journey of bountiful laughter.
Of course, the delivery of natural acting also makes Bad Trip increasingly enjoyable. Each cast member (who knows that they are starring in a film to begin with that is) delivers great performances altogether. I don’t understand how they managed to run with a story so flamboyant without breaking character or accidentally giving away the ‘hidden camera prank’ aspect of the film. There is simply no room for actors to be embarrassed through these public outbursts as breaking half way through a scene or acknowledging their own subtle mistakes just isn’t an option — the cast definitely let their guard down to create the hilarious final product.
The reactions of the unaware public makes Bad Trip even better once again, more than what I’ve already stated. It is nice to see how much good there is in the world when dangerous, and frankly confusing to the individuals walking back to work on a weekday afternoon, situations arise in the presence of strangers when they don’t have time to stop and entertain the idea that they might be staged – particularly when all that seems to be surrounding us right now is hurt and eyes that speak volumes of negativity. But don’t get too caught up in the kindness that can be seen; as Chris (Eric André) hangs from the side of a rooftop, a group of people watch his pending health bar from afar yet continue to enjoy their lunch regardless… I was rolling in tears while laughing at them but soon realised after that that was their genuine reaction to an extreme situation. It probably shocked them more than it shocked me though, which can ultimately be a good thing.
Because of the film’s rich content, I’ve kept this review short and sweet to give you quite a clean slate before viewing, in the hopes that you can enjoy the content fleshly and fully. This isn’t a film to experience with your kids or younger siblings but be sure to usher them off to bed as quickly as possible to finally relax and cheer yourself up with Bad Trip on Netflix.
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