College Road Trip, the latest vehicle for Martin Lawrence's tireless facial mugging, is a dispiriting excursion into the comedy mire from a director whose previous wrecks include Just Friends and The Sweetest Thing.

Star rating *
Dir: Roger Kumble
With: Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symone, Donny Osmond

College Road Trip, the latest vehicle for Martin Lawrence's tireless facial mugging, is a dispiriting excursion into the comedy mire from a director whose previous wrecks include Just Friends and The Sweetest Thing.

Control freak dad James Porter (Lawrence) wants nothing more than to see his teen daughter Melanie (Raven-Symone) attend Northwestern University because it's a short drive from the family home. When faraway Georgetown provides a more appealing offer, he accompanies her to the interview in a desperate bid to deter her, with his younger son and a chess-playing pig in tow.

The ensuing journey entails wedding crashes, a sing-along father (Donny Osmond) and his daughter, Japanese tourists and skydiving, but is virtually laughter-free. Disney Channel regular Raven-Symone seems content to scream her way through proceedings, Lawrence is up-staged by the pig and Osmond is beyond irritating. Come the predictably sentimental conclusion, you'll be feeling travel sick.
College Road Trip was reviewed by Rob Carnevale