The outrageousness is exposed through the reactions of a mall full of people whose day just went from ordinary to absolutely confounding. He bursts into song and dance like he’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer with a concussion. However, Bad Trip has subversive fun by exposing how easily real people fall into these expectations, and how they react when a cinematic flourish follows.įor instance, when Chris is encouraged to pursue Maria, he doesn’t just thank the old man on the bench and walks away. A kindly old man, a vaping Army recruiter, and a nosy restaurant patron step out of the background to create plot points, encouraging dream-chasing, reconciliation, and even revenge! The plot points themselves are cliches. Some even become crucial characters in the plot. Throughout, Good Samaritans step up with advice, aid, and some scorching real talk.Īmid all the mayhem and bewildered reactions, such witnesses bring a touching tenderness and exciting authenticity to Bad Trip. His commitment sells the bonkers bits to these real people, even when the seams of a stunt - or a gorilla costume - might show. Howrey plays the straight man as André throws himself full-bodied into stunts that leave him a bare-assed buffoon before an unaware audience, who reacts with shock, horror, and - often - compassion. Some play on pure shock value, relishing in the stunned faces of those who think they’ve just witnessed a freak accident or a major crime.Ī supreme improviser, Haddish switches from aggressive to cuddly depending on the mark, winning some of the movie’s most passionate - and hilarious - reactions.
Still, the pranks are surprising, strange, and childishly exhilarating. Some of these stunts might be familiar to fans of The Eric André Show, which Bad Trip’s helmer Kitao Sakurai frequently directed. Notably, these aren’t the kind of cruel pranks where a mark is damaged or embarrassed the chaos here lands squarely on the consenting comedians. So, following the Dumb & Dumber model, she becomes the hardened criminal chasing down two dummies as they drive to a dream scenario.Īlong the way, André, Howery, and Haddish pull pranks in character on an array of unsuspecting people in gas stations, smoothie shops, bars, and business meetings. Naturally, Trina busts out of jail just after they run off with her ride. Because she’s behind bars, it seemed a safe plan. (Very Harry and Lloyd chasing the Mary who got away to Aspen.) Initially reluctant, Bud not only gives in but also agrees to borrow Trina’s beloved car, a hot pink showstopper with “Bad Bitch” painted across its back windshield.
So, when Maria says she’s headed back to Manhattan to prepare for her art gallery’s next major event, Chris begs Bud to drive with him to the Big Apple on a quest for love. Maria walked into that shop in slow-motion as dreamy music played! Romance must happen! That’s just the law of movies. Forget the eye rolls of bystanders who can’t deal with Chris’s cringe-worthy pick-up lines. Forget that she seems more polite than interested. Forget that their “meet-cute” is more catastrophic than charismatic. Clearly, crossing paths with his high school crush Maria Li (Michaela Conlin) is a sign. But could fate have other plans for them? Like the hero of a romantic-comedy, Chris believes so. Chris fears his life is going nowhere, while Bud is bullied by his pugnacious sister Trina (Tiffany Haddish with a mischievous snarl). Scraping by in West Grove, Florida, both work jobs that offer more embarrassment than satisfaction, resulting in wild pranks involving nudity, robbery, and sprays of fake blood. However, with a slew of pranks that range from silly to surreal, comedian Eric André and company create a spoof that’s slyly sophisticated.Įric André and Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) star as ride-or-die besties, Chris and Bud. On its surface, Bad Trip is a wacky buddy-comedy with a road trip gimmick pretty similar to the Farrelly Brothers’ hit Dumb and Dumber, in which two doofuses trek across America on a dim-witted quest for love.