Starring:
Cuba Gooding Jr. as Jerry
Horatio Sanz as Nick
Vivica A. Fox as Felicia
Roselyn Sanchez as Gabriela
Maurice Godin as Hector
Lin Shaye as Sonja
Bob Gunton as Captain
Victoria Silvstedt as Inga
Richard Roundtree as Malcolm
Roger Moore as Lloyd
Ken Hudson Campbell as Tom
Zen Gesner as Ron
William Bumiller as Steven
Noah York as Perry
Jennifer Gareis as Sheri
Critique:
Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Nick (Horatio Sanz) are down on their luck bachelors trying to change their sex life for the better by going on a cruise that is touted as being filled with beautiful women. It has to work, because if it worked for the old balding cafeteria worker friend of theirs, it has to work for them.
But nothing is ever easy and due to Nick’s perpetual obnoxiousness the travel agent books them on a slightly different cruise, an all male gay cruise. The movie is a combination of “Blame it on Rio” and “La Cage aux Folles” and comes across as a cheap polyester leisure suit compared to two Armanis.
The movie does have many very funny moments in it, plus the love story involving Jerry is an honest one. But overall the movie falls flat in many places. Horatio Sanz is unconvincing as a homophobe, despite his actions. And Cuba Gooding Jr. does not make a very good effeminate heterosexual man. The one good performance is given by Roger Moore as a wealthy and suave sugar daddy.
Several important social issues are touched by the movie and are even handled respectfully, but they are immediately followed up by more inane antics. There is very strong sexual content in the movie, enough that I am sure that the producers were worried about getting an NC-17 rating, but those situations are also some of the funniest.
To further detract from the movie the editing is also questionable. The worst of which is an abrupt transition from being on the boat to what follows afterwards. So abrupt that it seems like a dream sequence that just doesn’t end.
Some movies are lucky with the timing of their release and “Boat Trip” is one of them. With war expected at any time it will be impossible to escape serious and grim topics on the television. That should increase the appeal of a movie that takes nothing serious and offers only light-hearted entertainment.
Who should see this movie? If you like Cuba Gooding Jr. there are a couple of scenes where he is outstanding, but overall it is not his best performance. If you are uneasy with many blatant homosexual acts then this movie is not for you. There are no guns, car chases, or any other action in the movie, so if you need a dose of adrenaline then you need to look elsewhere. There are plenty of funny moments in the movie, you just have to sit through the rest of he movie to see them.
