"Was This 'Trip' Really Necessary?"
by Scott Mantz

"Boat Trip"
Cuba Gooding Jr., Horatio Sanz
Directed by Mort Nathan

Show me the Mamba! Roselyn Sanchez and Cuba Gooding Jr. get down and dirty in "Boat Trip"

Six years after winning an Oscar for "Jerry Maguire," Cuba Gooding Jr. has effectively flushed his once-promising career down the proverbial toilet with "Boat Trip." Not only is this doomed voyage a cringe-inducing, morally offensive and painfully unfunny embarrassment for all concerned, but one has to wonder just what the heck Gooding was thinking when he signed on to do this film in the first place (insert your own "show me the money" joke here).

Six months after being dumped by his girlfriend (Vivica A. Fox), a heartbroken Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) decides to join his best friend Nick (Horatio Sanz) on a tropical singles cruise. What they don't realize is that they've been booked on an all-gay cruise, and by the time they figure it out, it's much too late. Jerry and Nick are trapped by their own homophobic fears, but when Jerry falls for Gabrielle (Roselyn Sanchez)--a beautiful (and straight ) dance instructor--he pretends to be gay in an effort to get down her pants...er, I mean, get down to business. Matters get complicated when Jerry and Gabrielle start to fall in love, but Jerry is faced with the decision of a lifetime when his ex-girlfriend shows up and tries to win him back.

Oscar history is filled with past winners whose careers have sailed into choppy waters (like Marisa Tomei and Mira Sorvino), but with this film, Cuba Gooding Jr. practically goes down with the ship. Sure, he's made some noble attempts at serious fare ("What Dreams May Come," "Men of Honor"), and he's had some success with comedy ("Rat Race," "Snow Dogs"), but he has yet to replicate the critical acclaim of 1996's "Jerry Maguire." It's almost as if the Hollywood studios don't know what to do with him, which is a real shame, since he's so charismatic, likable and talented.

"Boat Trip" is incredibly offensive, but at least it doesn't discriminate between the straight community and the gay community. The secondary characters are depicted as stereotypical, partner-swapping sex fiends, while Gooding and Sanz go over the top in the other direction with their homophobic fears. Admittedly, it is a little funny--for about a minute--seeing former James Bond ladykiller Roger Moore as a flamboyant gay man, but one has to wonder why he came out of the closet...er, I mean, retirement for something like this.

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Horatio Sanz seems ill at ease in his attempt to channel the spirit of John Belushi, and his awkward, uninspired performance more closely resembles that of Jim Belushi. Co-stars Roselyn Sanchez and Vivica A. Fox have more than their share of embarrassing scenes between them, and it's highly unlikely that either one of them will even bother putting this shipwreck on their resume.

Whether it was intentional or not (and it probably wasn't), "Boat Trip" has the same sort of low-budget, second-rate feel as some of those cheap teen sex comedies from the 80's (like "Hardbodies" and "Private Resort"). In other words, this is the type of movie that desperate actors make before they become famous--not after they win an Oscar. Geez, it's enough to make you wonder, where's an iceberg when you need it?

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