June 2022: Americans Abroad
Summertime is travel time! Here are some favorite films about Americans abroad.
Chris’ Rec
EuroTrip (2004)
According to the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, EuroTrip is “a trip worth taking if one’s not offended by gratuitous nudity and bad taste.” I AM NOT. EuroTrip is a sex comedy that falls in line with our nation’s esteemed history of sex comedies, though not as heralded as your American Pies and your Porky’s, which is why I’m recommending it. What sets EuroTrip apart from some of the other sex comedies in the aughts is that it’s actually funny. Credited writers Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, and Dave Mandel are nowadays considered comedy writer royalty after credits on Seinfeld, The League, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Barry, and Veep. Matt Damon singing “Scotty Doesn’t Know” took over the zeitgeist for a solid year. Unfortunately, the phrase “This is DEFINITELY where I parked my car” did not catch on, but I’m still out here saying it, getting awkward looks when I do. Lastly - and very specific to me - Michelle Trachtenberg has been my celebrity crush since I saw Harriet the Spy when I was 8 years old. *swoon*
Stephanie’s Rec
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu, a native New Yorker and Chinese American, as she travels to Singapore for a friend’s wedding - and, more importantly, to meet her boyfriend’s family. She experiences Chinese culture from an outsider’s perspective, and is judged for her modest American upbringing, but *SPOILER* is ultimately able to win over her boyfriend’s family by demonstrating how they hold similar cultural values even if they experience them differently. Throughout her trip, Rachel gets to enjoy the amazing food, beaches, and sights that Singapore has to offer - and Michelle Yeoh is there too!
Dylan’s Rec
The Lost Daughter (2021)
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a treasure. Not everyone can write and direct a movie ostensibly about a middle-aged woman gaslighting a five year old. While the film mainly focuses on Olivia Colman’s character on holiday in Greece, Dakota Johnson and Dagmara Domińczyk steal the show as other vacationing mothers handling motherhood in their own way. It’s a movie about being haunted by the responsibility of parenthood, even while on vacation. I’m never having kids.
Kirk’s Rec
The Beach (2000)
I wouldn’t necessarily describe The Beach as one of Danny Boyle’s best, but it’s certainly one of his most memorable! Leonardo DiCaprio plays an American traveler vibing in Bangkok who stumbles onto a group of people living their cute, hippie lives on some island and things go… awry. It boasts an amazing electronica soundtrack and Tilda Swinton, so what’s not to love?
Jesse’s Rec
Roman Holiday (1953)
How can you go wrong with Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and “A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.” In short you can’t, though there is a proper way to enjoy Hepburn’s lone Oscar-winning performance. I first saw this film on your average 105-degree July scorcher in Austin at the Paramount theater during their 2013 classic film series program. It was the perfect cold, dark room to waste away an empty weekday afternoon when those were still a thing in my food service days. I would prescribe this movie to be enjoyed somewhere chilly amidst the summer heat where you can imagine you’re in Italy not wiping your brow from the pelting rays of the sun, but from the impecable 1950s sexual chemistry dripping off Peck and Hepburn.