'Eurotrip' Goes Back in Front of the Camera

Written 12-01-2003 by Chris Faile

As DreamWorks began advance previews of “Eurotrip” this past week, the film was busy shooting several new scenes in Los Angeles, FilmJerk.com has learned. Although producers are pegging the shooting as “added scenes” in casting notes, at least one of the two scenes appeared in the production draft of the film’s script.

As we reported in an article from December 2002, the film – then called “Ugly Americans – focuses on Scotty (played by Scott Mechlowicz), an American teenager who breaks off communication with his German pen pal, fearing he is an internet predator. Discovering that “he” is actually a beautiful “she,” he’s stuck with the unbearable thought that he unwittingly has broken it off with the girl of his dreams. Throwing caution to the wind, Scotty, along with his three best friends, ventures on a comedic journey to Europe in search of his true love (played by Michelle Trachtenberg). As their journey across Europe unfolds, the foursome battle time, distance and bizarre European customs to ultimately have the best summer of their lives.

One of the scenes now shot involve Scotty and Cooper (played by Jacob Pitts) at the Vatican awaiting the arrival of the Pope, who will be delivering a mass. The pair decides to impersonate the Pope, only to be then caught by a menacing and imposing guard. Also in this scene is an actor portraying the pope, a reporter reporting live from the scene who is described as a “male version of CNN's Chriatana Anapour” an older Italian gentleman there for the Pope’s arrival and an Italian woman in a confessional. We’re guessing the CNN reporter the producers are going for is really CNN international correspondent Christine Amanpour.

This scene appeared in the script FilmJerk.com has read. Of course, it is not known at this time whether or not the first scene was filmed and this is a re-shoot— or something they were not able to film during principal photography. If it is indeed a reshoot, this might not be a bad thing. In reviewing the script, Darwin Mayflower of Screenwriter’s Voice called the effort “about as much fun as delayed flights, canceled hotel rooms and the gastrointestinal misadventures that comes with foreign food.”

Another scene being shot is described as involving an “American Robot Man,” for a cut-away scene. There, he will be doing robotic moves out in the street who interacts with the two leads.

As of this writing, casting has already taken place and the scenes have been filmed.

The Scorecard
Executive Producers: Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock and Joe Medjuck
Producers: Dan Goldberg, Jackie Marcus, Alec Berg and David Mandel
Writers: Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel
Director: Jeff Schaffer
Casting Directors: Meg Liberman, Cami Patton and Nelia Morago
Filming Date: November 20 through 25
Location: Los Angeles
Production Companies:Dreamworks/The Montecito Picture Company