"Road Trip" is a satirical but poignant look at the realities of college life. The main characters, whose personalities are not set in categories (the cheerleader, the nerd, etc.) like in other movies of this genre, place importance on the individual troubles of each, no matter how small.
The script's refusal to directly refer to each line left unexplained is innovative and provides a very realistic feel. The audience observes the characters behaving naturally in a natural-seeming environment. Just like us, they experience boredom, excitement, turmoil and lust. Presumably to make the film's issues seem worthwhile to older audiences, the part of each male student is played by an actor several years older than his character. This device clarifies and intensifies the themes of the film.
Besides the true-to-life characters and inventive directorial choices, the beauty of "Road Trip" lies in its ending. The main character, having taken his friends' advice to forget about his neglectful girlfriend and move on, wakes up to a new day feeling renewed and thankful. The group's most hopeless case is singing a cheery tune. The relevence of every action is felt strongly in the last scene, where the main character subtly thanks his friends for their continued advice and support. And due to a few unresolved areas of the plot, a sequel or even prequel would be a sure winner.
Though there is no actual road trip in the movie, the title is affirmed throughout, when his friends hand our hero a road map to his own soul, and it is apparent he would gladly do the same for them. Never has such a short film been so heartwarming.