It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Jerry and Nick are two friends whose love lives have become non-existent. To escape their troubles and find love, they book a trip on board a cruise- liner, unaware the travel agent has just played a trick on them in retaliation for Nick offending his secret gay lover. It's a cruise-liner for gay men to meet and mingle. Slowly but surely, the two main characters begin to realise that they have been duped.....What is it with Cuba Gooding Jr's. agent? has he had come kind of vendetta against him? Because since As Good As It Gets (Ironic Title), his filmography has fallen quicker than an apple from the tree.This is pretty much the lowest denominator in humour, making a comedy about sexual orientation and the fear factor ignorant heterosexuals feel when a gay person is in their vicinity.So instead of doing what any person with common would do, tell the Captain that there has been some terrible mistake, and try to enjoy the holiday as best as they can, they decide to act like they are in some kind of Die Hard situation.Oh look, that man just looked at me in a funny way, i'm going to run away, isn't that hilarious!! Oh guess what, i'm going to pretend that i'm gay to this beautiful woman, because deception is the height of romance!!How my sides split.And then to top it all off, we have everyone's favourite eyebrow raising Brit in the form of Sir Roger Moore, slumming it as the ships biggest queen.Ironically, he keeps a straight face throughout, or maybe, like Cuba's character, the writers deceived him as to what he was appearing in.Or maybe he wanted to be paid to go on a holiday.I really hope the latter is true.It's pretty terrible, the laughs never happen, but it's just, and I mean just worth seeing to see just how embarrassed Cuba looks.That's Academy Award winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

Boat Trip (2002): Dir: Mort Nathan / Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Horatio Sanz, Roger Moore, Vivica A. Fox, Lin Shaye: Amusing idea that expresses isolation both at sea and two straight males surrounded by a particular sexuality that makes them uncomfortable. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz are tricked into boarding an all gay cruise. Gooding is depressed after his girlfriend breaks up with him upon his proposal. Sanz views the cruise as an escape. Simple setup concludes as a farce but director Mort Nathan never exploits raunchy sex themes, which might have reduced the film to clichés and stereotypes. Its strongest element is its two fish out of water leads who are in fine comic form. Gooding falls for a dance instructor while Sanz attempts to seduce every female on board. Roger Moore as a gay pilot is a steal but perhaps if the role was broader than it would propel above standard comic level. Vivica A. Fox is unfortunately cardboard and only seen as a potential hookup for Gooding. Lin Shaye plays the coach instructing the girls and growls at the male leads any time they get too near to these girls. It plays like a gay version of Out to Sea with a theme that suggests that homosexuals can be identified as most anybody. Some moments of humour misfire or will be viewed as tasteless but this amusing film somehow touches just outside our comfort zone. Score: 6 / 10

Credit IMDb for the plot write up.Jerry and Nick are two best buddies whose love lives have hit rock bottom, Jerry's especially, having just vomited all over his fiancée on a hot air balloon trip prior to proposing to her. To escape their troubles and find women, they book a trip on board a cruise-liner, unaware the travel agent has just played a horrid trick on them in retaliation for Nick offending his secret gay lover. And that's the trick; it's a gay cruise-liner for gay men to meet and mingle. Slowly but surely, the two main characters begin to realize this and in turn get into a lot of humorous predicaments.I'm not saying Boat Trip is a successful movie, because it's not. It too often goes for the cheap humor, and forced laughs. But I did enjoy moments from this movie, a lot more than I expected. Cuba tries really hard to make the movie better than it should be, and often succeeds. It also helps he has a capable supporting cast around him. Boat Trip ranks around the average rating territory, and it's nowhere near as bad as people claim it to be. Funniest scene is when Sanz goes to make-out with a girl, but gets Shaye|The Gym Teacher| insteadPerformances. Cuba Gooding does remarkably well for the task he is given. Some of his actions when he's drunk are a bit over the top, but he does pretty well with the limited material. Horatio Sanz is funny and annoying at the same time. He works well with Cuba, and did his job well for the most part. Roselyn Sanchez is gorgeous to look at, while being charismatic as well. I quite liked her. Her chemistry with Cuba seemed natural too. Vivica A. Fox plays the typical know it all girlfriend without much substance. Maurice Godin is OK as the comical Gay Man. Roger Moore, Lin Shaye embarrass themselves. While Will Ferrell's cameo is rather silly.Bottom line. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. I laughed on several occasions. Cheap, vulgar, but an easy watch, if rather average. Worth a look on a slow-moving day.5/10

Film24 broadcast this film last night and the synopsis gave the impression that it was going to be a "Birdcage" afloat. I have never felt so moved as to write a review and was heartened to see that most other reviewers thought this was an appalling film.I switched off just before the part where the sidekick mistakenly hops into bed with the trainer, thank goodness by all accounts as another reviewer describes the remainder of the scene and it was even worse that I suspected it would be. With hindsight, I cannot believe I watched for 45 minutes.OK, so I'm neither teenage of male so perhaps I shouldn't have been watching this in the first place but really there is absolutely nothing to redeem this film in any way that could not be otherwise fulfilled by the sort of film that doesn't have a script at all.I really must remember to read IMDb BEFORE I watch films in the future.