Next stop: Sucktown

There was a time when it could have been argued that Martin Lawrence was legitimately funny. His television show “Martin” and film roles in “Bad Boys” or “Nothing To Lose” propelled him into stardom in the mid-1990s, but since the turn of the millennium, Lawrence has appeared in one overly dumb “comedy” after another.

What’s worse is his decision to star in poorly made family films, completely erasing the few remnants of his raunchy, edgy image. He’s followed up last year’s “Wild Hogs” with the Disney-produced “College Road Trip.”

The film follows college-bound Melanie Porter (Raven-Symoné) as she attempts to figure out which university to attend. To do so, Melanie organizes an all-girl road trip to various universities to scope out what they have to offer, which her father subverts by insisting that he direct the trip. Melanie has her heart set on Georgetown, but of course, her overprotective father, Police Chief James (Lawrence) requests she stay closer to home at a school like Northwestern.

“College Road Trip” is exactly what you would expect from a Disney movie staring Martin Lawrence: awkward encounters with “different” people – in this case, karaoke-singing tourists – Lawrence’s character producing unlimited non-laughter-inducing outbursts, and of course, a goofy animal (here, it’s a little pig named Albert). Obviously, this tired formula isn’t a good thing for any viewer who is over the age of 8 or isn’t brain-dead.

All of the performers seem to be hamming it up even too much for a Disney film. Donny Osmond’s turn as the over-annoying and hyper-psyched dad is terrible, even coming from someone of his talent. Symoné basically plays the same character she does on “That’s So Raven,” which will at least appease the target demographic. Frankly, the pig brings home the bacon when it comes to laughs throughout.

“College Road Trip” is a film everyone without a Disney fanatic of a child should avoid. The hyperactive performances do nothing but annoy throughout the film’s running time even at a mere 83 minutes. It’s safe to say that Martin Lawrence’s career has officially gone on a road trip straight to the hell of mediocrity.