In an effort to save their marriage, Tom (John Ritter) and Gina (Rachel Hunter) take a vacation in California.  However, when they arrive at the home that they’re going to be renting, they are taken hostage by a group of redneck criminals led by Mr. Eddie (Eric Roberts).  Mr. Eddie wants all of Tom’s money and this leads to a rather drawn-out hostage situation as Tom tries to get the better of Mr. Eddie and Mr. Eddie spends a lot of time purring threats in a thick Southern accent.

That’s plot of 2000’s TripFall.  Don’t ask my why it’s called TripFall.  It seems like a bit of a redundant title because a trip and a fall are pretty much the same thing.  In fact, don’t even ask me what the point of the film is because there’s really not that much action or suspense.  It’s mostly just Eric Roberts and the gang driving John Ritter from one location to another.  I’m not a big fan of films about people being held hostage because they always seem to feature the same scene played over and over again.  The hostage refuses to do something.  The person holding him hostage gives a long monologue.  It gets boring after a while.

TripFall is not a career highpoint for either Roberts or Ritter.  It’s an action film in which there is very little action.  Watching the film, I found myself thinking that it would have been more interesting if Ritter and Roberts had switched roles.  Roberts could have played the likable family man for once and maybe the film could have explored the darkness behind Ritter’s goofy persona.  (Comedic actors sometimes make the best villains.)

That said, it’s difficult to resist the oddness of John Ritter and Eric Roberts starring in the same movie.  If there are two actors who feel as if they literally come from different planets, it’s Ritter and Roberts.  Ritter is his typical goofy self, even when he’s trying to play up the drama of the situation.  Roberts hisses his lines as Mr. Eddie and appears to be acting in a totally different movie from Ritter.  They’re so mismatched that they become rather fascinating (if not exactly memorable) to watch.

Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:

1. Paul’s Case (1980)
2. Star 80 (1983)
3. Runaway Train (1985)
4. To Heal A Nation (1988)
5. Best of the Best (1989)
6. Blood Red (1989)
7. The Ambulance (1990)
8. The Lost Capone (1990)
9. Best of the Best II (1993)
10. Love, Cheat, & Steal (1993)
11. Voyage (1993)
12. Love Is A Gun (1994)
13. Sensation (1994)
14. Dark Angel (1996)
15. Doctor Who (1996)
16. Most Wanted (1997)
17. The Alternate (2000)
18. Mercy Streets (2000)
19. Raptor (2001)
20. Rough Air: Danger on Flight 534 (2001)
21. Strange Frequency (2001)
22. Wolves of Wall Street (2002)
23. Border Blues (2004)
24. Mr. Brightside (2004)
25. Six: The Mark Unleased (2004)
26. We Belong Together (2005)
27. Hey You (2006)
28. Depth Charge (2008)
29. Amazing Racer (2009)
30. The Chaos Experiment (2009)
31. In The Blink of an Eye (2009)
32. Bed & Breakfast (2010)
33. Enemies Among Us (2010)
34. The Expendables (2010) 
35. Sharktopus (2010)
36. Beyond The Trophy (2012)
37. The Dead Want Women (2012)
38. Deadline (2012)
39. The Mark (2012)
40. Miss Atomic Bomb (2012)
41. Assault on Wall Street (2013)
42. Bonnie And Clyde: Justified (2013)
43. Lovelace (2013)
44. The Mark: Redemption (2013)
45. The Perfect Summer (2013)
46. Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End (2013)
47. Revelation Road 2: The Sea of Glass and Fire (2013)
48. Self-Storage (2013)
49. Sink Hole (2013)
50. A Talking Cat!?! (2013)
51. This Is Our Time (2013)
52. Bigfoot vs DB Cooper (2014)
53. Doc Holliday’s Revenge (2014)
54. Inherent Vice (2014)
55. Road to the Open (2014)
56. Rumors of War (2014)
57. So This Is Christmas (2014)
58. Amityville Death House (2015)
59. Deadly Sanctuary (2015)
60. A Fatal Obsession (2015)
61. Las Vegas Story (2015)
62. Sorority Slaughterhouse (2015)
63. Stalked By My Doctor (2015)
64. Enemy Within (2016)
65. Hunting Season (2016)
66. Joker’s Poltergeist (2016)
67. Prayer Never Fails (2016)
68. Stalked By My Doctor: The Return (2016)
69. The Wrong Roommate (2016)
70. Dark Image (2017)
71. The Demonic Dead (2017)
72. Black Wake (2018)
73. Frank and Ava (2018)
74. Stalked By My Doctor: Patient’s Revenge (2018)
75. Clinton Island (2019)
76. Monster Island (2019)
77. The Reliant (2019)
78. The Savant (2019)
79. Seven Deadly Sins (2019)
80. Stalked By My Doctor: A Sleepwalker’s Nightmare (2019)
81. The Wrong Mommy (2019)
82. Exodus of a Prodigal Son (2020)
83. Free Lunch Express (2020)
84. Her Deadly Groom (2020)
85. Top Gunner (2020)
86. Deadly Nightshade (2021)
87. The Elevator (2021)
88. Just What The Doctor Ordered (2021)
89. Killer Advice (2021)
90. Megaboa (2021)
91. Night Night (2021)
92. The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
93. The Rebels of PT-218 (2021)
94. Red Prophecies (2021)
95. A Town Called Parable (2021)
96. Bleach (2022)
97. Dawn (2022)
98. My Dinner With Eric (2022)
99. 69 Parts (2022)
100. The Rideshare Killer (2022)
101. The Company We Keep (2023)
102. D.C. Down (2023)
103. Aftermath (2024)
104. Bad Substitute (2024)
105. Devil’s Knight (2024)
106. Insane Like Me? (2024)
107. Space Sharks (2024)
108. The Wrong Life Coach (2024)
109. Broken Church (2025)
110. When It Rains In L.A. (2025)