Like its main character, "Trippin' " spends too much time in a fantasy world and not nearly enough in real life.

What's particularly irritating about this urban comedy is that it has the potential to be a lot better and a whole lot deeper than some recent films with similar themes, including "She's All That."

But instead, the filmmakers stray from a surprisingly interesting story line and settle for cheap sexual humor and dumb gags that could have come from such sexist drivel as "Booty Call" or "Def Jam's How to Be a Player."

One thing the movie does have in its favor is an appealing cast, including Deon Richmond (from TV's "Sister, Sister"), who stars as Greg "G" Reed, a high school senior with an overactive imagination.

The trouble is, his constant daydreaming has left him with few prospects, both careerwise and romantically. When he has barely a month left in high school, G tries to get his act together — with help from a sympathetic teacher (Michael Warren).

First, he gathers up the courage to approach the girl of his dreams, popular student Cinny Hawkins (Maia Campbell), who surprises him by being sympathetic to his plight. She even helps him fill out his college application forms, which had been a source of friction between the unambitious teen and his parents.

However, with things looking up, G lets his flights of fancy get the best of him. Not only does he lie to Cinny about being accepted into UCLA, he also boasts publicly about the nature of their relationship. Needless to say, she isn't happy when his fibbing is revealed.

The material is more ambitious than you would expect. But director David Raynr and screenwriter Gary Hardwick keep straying from the more interesting story for cinematic dead-ends, such as an irksome subplot about G's hustler friend June (Donald Adeosun Faison).

And though Richmond and Campbell work well together, they aren't given nearly enough mutual screentime to be convincing. Also, the movie's payoff casts a sinister shadow on the relationship.

"Trippin' " is rated R for considerable profanity, violent gunplay and fisticuffs (some performed comedically), use of racial epithets, sexual antics, use of crude slang and some lewd dancing, female nudity and brief gore.