It's tough to have a Vacation film without that John Hughes flair. But screenwriter, Elisa Bell, has the right idea comedically and stays fairly true to the vibe of the first three films. The only issue with Vegas Vacation is that there's no bigger picture within the plot. Or the one that's present feels overly contrived.
In this installment, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) takes his family to Las Vegas for vacation. There, Clark turns into a gambling addict and becomes estranged from his family. His wife (Beverly D'Angelo) and kids get upset at him and decide to go off and have their own pleasures fulfilled.
Honestly, Clark's behavior isn't all that bad from what his family can see, so I don't understand where their bitterness is coming from. They're unaware that he's losing money, and the times that he gets separated from the family usually aren't his fault.
I get the whole "you've become selfish, so become unselfish again" concept, but the conflict feels forced for the mere sake of having conflict. Even Clark's epiphanic moment is sudden and without a believable catalyst. Just as there is no real reason for Clark's family to be mad at him, there is no real reason why they reconcile in the end either.
The best part of this film is its humor. Although over-the-top at times, there's nothing too out of the ordinary for a Vacation film. The most inventive bit is when Clark finds a casino full of made-up games, such as "Rock-Paper-Scissors" or "Pick a Number Between 1 and 10".
Overall, it's not a bad watch. It's at least good for some cheap laughs and some '90s Vegas nostalgia. And I get that the audience may want to see more from the Griswolds, but at least give them something more rewarding to make the trip worth while.
Twizard Rating: 69
Finally, a Vacation film that is good all around. It puts together the good qualities of the first and second movies to make a solid third installment.
Maybe I'm just getting used to these characters and the style of these films, but I'm certainly liking them more and more with each one.
In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the series goes back to being about Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo). And it's never been more evident than by casting a third pair of children to play Rusty (Johnny Galecki) and Audrey (Juliette Lewis)--which has become an in-joke at this point. Clark attempts to have a perfect Christmas at his home, although it's being made very difficult with a house full of rowdy relatives.
This film is far more heartwarming than the previous two films, which are a giant batch of straightforward irreverence. But while that style may turn off some viewers, the well-balanced tone of this third film will have a little bit of both to satisfy everyone.
Possibly the highlight of this series is the brilliant running joke with the Griswold's pretentious neighbors, whose Christmas is getting incidentally ruined as a result of Clark needing to have a perfect one. It speaks of the depth of Clark's character as well as providing the audience with some of the most amazing pratfalls and farce of the franchise.
It's still very John Hughes-ey in its writing, but it definitely doesn't showcase any lack of ideas.
Twizard Rating: 83
As being more of a fan of European Vacation than its predecessor, I still rank the two films equally due to the fact that, although funnier, this sequel is terribly written.
The script is fine in terms of the humor--the jokes are funnier and more well-constructed, and the situations are seen all the way through to the end. But in terms of the plot, nothing is resolved. And in that aspect, it makes the sequel seem much more unnecessary.
In National Lampoon's European Vacation, the Griswold family goes to Europe on a trip that they won on a game show. Antics ensue and the same sort of shenanigans that we see in the first Vacation film happen again.
I find myself laughing out loud more during European Vacation. The anticipation of the farce that we see in the first film makes for a more enjoyable experience all around. The characters handle the situations in much more realistic ways.
But it's far from perfect. The plot is just stretched way too thin. There isn't any end destination. It's a lot of action with no climactic result. The conflict doesn't even start until 2/3 of the way into the film--right about the time when the comedy starts to lose its overall momentum.
The humor is much less dated, and the writers do a great job of not relying on just calling back the jokes from the first film. The children are incorporated a lot more and it feels like much less of a device to showcase Chevy Chase's talent.
It's too bad that the plot is pieced together so terribly, because this would have certainly helped the franchise reach a new level. But at least we still have a lot of laughs.
Twizard Rating: 70
Maybe growing up on National Lampoon's Vacation would have helped my appreciation, but the humor is dated and the laughs are few and far between.
Not to say that there aren't any--and the ones that are present are actually quite funny--but when a film decides to be an irreverent comedy, you expect it to be fairly consistent. Many scenes that are meant to be funny aren't even the ones that I laughed at the hardest. Some of the funniest bits are when Chevy Chase is just being Chevy Chase. Like having a prophetic conversation with his son (Anthony Michael Hall) as his glasses are subtly falling off of his face. Or denying his family from visiting the Gateway Arch in St. Louis--rather, going to places like the world's 2nd largest ball of twine instead
There are some clever scenes, but in an early-John-Hughes fashion, they appear underdeveloped and disconnected from each other much of the time. It's a compilation of instances, rather than a story.
The film is about the Griswold family driving from Chicago to Los Angeles to visit a sendup version of Disneyland, called Walley World. On the way, they experience Murphy's Law firsthand, as just about everything on the trip goes haywire. Chevy Chase plays Clark Griswold--the enthusiastic patriarch whose idea it is to drive to California rather than take an airplane.
Watching the movie, I was never bored, but also not really invested in the characters or in anything that was happening. The film isn't bad by any means when compared to other comedies. It's just average. A few memorable scenes, but the rest are throwaways. That is, unless you're nostalgic about the film--then you can probably recite the lines in their entirety.
I can appreciate its impact and place in popular culture. It's just that having not grown up with the movie, it's hard to see past what I'm actually watching.
Twizard Rating: 71
