Vacation

Saturday Night Live is one of the most legendary tv shows of american history. So many great comedians have been guests at this show, while some comedians stayed as the original line up for the show. Crazy characters, crazy sketches, and of course satire of both media, and politics. We could count in many great names that have been a big part of Saturday Night Live, but let´s talk about one legendary comedian, who changed the 80´s completely. Chevy Chase is one of the biggest comedy icons of my childhood. I loved National Lampoon´s Vacation, including most of the sequels, but his best film is without a doubt the 1985 film called Fletch. This is a really funny comedy, about a journalist, who will be payed lots of money by a millionaire, if he helps to kill him. This may not sound very funny on paper, but trust me, Chevy Chase deliver a really good performance, with some classic characters included. The sequel Fletch Lives, was alright, but not as good as the first film. One of the problems of making great comedy sequels, is to make it as good as the first film, or even better. Chevy Chase continued releasing comedies in the rest of the 80´s, with different results, but he finally choosed to go back to National Lampoon´s Vacation, in the 4th film of the series, called Vegas Vacation. I liked the idea of the Griswalds going to Las Vegas, but the film did not manage to capture the magic as the previous films. I would not blame Chevy Chase for this, or Beverly D´Angelo, simply because they at least tried to portrait the Griswolds, while the film felt uninspired. After many years, when speculations started coming in about a National Lampoon´s Vacation sequel, finally turned out to become reality, i actually got excited. Perhaps because i was hoping that they would keep some of the Griswald feeling, from the classics, into this new adaptation of the crazy family we all grew up with. The difference this time, is that we don´t follow the parents of the first films, this time we follow Russ Griswald, the son of the legendary family, all grown up, with his own family on a road trip to Walley World. The cast looks pretty good, with Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Chris Hemsworth, Leslie Mann, Chevy Chase and Beverly D´Angelo. With a new generation of the Griswald family on the road, is this a worthy sequel to the classics we all grew up with, or is this a desperate try to get fans to pay tickets for a waste of your time ?

Russ Griswald ( Ed Helms ) is a proud father and a husband. He remember the glorious days of vacation with his parents, back when he was a young boy. Russ have 2 kids, James Griswald ( Skyler Grisondo ), a very shy but intelligent young man, and his youngest son Kevin Griswald ( Steele Stebbins. Steele is a very noisy and ignorant kid, who loves to make fun of his brother James. Russ is happily married to Debbie Griswald ( Christina Applegate ), and they all live in a peaceful neighbourhood. At a dinner with friends, listening to what their friends are doing on holidays, Debbie feels that their family need to do something together. Russ comes up with the idea, that they all should go to Walley World, where it all started for the Griswald family vacation, many years ago. At first, no one other than Russ thinks this is a good idea. Eventually they all agree to go along on this journey. What seemed to be an ordinary road trip, is about to change their lives completely.

When i heard about the idea, to see Russ Griswald, son of legendary character Clark Griswald, all grown up, travelling to his childhood favourite place Walley World, i found myself pleased. It would have been difficult to make another film based on the characters of Chevy Chase and Beverly D´Angelo all over again, since it was a long time ago, back in 1997. If you remember the fourth film Vegas Vacation, things were not the same anymore. Sure, we had Chevy Chase back and Beverly D´Angelo, but the film itself was not as funny as the previous ones. So when we get to see one of the Griswald kids, all grown up, ready to take his own family to Wally World, you actually have a good time. Really ? Yes, if you like vulgar humour with 2 great comedian actors like Ed Helms and Christina Appelgate, who fit into their characters. One of the best scenes is already in the beginning in the film, when Rusty Griswold explain to everyone, that it would be ok if his son James had a vagina, that it is nothing strange. I really like the youngest son, the annoying little brother Kevin, played by Steele Stebbins. He is rude, don´t respect anyone, and gives this film some really funny scenes along the way. The road trip to Walley World is filled with many different incidents, some are funny, while some feels less interesting. But the National Lampoon feeling from the earlier films is here, perhaps more vulgar than before. Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have tried to make an updated comedy about the Griswalds, with some of the classic elements, with some new twists. I would not say that they have managed to capture the magic of the 3 first films, simply because Chevy Chase and Beverly D´Angelo had a special connection on screen, that can´t be done all over again. I still feel that Ed Helms and Christina Appelgate is a good choice, to continue the legacy of the Griswalds, in today´s society. To bring back a classic franchise this National Lampoon´s Vacation into today´s time period, could have been a disaster. Thankfully it works, for the most part. And i have to say it is because of the cast, and their comedy timing. So what does not work ? There are some scenes where the comedy influences feel a bit stiff, and just thrown in to hopefully make you laugh. But it is the unexpected funny scenes with the little brother Kevin that saves a lot. One scene that i just could not stop laughing at, was when Ed Helms sings the old Seal song Kiss From A Rose. Where he tries to understand why no one in the family remembers the film Batman Forever or Val Kilmer ? Vacation is a funny, and surprisingly functional sequel to the Griswald legacy. Not as good as the classics of course, but if you just want to laugh, and follow this crazy family on a road trip, you are in for a good time. I am actually hoping for a sequel, with the same cast, i have a feeling this family could deliver once more, with the right script and director. I actually feel like going to Walley World, anyone want to tag along ? 

Rating: DDD