Review of Vacation (2015) by Jeff B — 26 Aug 2015

Taking the 'heart' out of this trip through the heartland, the sophomoric and nasty next generation of Griswolds nearly makes a National Lampoon out of a beloved comedy series. At one point in the second act, Audrey (who, along with her brother, was a character in the original flick) reminds Rusty: "Dad flipped out because he wanted us to be close." This line right here pretty much sums up the 2015 Vacation experience: referencing the greatness of the 1980 classic without truly understanding what made it tick. Not a shred of that movie's true emotion ends up in this modern re-do. Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold earnestly cared about his family, which you never once questioned even through his buffoonish antics. The often sad experience in Vacation sees actual buffoon Rusty Griswold telling - not showing - his family he loves them while putting them through some rather puerile and literally poop-covered paces. It's like someone suddenly thought that it'd be a crackerjack idea to use the plot of National Lampoon's Vacation to try out some crude jokes. The vexing problem with this material is the fact that some of the gags and lines actually prove to be funny. Still, adult potty humor aside, the comedy fails to sell through the family dynamic at its core, which is the most important part. Worse, the flick ruins a potential-filled cameo by Chase and Beverly DeAngelo with a worthless charade of clowning and mean-spiritedness.

In this R-rated follow-up to the modern comedy classic, Rusty Griswold (Helms) tries recreating the magic of the original road-trip by taking his family (Applegate, et al) on a cross-country journey to Wally World.

The casting works for the most part even when the script offers the actors little by way of development. Ed Helms stands and delivers the same do-gooder aw-shucks shtick that made him such a hit in The Hangover series and on NBC's The Office while Christina Applegate does more for R-rated comedy in one scene than Jennifer Aniston did in multiple flicks.

Bottom line: Holiday Rude.