National Lampoonâs European Vacation
Sometimes an installment in a popular franchise (particularly a comedy one) can find itself being unfairly maligned for even years after (especially if the entry afterwards is considered to be on a par with the original), but when it can still be compared favorably to 90% of todayâs movie comedy output, one can then put a fresh, new perspective on it and while still agreeing that said sequel is still not that great (or at least as good as the first one), thereâs still plenty to be enjoyed and savored here when it comes to the funny parts therein which makes it not at all deserving to be labeled as the âblack sheepâ of the series. Thus was the case with this 1985 follow up to Harold Ramisâ brilliant Vacation, admittedly rushed into production after the massive success of the first one and having assigned to it as its director one Amy Heckerling, considered to be a comedic wunderkind at the time after scoring a classic right out of the gate in her career with Fast Times At Ridgemont High (a high point that she would never, ever hit again, as epitomized by her later directing the awful 90s high school dud, Clueless), but also someone whom reportedly series star Chevy Chase did NOT get along with during filming and who may have been a bit overwhelmed with the extensive location shooting and keeping the movie going at an even keel. In addition to that, an even more intriguing and much talked about trend of the series began with the recasting of the Griswold kids, Rusty and Audrey. Both Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron were made offers to reprise their parts from the first film, but as it was Hall had now hit it big with both Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club so now his salary demands and other factors had led to him turning down the role, which in turn had made the producers decide to drop both him AND Barron (who had already accepted the part!) from the film and recast both of the kids for this installment, so now we get Jason Lively and Dana Hill as Rusty and Audrey Griswold, no doubt considered by most fans to be the worst of any of the duos to play those parts in any of the movies, probably because of the fact that they are easily the most annoying, the least likable, and the least attractive of the bunch (certainly Hill, who died from severe diabetes complications in 1996 at age 32, is the most unappealing Audrey ever), with Audreyâs schtick being reduced to her always whining about her shallow boyfriend back home (Karate Kid villain William Zabka), bitching about her weight, or just following along blindly on most everything her parents do, whereas at least Rusty gets the benefit of displaying some rebellion which gives him the funnier bits between the two of them, with his overdrive hormones leaving him always on the hunt for any pretty girls he sees (including prostitutes). The setup for the trip involves Clark, Ellen (Beverly DâAngelo, the rock for this series), Rusty, and Audrey being contestants on an ultra cheesy 80s style game show hosted by John Astin doing a very perverted take on Richard Dawsonâs sexual predator type game show host especially as seen by his borderline pedophiliac attraction to the underage looking Audrey (including grabbing her ass multiple times). Upon winning the grand prize (on pure dumb luck), they embark on the trip, and the comparisons to the first film (which had a surprisingly dark sense of humor) begin right away, as the black comedic undertones of the original are compounded by an almost mean spirited attitude as well, shown by the fact that unlike Clark and his family being victimized by bad luck, here they actually manage to victimize almost everyone they come into contact with while usually walking away themselves scot free. The first stop is London, where they are taken to a filthy, dirty, fleabag hotel to stay at (and where it is implied by the reaction from Mel Smithâs desk clerk that they have actually been brought to the WRONG hotel, but he decides to play along anyway just to get the business), and then go out driving, having various accidents and finally running down a bicycle rider played by Monty Python Legend Eric Idle, even as we are given the long dead stereotype of inconvenienced Brits being absolutely tickled pink by seeing actual Americans running around in their country, although Idle plays it off well and is still pretty funny, actually going so far as to make a Python reference to Holy Grail (there is also a Meaning Of Life homage in the film if you look closely as well). Then itâs off to Paris (arguably the highlight of the film), where the Griswolds are greeted rudely, treated rudely, and then we segue into the single funniest scene in the ENTIRE Vacation series, that being the hysterical exchange with The French Waiter who mercilessly insults the family and even says sexually inappropriate things to Clark about both his wife and daughter, all while Clark and his family sit there completely oblivious to the remarks being made to them in French and foolishly think that the waiter is just showing off and giving them a taste of âFrench cultureâ. Then Clark idiotically takes Ellen to a raunchy French burlesque show (which she does NOT enjoy) and while there they both encounter Rusty(!) in the same place romancing a beautiful hooker. Then itâs onto Germany (Clarkâs motherland, even as Rusty points out that Grandmaâs from Chicago), where they barge into the home and spend the night with a couple of Clarkâs ârelativesâ (in reality two frightened old people who have absolutely no idea of what is going on), and a Oktoberfest celebration where Clark attempts to ape their traditional dance steps only to start a brawl which leads to a riot that then causes this All American family to flee for their lives like fugitives. Finally we come to Rome, where storywise the movie comes apart quite a bit, save for the benefit of having a cameo by the very appealing Moon Unit Zappa as a superhot American girl from California who takes a shine to Rusty (she even recognizes him from the game show!). But then the story abruptly brings in a de facto âvillainâ from out of left field, called âThe Thiefâ and played by a little known French actor named Victor Lanoux (whom based off of his prominent billing here, you would think that he was one of his countryâs biggest stars) who uses some suave and sleazy charm to attempt to seduce (rape) Ellen and then proceeds to kidnap her for absolutely no reason (in fact, youâd almost think the guy was purposely trying to get caught considering how piss poor sloppy he operates in his chosen field of work), leading to a ponderous chase scene through the streets of Rome where Clark is reduced to being nearly a straight (unfunny) action hero in order to save his wife. If the whole film sounds episodic and fairly uneven, then yes, it is, and that is perhaps its biggest flaw, basically being split up into four completely separate, unrelated segments where the humor levels both peak and then drop at various times, whereas just in comparison all the other films (including Vegas Vacation, of which this is still the better movie) maintain a straight and balanced story from beginning to end, with Clark generally having a stated goal or destination as the script would always manage to stay consistent with that purpose all the way to the bitter end. But here, Clark doesnât even seem to endeavor to want to have the âperfect family European vacationâ, as it seems that here heâs just along for the ride along with the others (also no surprise that the kids early on show little to no interest in going on the trip themselves, whereas in the original they couldnât wait to go to WalleyWorld), but as a result, this whole freeform, anything goes, anything can happen in any given place approach also succeeds in DISTINGUISHING this from the rest of the series, as even if the writing and acting are not up to par, this can go down as possibly being called the most experimental of the series, if not necessarily the most successful, simply because it DOES push the boundaries of bad taste and political incorrectness further than with the others in the series (with excessive nudity and sexual content in particular) and does manage to hit slightly more in the laughs department than it misses, with a handful of classic lines on top of that (Rusty: âDad, I think heâs gonna pork her!â) along with the smart idea to once again use Lindsay Buckinghamâs Holiday Road as the main theme song here being that it came off so well for the first film and keeps the series connected sturdily. Overall, a comedy with its own fans and its detractors as well, but just be sure to view it as another part of the series and then make up your own mindâŚ
7/10