Ed Helms
Christina Applegate
Beverly D’Angelo
Chris Hemsworth
Leslie Mann
Steele Stebbins
Skyler Gisondo
Chevy Chase

Jonathan Goldstein
John Francis Daley

99 mins.
Adventure, Comedy
July 29, 2015

Rated R for crude and sexual content and language throughout, and brief graphic nudity. (MPAA)

(Be sure to check out our podcast episode about “Vacation” and “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” here.)

On July 29, 1983, a new movie franchise was born. It was a box-office hit and spawned several sequels – some good, and some … well, let’s not even bother ourselves with the rest. Of course, I’m talking about “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (what else?), which starred Chevy Chase, among others, and was directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes. This is the movie that introduced the Griswolds to the world.

“National Lampoon’s Vacation” is one of the quintessential comedies of the 1980s. It’s purposely goofy and consistently fun to watch. As the Griswolds travel from their hometown, Chicago, to Walley World (a play on Disneyland) in California, they experience almost every conceivable mishap that could happen on any road trip. From Clark, played by Chase, falling asleep at the wheel to the family getting lost in inner-city St. Louis (you know what that means), the Griswolds can’t seem to catch a break. While some moments in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” are funnier than others (some standouts include bits with Eugene Levy, Randy Quaid, and Imogene Coca as a shady car dealer, uncouth brother-in-law, and burdensome elderly aunt, respectively), the movie itself never slows down. Along with Hughes’s script, Ramis’s pacing is the key to its success. And the cast, led by Chase, gets it.

Chase is the perfect actor to use as this franchise’s comedic center. As Clark says in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” he’s “not your ordinary, everyday fool.” Chase’s trademark humor lends Clark a well-meaning and likable quality that blends with Clark’s lack of common sense. (He’s a genius at creating food additives, after all.) Beverly D’Angelo is similarly successful as Clark’s wife, Ellen. D’Angelo’s performance effortlessly conveys Ellen’s exasperation with Clark’s miscues, while highlighting her love for him. (He loves her, too.) After all, underneath all of the hijinks is the sense that this family is full of love, despite any differences and misunderstandings. That’s a major reason why “National Lampoon’s Vacation” has earned its classic comedy status. While it’s not perfect, it is enjoyable and quick-footed. It’s good.

So, exactly 32 years after that movie’s theatrical release, what does all of that mean for us today? What does that mean for this franchie’s reboot, “Vacation”? Is “Vacation” a worthy successor? I say … “not really.”

In “Vacation,” Rusty, Clark’s and Ellen’s son, has grown from a young Anthony Michael Hall to a … not-so young Ed Helms. In this movie, Rusty has the bright idea to repeat his childhood trip to Walley World with his own wife and kids. Oh, boy! This repeat trip echoes its predecessor, yet it has been updated for the times. That’s this movie’s main problem. Of course, the story needs to work for today’s audiences, yet it should also retain the original’s spirit. Go ahead, be crass, profane, and cynical, but be charming, too. Unfortunately, “Vacation” is a little low in the charm department.

Despite that, Helms is the right guy for this. He’s the perfect replacement for Chase as this franchise’s lead. But his character is ganged up on a bit too much. In his family, it’s three against one too often. (For instance, why does his wife, played by Christina Applegate, have to wait until the very end to sing-a-long with him? Why can’t she support him in all of those moments, while the kids cringe? That’s what worked in the original.) Also, instead of having a brother-in-law who, comparatively, makes him look like a rousing success, Rusty has a brother-in-law, played by Chris Hemsworth, who makes him look like an utter failure. While Hemsworth certainly goes for comedy and while his character certainly is a fool, most of the jokes involving Rusty and his brother-in-law are at the expense of Rusty. The balance just isn’t quite right.

However, “Vacation” does have its successes. The use of family photos at its beginning and end, an echo of the original movie’s structure, delivers some laughs. Also, when Rusty’s older son, James, meets a girl at the motel hot tub after exchanging smiles with her while on the road (another echo of the original movie), the comedy works rather well: Rusty, reliably, ruins things. That scene is a mixture of innocence (from James) and well-meaning stupidity (from Rusty). But there’s not enough of that dynamic throughout the movie. And the jokes just seem to last too long. What happened to the sharp pacing and editing of the original? Even Chase and D’Angelo can’t liven things up when they finally make an appearance toward the end. The energy and humor just fizzle out.

I understand that comedy writers feel the need to go further for a laugh nowadays. (They need to keep up with the times, after all, right?) But, every now and then, it would be a welcome surprise if they could find ways to contrast today’s cynicism with yesterday’s relative innocence. There’s comedy to be had from that. Plus, Hughes’s original script was based on his own experiences while on family vacation. Writer-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley don’t seem to have the same sort of sensibility this time around. They don’t give this movie a personal touch.

As a contemporary comedy, “Vacation” isn’t surprising enough to stomp with the big dogs. It tries too hard. (Even the jokes about the updated car, the fictional “Tartan Prancer,” are hardly surprising. Instead, they’re overworked.) Plus, when the updated Griswolds finally band together as a family, it’s too little, too late. Maybe nostalgia has something to do with it.

Verdict: OKish

About: (Source: vacation)

The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. New Line Cinema’s Vacation, starring Ed Helms (The Hangover films) and Christina Applegate (the Anchorman films), takes the family on the road for another ill-fated adventure. The film marks Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.

Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s favorite family fun park, Walley World.

Rounding out the cast Skyler Gisondo (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Hard Sell) and Steele Stebbins (A Haunted House 2) as Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin; with Chris Hemsworth (the Thor films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; Leslie Mann (The Other Woman) as Stone’s wife, Rusty’s sister, Audrey; and Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase as Ellen and Clark Griswold from the classic Vacation comedies.

Goldstein & Daley (Horrible Bosses, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) wrote the script, based on characters created by John Hughes. David Dobkin (The Judge, Wedding Crashers) and Chris Bender (We’re the Millers, Horrible Bosses 2) are producing, with Marc S. Fischer, Jeff Kleeman, Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Samuel J. Brown and Dave Neustadter serving as executive producers.

The directors’ behind-the-scenes creative team also includes director of photography Barry Peterson (the Jump Street films, We’re the Millers), production designer Barry Robison (Wedding Crashers, Pitch Perfect), editor Jamie Gross and costume designer Debra McGuire (Ted). Music is by Mark Mothersbaugh.

New Line Cinema presents A Benderspink/Big Kid Pictures Production, Vacation. Set to hit theaters July 29, 2015, it will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.