My nostalgia was not enough to make up for the sins of this movie, but I do have Holiday Road stuck in my head so that’s gotta count for something!
Vacation is the remake/spiritual successor/ sequel to the original Chevy Chase Vacation that I loved so much growing up. The premise for this film is almost identical, trying to reconnect with his kids Rusty, played by Ed Helms, puts his kids in a car for the road trip of a lifetime to Wally World. They get on the road and hijacks ensue.
The biggest problem with this film is that it is missing the heart of the previous Vacation films. Those were all about the family and this incarnation felt more like the family was driving from joke to joke. There were parts that I enjoyed but every joke gets used so often that by the end of the film they feel fatiguing. It opens with the song Holiday Road that had me grinning from ear to ear but that smile slowly started to fade, as the irreverent humor seemed to go a little to far. Puke and pop gags rule this movie and send a signal to the audience that they cant handle clever callbacks and smart humor.
Overall this movie wasn’t the dumpster fire the Internet is claiming, but when you place it on the pedestal of the Vacation franchise it is no question that this movie falls short.
My Ranting: Catch it on Cable