National Lampoon's European Vacation.

Review #1060: National Lampoon's European Vacation.

Cast: 
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswald), Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswald), Dana Hill (Audrey Griswald), Jason Lively (Russell "Rusty" Griswald), Victor Lanoux (The Thief), Eric Idle (The Bike Rider), John Astin (Kent Winkdale), Mel Smith (London Hotel Manager), Robbie Coltrane (Man in Bathroom), Maureen Lipman (Lady in the Bed), William Zabka (Jack), Willy Millowitsch (Fritz Spritz), and Erika Wackernagel (Helga Spritz) Directed by Amy Heckerling (#982 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

Review: 
It is interesting to note that I finally am getting to this film, the sequel to the original to National Lampoon's Vacation (#804) but paradoxically this serves as my third review of the Vacation series, since I also reviewed National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (#771). In any case, I hope at least some of you fellow readers are enjoying Spring Break, or any sort of vacation. 

There is a certain amount of charm and amusement that sprung from the situations and the cast from the first film that made for a fairly entertaining movie, with Chase and D'Angelo being key highlights. The latter part of my statement is still true, but I can't say that this is a particularly good film. I don't hate it, but I know without much doubt that this is a fairly average movie. The biggest problem is that the film gradually feels repetitive the longer it dwells in all of these locations that the film gets itself to, feeling episodic and not always consistent. There are some famous landmarks seen throughout the film (with a few of them used for gags), which are fairly interesting to look at, such as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Colosseum, so that's a fair highlight. Chase and D'Angelo manage to generate some amusement once again, being the best part of the film due to feeling the most adept for this material and the most familiar. Hill and Lively do okay, but some of the gags with them are a bit hit-and-miss, with the jokes involving the former binging on food seeming old after a while. Throughout the four locations (London, Paris, West Germany, Rome) is a bunch of different personalities and cast members that make for okay experiences to watch with the main four, with a bunch of cliches that one would expect. It doesn't really have anything too rip-roaring aside from a few moments involving visual gags and a bit of crass humor, but it isn't anything too particularly terrible, just being a bit silly (which I don't hate, actually). At least at 94 minutes it isn't particularly a big waste, but it doesn't too particularly well when compared to the original film. I don't find this to be anything too special, but sometimes that may very well just be enough on vacation.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.