The Griswalds are back on the road again. It’s been almost 8 years since the last Vacation movie. Was there a real demand for another? It’s doubtful, but since the last of the series, Christmas Vacation, was the most successful at the box office, it was easy to accept that a sequel would be out sooner or later.
Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) decides to celebrate the acceptance of his new invention, a food preservative that can keep cookies and milk fresh for years, by taking his family to Las Vegas. The family is reluctant to go because Las Vegas has “nothing for a family to do.” To entice them, Clark says that he intends to renew his wedding vows to Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and have Rusty and Audrey (played this time by Ethan Randall and Marisol Nichols) be best man and bridesmaid respectively. After they arrive, Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), who made his first appearance in Christmas Vacation, invites them to spend a day at his trailer, which is set up in a former nuclear testing site.
Spelling out the plot in this type of movie would ruin most of the gags, but it’s a safe bet that one can predict 90% of them anyway. The main appeal of the Vacation series, to those that find them appealing, is Chevy Chase’s bumbling persona. He tries to deliver a good time to his family, but always ends up failing miserably. D’Angelo’s Ellen tries to accept him as he is, doubts herself for doing so, and then, of course, recants. The kids, no matter who is playing them, always resent their parents at the beginning of each movie and learn to appreciate them by the end.
Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t deviate from that course of action in the slightest. It’s more predictable than ever, which is a shame. It’s likeable and even somewhat funny in places, but ultimately adds up to nothing more than a way to spend some time and money at the theater.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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