The movie starts from nowhere and goes downhill from there.
Tools:
Recommend review to a friend »
Overall, this may be the worst film Chevy Chase ever made. I say "may be" because I'm sure readers are able think of their own favorite "worst" Chevy Chase films, which is a pity since Chase can be such a funny guy in some of his pictures. Personally, I've always thought his first two starring roles, in "Foul Play" and "Seems Like Old Times," were his best, with the two "Fletch" films and his costarring part in "Caddyshack" close seconds. But it was National Lampoon's series of "Vacation" movies that put Chase in the money, at least two of which were genuinely amusing, the original "Vacation" and "Christmas Vacation." But as for "National Lampoon's European Vacation," well, it's worth taking a trip as far away from as possible.
Chase is back in this first of three sequels to the popular "Vacation" movie as Clark W. Griswald, the goofy, bumbling head of the Griswald clan, this time more inept than ever; and Beverly d'Angelo again plays his long-suffering wife, Ellen. But the kids have been replaced. Anthony Michael Hall, who initially played the teenage son, Rusty, apparently went on to better things. Rusty is now played by Jason Lively, an adequately gangly substitute. It's the daughter, Audrey, who's the oddity. She's played by Dana Hill, a cute, chubby, round-faced girl who is supposed to be about fourteen, looks about ten, and behaves as sexually preoccupied as a twenty-five year old. She is forever dieting but dreaming of eating her fill, which is supposed to be funny, I suppose, yet her plump physical appearance belies any humor in the situation.
The other factor missing from the production is Harold Ramis, who directed the first movie. This time out the film is directed by Amy Heckerling, whose earlier work with "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and later work with "Clueless" would have indicated good things from her. Instead, we find flat, awkward, often clumsy direction, with a multitude of gags starting bad and turning worse. Blame, too, cowriter John Hughes, who should have known better. Yes, he's the guy responsible for such spirited comedies as "Pretty in Pink," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and "Home Alone." What happened here is anybody's guess, but neither he nor his writing partner, Robert Klane, give anyone in the cast anything to work with.
Why Europe? Probably because the filmmakers had already used up their supply of jokes about the U.S. and thought it might be funny to have the Ugly Americans rip the Continent. Funny it's not. The Griswalds win an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe when they inadvertently win a television game-show contest, "Pig-in-a-Poke." Not even the inimitable John Astin as the horny game-show host can enliven what is essentially a lame and lamentable occasion.
The jokes are of the expected variety, mostly feeble sight gags with a few bits of verbal humor thrown in for good measure. Clark's barbecue pit explodes in his face; he drives on the wrong side of the road in England; they get stuck in a roundabout, unable to get out for hours. On the plane over, Clark orders a Coke. The stewardess asks him if he'd like it in the can, and he replies, "No, I'll have it right here." OK, that elicited a half chuckle from me, as did Rusty's dismay to find that his hotel room in London has no MTV.
The first genuine smile, however, came about one-third into the film, when Clark runs over a bicyclist played by Python Eric Idle. Idle takes it in stride and then begins squirting blood in a modified "Black Knight" routine. A second smile occurred about ten minutes later in the film when the Griswalds reach Paris and find that their tiny, shabby hotel room is identical to the one they left in London. I managed a third and final smile with an episode involving Clark, an old lady, and a small dog at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]10251[/release]