As the son of loving husband and father Clark W. Griswold (who, in the previous “Vacation” movies, may have looked like he did everything wrong, but actually did everything right), Ed Helms is the grown-up version of Rusty in this modern version of “Vacation”, which is just as zany and uneven as the original. Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley (who also co-wrote the script for the underrated 2013 Steve Carell magician comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”) clearly used “National Lampoon’s Vacation” as a road map, but mix-in some fresh elements for this wacky reboot.
Rusty decides that after years of taking his wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) and constantly-fighting sons James and Kevin on the same, boring Memorial Day holiday vacation to a cabin in the woods, it’s time to follow in his father’s footsteps. And so the Griswolds are going to Walley World! Instead of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, which Chevy Chase and company used in the original, Rusty rents a uniquely shaped, bright blue Tartan Prancer (“It’s the Albanian Honda”). This becomes the “vehicle” (pun intended) for much of the film’s crazy hijinks, many of them very funny.
As in the original, this road trip takes the Griswolds from disaster to disaster, as they make their way from Chicago to California. And in between there are some clever homages to the ’83 classic, including a shocking update of the famous Christy Brinkley highway scene.
“Vacation” isn’t a 5-star experience by any means. Some of the situations are simply too ridiculous and others go way too far (including a stop at Debbie’s old sorority that is too long and a potential career-low for Applegate). The character of Stone Crandall (played by Chris Hemsworth), the husband of Rusty’s sister Audrey (Leslie Mann), is over-the-top and completely unbelieveable as a TV weatherman being looked at by “the networks”. And a “Four Corners” bit involving rival police officers from the border states immediately falls into the category of “been there, done that”. But there are an equal number of gags that do work, most notably a Grand Canyon river rafting session, featuring the hilarious Charlie Day (“Horrible Bosses”) as a guide who has lost his way. However, the Walley World climax is a bit underwhelming and doesn’t compare to the John Candy cameo in the original.
Helms is pitch perfect here, with many great one-liners and displaying that same, spot-on comedic timing and delivery as Chase showcased in the “Vacation” franchise films (Chase and Beverly D’Angelo do make welcome, but brief appearances late in the movie.) The thing that made those films (including my favorite – “Christmas Vacation”) work is that they knew they were really silly, but smart at the same time, and allowed the audience to be in on all of it. Having the creative talents of John Hughes, Harold Ramis and Chase on those movies set them apart. This “Vacation” may lack some of the warmth of those films, but in an age where raunchy, often unfunny R-rated comedies are now commonplace, “Vacation” provides just enough of what you’re hoping for out of a summer escapism comedy. As Chase says late in the film – “it’s NOT about the journey, it’s about the destination.” And this trip – with all its highs and lows – is definitely worth taking.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Vacation” gets a B-.
Running Time: 99 min.