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In 1983’s Vacation, Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold packed his family into their new Metallic Pea Family Truckster station wagon and set out on a quest for family togetherness and the roller coasters at California’s Walley World. Now, in the new Vacation, Clark’s son attempts to recreate the trip with his own family—with equally disastrous (yet rather unremarkable) results.
Vacation once again joins the Griswold family on a road trip to Walley World. This time, though, it’s Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) at the wheel, trying his best to reconnect with his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate), and get their two sons to take a break from their constant fighting as they travel across the country in a rented Albanian van. Along the way, their malfunctioning GPS guides them to one misadventure after another—from college campus disasters to awkward family encounters—as their summer vacation becomes more agonizing with each passing mile.
Like the original, the new Vacation is a series of outrageous cross-country catastrophes—but, this time around, none of them are especially memorable. Some of the family’s stops are good for a laugh or two—and amusing cameos by Charlie Day and Michael Peña definitely help. But other episodes range from uninteresting to just plain grating. Instead of wildly funny, most of the things that happen to the Griswolds are awkward and uncomfortable, with a little too much of the humor revolving around body parts and bodily functions.
Fortunately, Ed Helms makes a lovable leader on this ill-fated adventure. Rusty is an endearing character—a well-intentioned but completely misguided husband and father who just wants to make his family happy. Clearly, he’s forgotten the details of his first terrible trek to Walley World, and he’s desperate to recreate the journey to make all kinds of fond new memories with his own family. He wants to see the country, visit the tourist spots, help his son pick up girls, and get his entire family to sing along with his favorite Seal song—and you just can’t help but love him for trying. But, of course, every attempt at bonding with his family goes horribly wrong. And, really, with a couple of annoying kids and an apathetic wife along for the ride, the poor guy didn’t stand a chance.
Vacation certainly has its moments—its wacky surprises and comic cameos. But it just isn’t as unforgettably entertaining as the original. If, like Rusty, you’re hoping to recapture the fun and excitement of the Griswolds’ first vacation, you’ll be disappointed.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
