Vacation
Published January 1, 2016
Film info
- Title Vacation
- Directors John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
- Year 2015
- Run time 1hr 39m
- Genre Comedy
- Tagline What could go wrong?
The next generation of Griswolds is at it again - and on the road for another ill-fated adventure. Following in his father's footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold surprises his wife, Debbie, and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America's 'favorite family fun park,' Walley World.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:53 | Hehe, goth at the beach. |
| 6:05 | Never really thought about there being the playground hierarchy in pilots. |
| 10:51 | I just couldn’t be friends with someone who complained about you not “liking” their stuff. |
| 14:11 | Remake references. “I’m sure there will be lots of other differences.” |
| 18:40 | That car is immense. It blatantly drives from both ends. |
| 24:08 | “Why’s it so much angrier than all the other voices?” |
| 32:07 | I’m not sure I’d aim to do things that Vin Diesel does, really. |
| 35:26 | I wouldn’t bother putting things away for one night. |
| 41:59 | The mirrors are completely useless, just seeing your own face staring back at you. |
| 50:33 | Bonus Hemsworth. |
| 59:57 | This film is exhausting in its awkwardness. |
| 1:06:59 | Who knew the four states monument could cause so much trouble? |
| 1:10:38 | Yay, Charlie Day! |
| 1:15:37 | “Just listen a little harder.” FM radio really doesn’t work like that. |
| 1:24:57 | I really don’t recommend locking your family together in a car to try and make them closer. |
| 1:27:35 | I get the nostalgia but oof, that’s an ugly car. |
Conclusions
I’m aware of National Lampoon and his attempts to take a vacation, but I’ve not actually seen any of the older movies. Normally, I’d want to catch up with all the past films before embarking on the reboot, but I just couldn’t quite face it this time. Nothing against Chevy Chase, but four films about a bumbling fool trying to go on holiday seemed a bit much.
However, I was interested to see this one because the trailer looked funny and Ed Helms has been good in other comedies we’ve seen. Thus, we watched Vacation as our first film of 2016.
It was ridiculous, silly, mindless and awkward, but also fun and frivolous and perfectly good to break the New Year in gently. There were moments that were just a bit too much, but also some nice bonus performances by guest stars. What I did enjoy the most was the tendency to leave a joke and then recall it at exactly the right moment, many minutes later. The sat-nav shouting after they’d been through so much with the truck being a prime example.
So, I thought it was good, but it was so stupid I can’t recommend anyone else watches.
Rating: 3/5.
Rating: 3 / 5