Christine’s Review of “Vacation”

When I first found out a Vacation movie was going to be made I was super excited about the news. I think it's because of this whole nostalgic kick everyone has been on lately with the reboots and reunions and spin-off's. Although I was enthusiastic about the cast, this film does not live up to the original National Lampoon "Vacation" movies.

In this Vacation we get to take a closer look at Rusty Griswold's life as portrayed by Ed Helms and Christina Applegate playing his wife. Together they have two sons and we follow their journey as they make their way to Walley World (based off the original from 1983). In true Griswold fashion, they encounter a series of unfortunate events. However, despite their misfortunes, in the end they realize they really do love each other and their family.

The Vacation installments are a classic and this reboot does not even compare! The major difference that stood out to me was how much dirtier and edgier this update was. There were a lot of swear words and sexual references which were not in the original. Although they made me laugh not once did I laugh the way I did (and still do) when I watched the originals. It just goes to show dirtier doesn't always equal funnier. I also did not like how rude Rusty's youngest son was in the film. He was a bully to his older brother and he was just downright nasty. It almost made it unenjoyable to watch because it felt they were taking it a little too far.

Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold) and Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold) both make a cameo appearance although it was nice to seem them together again, it wasn't the same. The chemistry didn't feel right, almost forced, and it's just crazy to see how much they've changed since Vegas Vacation in 1997.

What was also disappointing is that I feel like they totally wasted Audrey's (Rusty's sister) character, played by Leslie Mann. They could've utilized her character a lot more but unfortunately that was not the case.

Walking out of the theater I don't believe the creators of this movie kept the authenticity of what National Lampoon created.

All in all, if you're looking for a comedy to see in the theaters, Vacation will make you laugh. Just don't go in there expecting this to be a movie that we'll still be talking about in the future. Also, I would advise you leave the children at home. This is not a movie you could sit down and watch as a family, like I did with mine growing up. I think the R rating speaks for itself.

Vacation gets a 3/5 star rating, in my opinion.

If you saw the movie, what did you think of it? Out of the 7, which is your favorite "Vacation" movie?