VACATION (R)
In this latest “Vacation” entry, it isn’t Clark Griswold who takes his family on a road trip but rather his now-grown son, Rusty (Ed Helms–the fifth actor to play Rusty in the franchise), leading the charge in what ultimately ends up a series of comical misadventures.
It all begins when Rusty overhears his wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) complaining to a family friend (Regina Hall) that she’s tired of the Griswold’s customary annual cabin trip in the mountains, so in a valiant effort to give his family the kind of road trip bonding adventure he had as a child, he decides to take Debbie and their two sons, James and Kevin (Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins), on a cross-country trek to everyone’s favorite theme park, Wally World.
There is no doubt that this “Vacation” movie from writers/directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (the team behind the “Horrible Bosses” screenplay), plays the nostalgia card. A road trip to Wally World, two renditions of the original movie theme song “Holiday Road,” an appearance by Clark and Ellen (Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo), etc. The connective tissue is certainly there. There’s even a spirited “Vacation” conversation between Rusty and his teenage son in which these two characters playfully acknowledge the existence of a past “Vacation.”
Thankfully, though, aside from a few callbacks, this “Vacation” avoids the recycling of old jokes. Many of the gags here are far more crude in nature—this is 2015, after all—but in the end, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh quite a few times throughout this picture.
A trip to sister Audrey’s Texas ranch is an absolute highlight thanks mostly in part to an all too brief but hilarious turn by Leslie Mann and scene stealing work from Chris Hemsworth as her smooth talking, well-endowed Texan beau. I hope the “Thor” star continues to dabble in comedy, because he has a real knack for it.
Other scenes worth noting include a righteously funny return to Debbie’s college alma mater, a running gag in which Kevin continuously picks on his older brother, and a disgusting but hilarious trip to a hot spring.
“Vacation” isn’t without its sloppy moments. There are jokes that don’t work and a few bits that disrupt the pacing of the movie. I wish I could say that Clark and Ellen’s entrance in the picture brought a sense of that old “Vacation” magic to the proceedings, but in fact, their cameos feel awkward and out of place. Part of the problem is that their big scene happens towards the end of the picture when it might have felt more at home in the first act. Furthermore, there’s something cold about Clark’s demeanor. I enjoyed his “you need to finish out this family vacation strong” pep talk to Rusty, but a moment in which this comical patriarch airs Audrey’s dirty laundry was slightly off-putting.
It should also be noted that the end of this picture leaves a bit to be desired. Thankfully, the less-than-stellar climax is capped off by an obvious but sweet gesture of kindness from husband to wife. In fact, some might be surprised to discover that despite all the jokes and sporadic bursts of crudeness, this “Vacation” has a real tender side, and a lot of that has to do with a very likable Ed Helms. His Rusty is goofy and somewhat clueless, but he always means well.
While I wanted this “Vacation” to be a true return to form, a couple of clunky scenes and a few stale gags keep the film from being all it can be. Imperfections aside, though, there are still a ton of laughs to be found here, and for my money, there’s no denying that this “Vacation” is easily the third best in the series (the original and “Christmas Vacation” still reign supreme.)
