The first VACATION film was a comedy with a satirical purpose. The sequel had only one purpose – being a sequel. In a perfect sort of way, the film represents everything cliché about bad follow-ups. The ante is upped, while the general premise is slavishly copied. Original actors didn’t return and needed to be replaced with lesser versions. The actors that remain start chewing the scenery to make the tired material seem funny.
Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase, FLETCH) puts his family on a FAMILY FEUD-rip-off called “Pig in a Poke” and wins a trip to Europe. Clark is again eager as ever to have the best family vacation ever. His wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo, HAIR) supports him the best she can, encouraging the kids to embrace their father's enthusiasm. Their daughter Audrey (Dana Hill, SHOOT THE MOON) doesn’t want to go because she can't imagine leaving her boyfriend. Their son Rusty (Jason Lively, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) is a more willing traveler, eager to meet the loose European women. The all-expense paid trip turns out not to include good hotels or swanky transportation.
Everywhere the Griswolds go they destroy or defile something historical. As they move across England, France, Germany and Italy, no European cliché is left untouched. Clark has constant problems driving. The French are rude and like sex tapes. Germans are having Oktoberfest in the middle of the summer. When the film runs out of clichés cultural gags, it throws in thieves and car chases.
Clark transforms himself into an obnoxious American tourist with his tour brochure knowledge of the places they are visiting. Ellen tries to keep the peace and instead of Christie Brinkley showing up to drive a wedge between her and Clark, the film finds another forced sexual way to do so. Anthony Michael Hall chose rightly WEIRD SCIENCE instead of this film. As a result Lively was cast as Rusty and doesn’t have the screen presence or droll approach as Hall. It just makes it worse when he’s given the same jokes as Hall had in the first film. Producers decided if they were recasting Rusty they should recast Audrey as well. So Dana Barron was replaced with Hill, who doesn’t fit the role at all.
Eric Idle makes a memorable appearance as a bike rider who has continuous run-ins with the accident prone Griswolds. While Idle brings the only subtly to the film, his slapstick episodes deliver diminished returns each time around. The character highlights the chief problem with the entire film. The Griswolds (for some reason credited as the Griswalds in the credits) are the hicks and jerks not their extended family. A viewer can relate to troublesome relatives and frustrating vacation mishaps, but the sequel makes the Griswolds the troublesome relatives to all of Europe.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
