Vacation (2015)

Elevator Pitch: Rusty Griswald who, as a boy, had travelled to Wally World decides to spice up his marriage and reconnect with his kids by travelling overland from Chicago to the Californian amusement park in an unusual Albanian people carrier, with unknown attributes. Rusty is a man who takes unwise decisions based insufficient information resulting in embarrassment and pain for his family and as the trip progresses their safe arrival at Wally World  becomes less and less likely.

Content:  There is some female nudity and some bulges in male underpants. One drinking scene, as Debbie, Rusty’s wife, tries to prove she is still out there at her old college. The sons fight a lot and the eldest sort of hooks up with a girl of similar age who seems to be on the same trip. The people carrier gradually falls apart and does strange stuff. The family accidentally bath in a lake of sewage (still  make me a bit queasy). They go white water rafting with a suicidal guide. They get to Rusty’s dad’s house and are encouraged to go on.

A View: I started watching this without having any idea of its origins but it turns out to be the fifth of the Griswald vacation films. I follow a few writers and John Francis Daley is one of them, since I have enjoyed one or two of his comedies in the past; but this one fails to produce many laughs, actually I did laugh once. It is an odd film, and I have the impression that what jokes there were had had their teeth pulled, either during the writing or the editing. So not really a watch, but not quite bad enough to be a Don’t See.

Additional Info: The first “Vacation” film was released in 1983 starring Chevy Chase, who has a walk on in this one.