Vacation (2015) Movie Review - Spoiler Free

A crude and lifeless road trip that forgets where the laughs were supposed to be. Soullessly rehashing a once-great franchise, leaving the jokes in the back seat.  

Genre: Adventure / Comedy 

Director: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

Cast: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Teale Stebbins, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth, Charlie Day, Ron Livingston, Beverly D’Angelo & Chevy Chase.

Run Time: 99 min.

US Release: 29 July 2015

UK Release: 21 August 2015

German Release: 20 August 2015

Horrible Bosses writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein try themselves out with their debut feature-length comedy Vacation, a sequel, reboot, and remake all rolled into one messy package. Their attempt to resurrect the Griswold family’s chaotic spirit is an ambitious idea on paper, yet it lacks the comedic magic and charm that made the Chevy Chase-led films such enduring classics.

The film stars Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold, now a grown man with a family of his own, who decides to recreate the beloved childhood road trip to Walley World in the hopes of bringing his family closer together. His wife Debbie, played by Christina Applegate, and their two sons reluctantly go along for the ride, but as expected, everything quickly spirals out of control. Sadly, this time, the chaos is neither funny nor memorable.

The original National Lampoon’s Vacation series thrived on absurdity balanced by warmth and wit. This new instalment, however, feels like an uninspired imitation. A film that mistakes vulgarity for humour and shock value for clever writing. The Griswolds’ misadventures once delivered relatable family disasters sprinkled with heart; here, we get recycled toilet jokes, forced slapstick, and awkward sexual innuendos that make you wince rather than laugh.

Ed Helms essentially plays himself… or more precisely, the same anxious, over-eager personality we have seen in The Hangover and Cedar Rapids. While he can be charming in some contexts, this role does him no favours. His version of Rusty Griswold lacks the naive optimism that Chevy Chase so effortlessly embodied as Clark. Instead, Helms feels hollow, like a man acting out a script that was once funny but has lost its punchline.

The children are even less enjoyable. James Griswold (Skyler Gisondo) and his younger brother Kevin (Steele Stebbins) are both written as exaggerated caricatures of what a “modern family comedy” thinks kids should be. One is shy and whiny, the other unreasonably violent and rude. The dynamic feels uncomfortable and forced rather than humorous. The film tries too hard to shock audiences with the younger son’s aggressive behaviour, but it comes off as mean-spirited rather than funny, and I wanted to punch that little shit in the face every time he came on screen!

Christina Applegate, on the other hand, is the only redeeming presence in this family disaster. She brings genuine energy and comic timing to her scenes and seems to be the only actor aware of what movie she’s in. Her performance as Debbie Griswold recalls the tone of the older flicks. She plays a grounded, frustrated mother who tries to hold her family together amid the chaos that is unfolding around them. Unfortunately, the script gives her little to work with beyond recycled gags and shallow character moments.

Daley and Goldstein’s writing relies far too much on low humour. Nearly every joke in Vacation revolves around bodily functions, sexual misunderstandings, or slapstick injuries; the sort of material that might have worked in American Pie fifteen years ago, but here feels misplaced and cheap. A couple of jokes land, but most fall flat or overstay their welcome. 

The film’s cameos,  including Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo returning as the original Griswold parents, feel wasted. Their brief appearance is meant to pass the torch to a new generation, but it only reminds the viewer of how much more heart and spontaneity the older films had. Chase, despite his age, still has more natural comedic timing in his few minutes of screen time than the rest of the cast combined.

From a technical standpoint, Vacation looks surprisingly bland. The cinematography is clean and over-lit, giving the film a cheap, TV-sitcom aesthetic that drains it of cinematic energy. Considering that much of the movie takes place on the open road, there was a real opportunity to capture the vastness of the American landscape and inject a sense of adventure. Instead, the visuals feel sterile and lifeless, which matches the uninspired tone of the film.

The pacing is also inconsistent. Some scenes drag endlessly while others rush through jokes without giving them room to breathe. The editing tries to keep up with the energy of a chaotic road trip, but ends up feeling erratic itself. There is no rhythm to the comedy, and without rhythm, even the best-written jokes (of which there are none) fail to land.

That being said, Vacation is not entirely without entertainment value. There are occasional moments, very brief flashes of physical comedy, that manage to elicit a chuckle. Chris Hemsworth’s cameo as the obnoxiously perfect husband of Debbie’s sister could be counted as one of the few highlights. His self-aware parody of masculine vanity and charm works because he plays it straight.

Still, those very few isolated moments are not enough to save Vacation from being a disappointing and painfully dull experience. What makes this failure sting even more is that Daley and Goldstein are capable writers. Their earlier work on Horrible Bosses demonstrated an understanding of absurd workplace comedy. Here, however, they seem lost, as if unsure whether to honour the original films or to satirize them. The result is a tonal mess, too crude for nostalgia and too clumsy to stand out among modern comedies.

The soundtrack does its best to inject some energy, featuring upbeat tracks that try to capture the road trip vibe, but even that feels forced. The humour is repetitive, the dialogue lacks wit, and the emotional beats, particularly those between Rusty and his family, are unconvincing. By the time the credits roll, it feels as if you’ve been on a long, uncomfortable road trip yourself, with people you don’t like.

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Verdict: Vacation is a disappointing and unfunny attempt to revive a classic comedy franchise. It fails to balance nostalgia with originality and instead drowns in its own immaturity. Ed Helms is miscast, the children are irritating, and the humour is relentlessly crude. Only Christina Applegate and a few supporting performances manage to rise above the chaos. What could have been a heartfelt and hilarious continuation of a beloved series turns out to be a lifeless detour into submediocrity. It doesn’t deserve more than a 3.5 out of 10.

Have you seen the new iteration of National Lampoon's yet? I wouldn't recommend watching it. This is a pass! On another note, this weekend I'll post my Alien review, kickstarting my Ridley Scott sci-fi reviews.