Vacation

Movie Name: Vacation
Year of Release: 2015
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth, Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Charlie Day, Catherine Missal, Ron Livingston, Norman Reedus, Keegan-Michael Kay, Regina Hall
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
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Synopsis and Review:

The team comprised of actor John Francis Daley and writer Jonathan Goldstein, firstly made their name as screenwriting partners, before finally embarking on their first feature as directors with "Vacation". The film is a sequel of sorts to the "National Lampoon" series which the late writer/director John Hughes set in motion in the 80s, with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, as the heads of the Griswold family. The first film of that particular series came out in 83, with "National Lampoon's Vacation", which was followed by "European Vacation" in 85 and "Christmas Vacation" in 89. This continuation of that universe follows the story of Rusty Griswold, now an adult with a family of his own, who is an airline pilot for a regional airline. Rusty witnesses how his family has lost touch with each other, and much like his father 30 years ago, decides to take them all on a road trip, with the destination being Walley World. While his wife Debbie would love nothing more than to go to Paris, they set forth on the road trip, in a European SUV of sorts, during which they have all sorts of hurdles and occurrences. The pit stops to their destination include visiting Rusty's sister Audrey, who is married to the local weather man and debonair, Stone Crandall, but also Debbie's University and sorority house, and of course Rusty's parents, Clark and Ellen Griswold. The road trip challenges all of their resilience, but eventually forces the whole family to reassess what they want and where they want to be collectively. 

Finding narrative arcs as rich and colorful as the ones John Hughes built is not an easy task. "Vacation" through the penmanship and direction of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein tries to do so, but more often than not, it veers towards the crude, and less towards the humorous. The directors try to emulate some of the narrative threads of the original "Vacation", but fail to effectively capture on one hand, the spark that existed between the original characters, and on the other, the sense of adventure that made the road trip of the 80s simultaneously nostalgic and fun. As the narrative evolves, the humor relies more and more on gross out stunts, with the third act of the film fizzling out. The emotional core of the film, or the realization and epiphanies of the characters at the end of the narrative, feel more like a footnote, and not part of the climax that should have been their collective reach out of Walley World. Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Skyler Gisondo all give their best, but they're somewhat limited by what the film sets out to do and deliver. It had potential, but sadly it's an unfulfilled continuation of a memorable series of the 80s.