Well they have been threatening to make this movie for years, so it was inevitable that it was about to happen whether we asked for it or not. “Vacation” picks up where the previous “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies have left off, picking up and continuing the story of one of America’s most hapless families, this time getting into the not-so-great family life of the next generation of Griswolds.
When “Vegas Vacation” ended 17 years ago in that dark theater you were sitting in, did you immediately wonder what would it be like if Clark’s son Rusty grew up, had a shitty family, and went on his own family vacation? No, you didn’t? Well here you go anyway.
Rusty started out as skinny Anthony Michael Hall in 1983 and is now middle-aged Ed Helms. His oldest son James is a passive dork and a bit of a sensitive weirdo and his youngest son Kevin is a little foul mouthed shit with serious issued with giving respect. And his wife Debbie (the always delightful Christina Applegate) is bored with the marriage to the point of apathy. To get his family out of this rut, Rusty unilaterally decided to amend their summer vacation plans to a road trip from Illinois to California to visit the theme park Wally World a.k.a. the same road trip his dad Clark took his family on all those years ago. And of course things go wrong every step of the way because that’s the point of the movie even existing, to watch a family go through shit, sometimes literally, to get to where they need to be.Continue Reading …