User reviews

I like all National Lampoon movies with Chase. This one is no different. It's really a fun ride through Europe, with all the things you'd expect. It's a family story at its core, with the main guy leading his family on excursions. The wife is such a hottie. It's a great time in Europe, though not the best. Has it's boring parts.

6 stars

The Griswold's (mis-spelled here as Griswald) European Tour is far inferior to their cross-country trek to Walley World. First time around Clark had a goal, a destination, and pay-off for the audience when he finally got there. Second time around he's just wandering aimlessly from country to country, and it doesn't make for great entertainment I'm afraid.

The Griswold's win the grand prize in a humiliating TV show called 'Pig in a Poke' and are sent to England, France, Germany, and Italy on an all expenses paid trip. The bulk of the humor is a scatter-shot approach to comedy that abuses tired clichés and cultural stereotypes for quick, easy, cheap laughs.

Director Amy Heckerling may have used the first Vacation as a reference, but she doesn't have the control over the film that Harold Ramis did, and frequently allows the actors to ad-lib with the assumption that whatever they do might be funny. Even comedy actors need direction, and Heckerling's poor effort ruins many scenes that had potential. Even her camera placing and angles seem awkward and unbalanced. The grainy, low-key photography is also completely inappropriate for a film featuring such a wide range of scenery. Her use of stock footage is bad too (a shot of the Statue of Liberty shows no Twin Towers of the WTC, which were built in 1972!), and heightens the slapdash nature of the production. A few scenes seem to be edited out of order too, which leads me to believe that the script flowed a little differently before being rewritten (Clark leaves the London hotel, moves literally five feet down the street, then asks for directions back to the hotel).

John Hughes' influence on the script was obviously minimum. Vacation and Christmas Vacation were ficionalised accounts of his own family's experiences. But European Vacation feels like a quick cash-in on the original's success, and co-writer Robert Klane doesn't know how to inject the pathos and satire that was so easy for Hughes.

The European trip is definitely lagging far behind Walley World, Christmas and Las Vegas. A better director and a tighter script would have saved it. But Chase is as watchable as ever, and the only reason to sit through this poorly-made drivel.

OK, was this the best Vacation sequel? No, not really. But it still had a great amount of a laughter. I can't believe that some people really didn't like this film. Don't you have moments where you just want to sit down and laugh? Don't think, just laugh and have a good time with the film? The Griswalds are back and they are in Europe! They have won an excellent trip to London, Paris, Germany(they don't state where), and Rome. Of course they do manage to get into trouble, otherwise it wouldn't be a comedy. Clark still has the "father-knows-best" policy and becomes more obsessed with having a good time with the family than listening to them and their ideas. Ellen has become a famous naked model in Europe because of some undeleted footage that was stolen from Clark on his camera. Rusty is opting for a lot of booty in Europe and Audrey just won't shut up about a not all that boyfriend, Jack.

This movie has non-stop laughter that you have to admit is catchy. They did recycle some jokes from the first, but I think you need to let go and have some fun. This was an enjoyable film.

7/10

What happens when a moron takes a road trip around Europe.

Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill and Jason Lively.

Written by John Hughes and Robert Klane,

Directed by Amy Heckerling.

I chose this oldie to watch on New Year's Eve with my family.

It's a fun movie and kept us entertained while we waited for Big Ben to chime in the new year. We all had a good chuckle and I think we all enjoyed it. I don't know what was funnier, the script or the eighties clothes!

A fun way to see in the New Year,

7/10

Although it's not as good as the first film, this sequel isn't as terrible as I've heard people say. There are some very funny moments and this is Chevy Chase's best screen role. The only thing that's ever really bothered me about the Vacation films is that the Griswold's children are always played by different actors. Maybe I'm being picky, but I like continuity once in a while. There is a nice cameo from Eric Idle that was very funny and I liked the spoof of The Sound Of Music. Worth a watch.

I have seen this movie many times and although it is nearly 20 years old, it still makes me laugh.Europe as experienced by an American family is very funny and even people who are offended by the so-called lack of respect towards the old continent, should agree that the typical characteristics of the English, French, Germans and Austrians are true to life, although admittedly slightly exaggerated.It's an unpretentious movie which aims at offering a better form of slapstick. Chevy Chase with his mixture of good intentions and bewilderment is always hilarious. One good piece of advice: NEVER go to Austria and watch the guys doing those typical male dances in their short leather pants.After having seen this movie, you will be subjected to hysterical laughter!

I'm surprised by all the negative comments - this was the first National Lampoon movie I saw, so I came to it fresh. OK, so it's not a great work of art, but I thought it was side-splittingly funny in places, and cleverly parodies all the national stereotypes that people tend to use.

As a great fan of visual humour, my favourite moment in the film has to be the scene where, having had all their clothes stolen, the family go shopping in a boutique in Italy and emerge on to the street dressed in absurdly over-the-top designer creations. It really is one of the funniest sights I have ever seen in a film. I defy anyone with a sense of humour not to laugh.

We once again follow the Griswold family consisting of the overly ambitious Clark (Chevy Chase), more down to Earth Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and their teenage children son Rusty (Jason Lively) who's mind is primarily on partying and girls, and Audrey (Dana Hill) whose focus is mainly on her boyfriend Jack (William Zabka) while she deals with insecurities regarding her weight and appearance. After winning an all expenses paid European vacation on game show, Pig in a Poke, the Griswolds are once again off on a vacation as shenanigans ensue.

Following the success of the first National Lampoon's Vacation, Warner Bros. Approached John Hughes for a sequel which Hughes turned down, though he would later return to the series adapting his short story Christmas '59 into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. With Harold Ramis and John Hughes not returning for what at the time was known as Vacation II, the studio hired Amy Heckerling of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Johnny Dangerously to direct and Robert Klane who at that point was best known for Carl Riner's 1970 film Where's Poppa? And a number of comedies that flopped. When the movie was released it had a bigger opening weekend than its predecessor, but didn't have staying power at the box office making $12 million less than the first film at the box office while still turning a respectable profit. Critical reception was more negative this time around and audiences, while slightly more forgiving, were more split on the film. There are some good moments in European Vacation, but there's also some missteps that keep it from being in company with the first film.

Unlike the first film where the episodic story had an engine driving us forward with the arrival to Wally World, European Vacation doesn't have that engine to it. Because the Griswold's have most of their expenses taken care of for them by the gameshow package and they just leisurely go around European locations before transitioning to the next one, it puts a damper on the comic energy because we don't have anything to really build upon. With the road to Wally World in the first one there was a sense of building tension and dwindling resources as the status of the "Family Truckster" deteriorated more and more over time and tensions built among the Griswolds that set the stage for payoffs and escalation to complement the episodic nature of the story and we really don't have that here. The closest we get to something like that is Dana Hill's Audrey pining over her boyfriend Jack played by William Zabka and the take on Audrey is absolutely obnoxious because she only ever does two things 1) complain about the fattiness of the food and 2) whine about how much she misses Jack. Dana Hill is a fine actress if given the right material but she becomes a grating presence when her character's defining features are missing her boyfriend who's positioned as being rather verbally abusive and uncaring which is never really addressed in the movie. Eventually we do get some of that energy in the last third where the Griswolds are in Rome and they become entangled with a thief played by Victor Lanoux and it's probably the closest we get to the level we saw in the first film. There are still some very funny sequences in the movie particularly in Germany where we see Clark involved in Bavarian folk dancing that escalates into a full scale riot and Chevy Chase's line readings can still get a laugh such as when they're stuck in a roundabout in London, but without that engine driving the sequences forward they don't gain the same momentum.

European Vacation isn't a complete failure as there's still some very solid comedic setpieces and performances and there is novelty mined from the European setting. Unfortunately Robert Klane just doesn't understand these characters like Hughes did and they feel less grounded than they were in the first film and more like chaos engines for the various European cities and they lose a bit of their relatability with this fantasy of an all expenses paid European vacation pretty far removed from a cross country road trip to a Disneyland analog. Worth a viewing if you like these characters, but it's not to the level of the first film.

I love the original Vacation and Christmas Vacation was surprisingly good too. European Vacation isn't necessarily a bad film, it's just that for me it wasn't particularly memorable or good either.

Pros: Loved the scenery, it was very colourful and striking, and the cinematography and editing do a good job complimenting it. The soundtrack is great with some infectious and nostalgic tunes, and a quirky score. The direction has spark, and the cast do give it their all, Chevvy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Eric Idle give fun performances, and there are some amusing cameos from John Astin and Robbie Coltrane.

Cons: The story is predictable and unfortunately rather thin too, not helped by some uneven pacing, being rushed one minute and a little too drawn-out the next. Despite the top notch efforts of the cast, the characters are not as appealing here, the fashions are dated and clichéd and the script and gags are rather leaden and tired.

In conclusion, it was a decent enough watch but nothing beyond that. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I had always thought that "European Vacation" was much funnier than the original "Vacation", until just recently. I watched both films back-to-back and in the end I've got to concede that I like the original "Vacation" more than it's sequel. I think the two films are equally funny, but the first one has a little more originality to it and a slightly better cast. Don't get me wrong though, "European Vacation" IS a funny movie and a very good sequel, but just not as good as the original.

Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo of course, play the parts of Clarke and Ellen Griswold (although spelled "Griswald" in this film for whatever reason) perfectly. The parts of Rusty and Audrey Griswold were re-cast (for whatever reason) with Jason Lively and Dana Hill. I thought Jason Lively was a fine replacement for Anthony Michael Hall, and even slightly resembles him. Although, I was less than impressed with Dana Hill. Not that she did a bad job acting, but more that her character seemed quite different and didn't resemble the original Audrey (Dana Barron) at all. It was nice to see both Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane in the film (both playing very small roles).

"European Vacation" was a good film and a nice sequel, but still not as good as the original. Although, I would strongly recommend you take a look at this film if you liked the original or just like Chevy/Beverly. Chevy Chase is great, as is Beverly D'Angelo, both make the film well worth the time I put in watching it and I hope they'll make your time worth it as well. Thanks for reading,

-LebowskiT1000

`Pig in a Poke' is the newest game show in the US. Families dress up in pig costumes and answer questions. At the end, they can be pigs and win a great prize. And who's starring on it? Why, none other than our favorite family the Griswalds (spelled differently in this one than the others)! After a close competition with resident champions the Froegers, they win a European vacation. Audrey (Dana Hill) doesn't want to leave behind her boyfriend Jack (William Zabka), and Rusty (Jason Lively) just doesn't want to go. They do, reluctantly, but this two week vacation doesn't go without a hitch.

2nd released in the series, and usually considered least of the series, which I go with. Simply, it's not as funny as the others: Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and Vegas Vacation. It tries to be more raucous and irreverent than the others. It doesn't have a central grasp on any one plot. They go across Europe, but there's nothing that connects all of the destinations. For instance, in Vacation there was Aunt Edna; Christmas Vacation, it actually had a real plot, and in Vegas Vacation there were a few subplots, but they all went through.

All that isn't to say that it wasn't funny, it's just not as funny as the other three. As heard from Chevy Chase on the subpar DVD commentary, he wishes to do another Vacation movie. I would like to see that. Many of the laughs came from slapstick and pratfalls, which aren't my favorite types of humor. Some of them were predictable (they go to Stonehenge…guess what?), but some of the gags (like on the train to Rome) were nice.

The MPAA wrongly gave this movie its PG-13 rating. It most definitely should have been rated R. The writers, which include veteran John Hughes, must have tried to keep the humor in the PG-13 range, because they didn't `rough it up' as much as they wanted to.

One last thought: if there was an earlier movie version of Chicago, Beverly D'Angelo would have been perfect as Roxie.

My rating: 6/10

Rated PG-13 for sustained scenes of nudity, sexual situations, teen drinking and language.

This sequel was definitely inferior to the first "Vacation" which itself was only mediocre. "European Vacation" was surprisingly bad as I thought traveling about Europe would offer plenty of good scenery and joke potential, but this film was a swing and a miss. It just wasn't very funny, little character development, and an incoherent non-existent plot. This film just didn't execute well -- wasted potential. 3/10.

The Griswalds' represents family… well they try their best. Anyhow European vacation is the first follow-up to the original Vacation, and this entry directed with infectious verve by Amy Heckerling with John Hughes returning with the simple-minded screenplay (with colorful dialogues) is just as spontaneously fun and is even more goof-ball with its well-timed mad-cap developments descending into holiday havoc and fitting performances of a dysfunctional family that's hard to find not sort of quaintly lovable. A gleaming Chevy Chase boasts a dry, but clownish style and the perky Beverly D'Angelo is lovely as ever. The kids played by Dana Hill and Jason Lively create unhinged and spirited personalities that cement their nagging attitudes. Along for the trip is an amusingly recurring cameo appearance by Eric Idle. Robbie Coltrane shows up and John Astin is enjoyable in his early part in the film too. Throughout the feature they manage to squeeze in some sight-seeing, of a few prominent landmarks and make use of the wonderfully vivid and beautiful European locations than just stemming with the on-going physical gags and slap-stick routines. Why not have both and it's quite an eventful mixture. Sure it's all wacky, low-brow and inane, but it's never aiming to be anything else than to simply poke fun of itself. These films need to catch you in the right frame of mind, so just switch-off and go along with the silly, light-weight and delightful farce.

No, National Lampoon's European Vacation isn't as strong as the original Vacation movie, but it still captures some classic Griswold (Griswald?) moments. The jokes aren't as clever during this family outing, and the humor starts to feel repetitive by the end. Nevertheless, I don't mind taking this trip with Clark, Ellen, Rusty & Audrey every now and then.

even though it's not as good as the first,and 3rd it's still pretty good. it's also a bit better than the 4th one. there are some laughs in this movie,and it's entertaining. after this one the series started not to make sense. even though the 3rd vacation is better it has the kids younger,which makes no sense. all in all european vacation is not as bad as people say. i give this movie **1/2 out of ****

Funny, funny, funny...this whole series (5 Movies, 1 Short) is an absolute joy. I am not including Christmas Vacation 2 for obvious reasons. (They also created a new Movie called Vacation in 2015 which is Randy as a grown up with his family, equally excellent) Chevy Chase is excellent, great dad taking his family to Europe... Loads of funny stuff happens, the editing is a bit keen, switching from country to country in a frame but that's not really a problem. Eric Idol's pieces are genius. And watch out for some of Britain's greatest comedy actors sneaking in. Excellent family fun back when they knew how to make a family movie. A must watch.

European Vacation is a good movie with a well developed storyline a good comedic cast.I was certainly disappointed by this movie,because after seeing the first one,I thought seeing the Griswolds going to Europe would just be even more fun,but it wasn't,but this movie still is filled with some very funny scenes.Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo are still in good form in this movie,and they are certainly the highlight,they are filled with positive energy and there is great chemistry between the two of them.I found Audrey,who is played by a different actor than she was in the first,was extremely annoying and certainly the worst part,she didn't make me laugh once.European Vacation is certainly disappointing,but fans of the first should still definitely enjoy.

After entering a game show,the Griswolds win a trip to Europe,but while they're there one problem after another comes along.

Best Performance: Chevy Chase Worst Performance: Dana Hill

The Vacation series of National Lampoon's movies is a good idea, because a lot of us can relate to the trials and tribulations that come from family vacations. However, it seems they only had enough material to make 2 decent movies. European Vacation is possibly the worst of the entire series, and I genuinely found myself questioning my choice to rewatch it now. I didn't count, but I think I only laughed 3 times throughout the entire length of this film. Most of the way through I was struggling to find what they even intended to be funny. It's like they wrote vignettes, but completely forgot to add any jokes, or it would just be a single lame joke spread out over 10 minutes. It seems like there is an abundance of comedy to be had in the concept of American tourists struggling in foreign countries (and how those foreigners view us) but the writers couldn't find the humor. The slapdash plot is boring, and never feels like there is progression. Then when they start to run out of time in the film they shoehorn in a bit of drama to force the family to come together and pretend to get over their issues for a few minutes before the credits roll. It's hard to express how disappointing this film is, particularly when considered in the context of the movies that came before and after it in the series. National Lampoon's European Vacation is one trip I wouldn't suggest anyone go on, because at best you'll just get a few weak chuckles out of it.

I don't understand why people don't like this movie so much. Chevy Chase is there, Beverly D'Angelo is there, Eric Idle is there which is great. Sure, I'd rather see Anthony Michael Hall rather than Jason Lively, but even that's alright, Lively does a decent job. I don't care if people hate this movie, I'm sticking by my beliefs, and I say this movie is great.

"European Vacation" (aka "National Lampoon's European Vacation") is the second movie in the series starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold, the head of a family that does nothing right when on a holiday. This time, the Griswold's win a trip to Europe after appearing on the game show "Pig in a Poke". Clark and Ellen, along with kids Rusty and Audrey, visit England, France, Germany, and Italy with the usual slapstick results. "European Vacation" isn't quite as funny as the first "Vacation" movie, but it does have it share of laughs. The funniest scene: Chase is forced to dance German-style alongside some German dancers at a festival which turns into a slapstick brawl. Goofy, silly fun.

*** (out of four)

Okay, what have we learned from this vacation, class?

1) That the English are lazy and oversexed?

2) That the French are rude to Americans?

3) That the Germans will let anyone into their homes and get into slap fights?

OR:

4) That the Italians smuggle stolen goods using unwitting Americans and have very lax driving laws?

No, none of those things. We learned that....

5) Chevy Chase is the LAST person who should travel overseas.

If the first "Vacation" were this insulting to every country on the earth and as criminally unfunny, at least we would have been spared this "European" invasion.

Nothing funny here, unless you think insulting other nationalities is funny. And if you do, shame on you.

One star. And Chevy, hand in your passport.