Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo return as Clark and Ellen Griswold in National Lampoon's European Vacation, sequel to the original Vacation movie and precursor to the holiday classic Christmas Vacation. Like the other films, this edition contains different cast members to play the roles of Griswold children Audrey (Dana Hill) and Rusty (Jason Lively). The only Vacation movie that doesn't feature Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), European Vacation is nevertheless one hilarious movie. Directed by Amy Heckerling, the comic genius behind such films as Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982), Johnny Dangerously (1984), and Clueless (1995), European Vacation remains a fun and entertaining movie even twenty years after its release...
Like its predecessor, European Vacation follows the lives of the Chicago-based Griswold family. When they appear on the hit TV game show, Pig-In-A-Poke, they inadvertently beat an intellectually superior family and win an all-expenses paid trip to Europe. As usual, Clark is giddy with the prospect of hosting the perfect family bonding experience. But Audrey is mortified at the prospect of leaving her boyfriend. Nevertheless, the Griswolds leave for Europe.
Immediately, Clark's dream vacation starts to unravel. The first hotel the family stays in is a half-star dump with a community bathroom, and Clark gets stuck on a circular roadway where he endlessly passes Big Ben and Parliament. A couple of brilliant guest appearances are turned in by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame who plays the role of a zealously friendly biker. In one of the funniest scenes in the film, Clark smashes his car into the biker, who then apologizes for being hit while springing a bloody leak he passes off as a "mere flesh wound". When Clark hits another motorist, he and the family are given the man's bumper as a souvenir.
As the Griswold clan makes their way across mainland Europe, especially in France and Germany, they encounter various pitfalls and cultural misunderstandings. Rusty causes a dog to plummet to its death from the heights of the Eiffel Tower, and Clark sparks a riot in a small Bavarian township. The best one-liner from the film is when Audrey tells Clark that in Germany "sex" means "six," so while searching for some Griswold relatives who live in apartment six, he greets some surprised residents by announcing, "Hello, my family and I are looking for sex!"
In due time, the stress of their disastrous vacation becomes unbearable, and each family member is inevitably driven in a different direction. But the family is unified once again when one of them is kidnapped by a pair of petty criminals hoping to get their hands on the family vacation fund. Can Clark save the day? Can he keep the family together? More importantly, can the Griswolds finally live out the perfect vacation?
Written by Robert Klane, former writer for the MASH TV series and creator of Weekend At Bernie's (1989), the European Vacation screenplay is fully indicative of the author's comedic talents. It's well deserving of being mentioned in the same breath with the other films from the Vacation franchise, but overall, it probably ranks near the bottom (along with Vegas Vacation). Nevertheless, that's more of a testament to the collective strength of the four movies. This is an utterly hilarious film in its own right, and well worth the time of those who have enjoyed the more recent exploits of the Griswolds in Christmas and Vegas Vacation...
