European Vacation

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European Vacation (1985)

(a.k.a. National Lampoon's European Vacation)

European Vacation:

The Griswold's are back for another eventful vacation but this time it's not a cross-country trek towards Wally World. Instead, they've won a multi-country tour through Europe as the grand prize from a game show. Their European tour will take them through the many landmarks of England, France, and Germany. Watching this movie more than 15 years after I initially saw it just didn't seem the same. I remember thinking how funny these National Lampoon movies were back then, but now they just seem to be less than mildly amusing at best. Maybe the movie's not completely at fault. Comedy can be like horror where if you see it coming, then you don't jump in your seat or get that initial burst of laughter. When I can see the Griswold's about to knock over the monuments of Stonehenge before it happens, it just doesn't make me laugh when they go tumbling. Why did it seem funnier watching it in the 80's? Maybe the collective senses of humor of our modern culture have simply undergone some sort of evolution since then. These days the movie has only a few mildly amusing moments in it and the rest feels like a waste of time. In any event, European vacation (or any of the other National Lampoon's Vacation series) just doesn't stand the test of time.

-Tso