Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Ethan Embry, Marisol Nichols, Randy Quaid, Wayne Newton,
Wallace Shawn
Director: Stephen Kessler
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Screenplay: Elisa Bell
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Music: Joel McNeely
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
If I stretch my memory back far enough, I think I can recall a time when Chevy Chase was funny. Those days are long gone, however. In recent years, when someone has given him a part in a movie (which isn't often), he has come across as a man who mistakenly believes his worn-out brand of comedy can still make audiences howl with laughter. In a way, it's kind of sad. But Chase, like his Vacation movies, are things of the past. This is a series that should have died with the '80s. Instead, inexplicably, it has limped on into the '90s.
The original National Lampoon's Vacation, although sporadically funny, was hardly a pinnacle of comic excellence. For some reason, however, it was popular enough to spawn three sequels. Nevertheless, nearly fifteen years later, we have been subjected to European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and now Vegas Vacation. At best, the three previous entries into the series have been of video or cable quality. Vegas Vacation, certainly the most tired of the lot, deserves interment alongside them.
For anyone who cares, the Griswolds are back -- a little older, no wiser, and hardly any worse for the wear. As always, Clark (Chase) is planning a vacation for his beloved family -- wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), son Rusty (Ethan Embry), and daughter Audrey (Marisol Nichols). This time, the destination is Las Vegas, casino capitol of the United States. So, even though the kids are reluctant, Clark plans the trip and gets everyone on a plane. Once in Vegas, they all have their own little storyline to keep them busy. Clark becomes an obsessive gambler. Ellen is wooed by Wayne Newton. Using a fake ID, Rusty wins big at craps. Audrey becomes a dancer at a men's club. And, in the most unfortunate development of all, Randy Quaid's Cousin Eddie arrives to irritate us with the same kind of over-the-top, "comic" performance we were most recently subjected to in Independence Day.
Let's face it -- no one expects a masterpiece from Vegas Vacation, but it's not unreasonable to hope for more than the few, feeble laughs it produces. Aside from a couple of great one-liners delivered by Wallace Shawn (playing a cranky blackjack dealer) and a throwaway gag featuring Christy Brinkley that recalls the first film, Vegas Vacation is full of jokes that fall flat. Is it really supposed to be funny when Chase tries to plug holes in a wall using chewing gum? Or when he and Randy Quaid spend half the night digging for dollars?
Vegas Vacation is at its most energetic when Chase isn't on screen. The young actors playing the Griswold children, Marisol Nichols and Ethan Embry, are likable, and, from time-to- time, they manage to enliven this otherwise lame comedy. Wayne Newton's smarmy self-parody might have been amusing if we hadn't seen it already (he was funnier in Licence to Kill), and Sid Ceasar's cameo, which is supposed to be a comic highlight, is dreadfully unfunny. What we really needed from this film was more humor and less filler. It's not too much of a gamble to bet that Vegas Vacation is on the fast track to the video store. Hopefully, this is the last trip we'll have to take with the Griswolds.
© 1997 James Berardinelli