Vegas Vacation (1997)

Well, Clark Griswold has so far botched a road trip, a European vacation and (most memorably) a Christmas vacation; so why does he continue to make his family go through hell on his endless quest for a fun vacation? That's easy; it's pretty enjoyable for us to watch :)

"Vegas Vacation" sits comfortably as the third most enjoyable film in the series; surpassing "European Vacation" but not as enjoyable as "Vacation" or "Christmas Vacation". It's pretty far reaching at times but there are solid moments here; such as Clark damn near destroying a damn and getting crazy (as only Clark Griswold can) playing cards and losing everything.

The Wayne Newton gag soon grows tiresome and everything concerning Audrey and Russ pretty much stinks but Randy Quaid delivers once again as obnoxious Cousin Eddie and Chase hasn't lost his touch as the world's most annoying (yet somehow oddly endearing) family dad.

Fmovies: I can honestly say that I am one of the few "Vacation" lovers that found "Vegas Vacation" really entertaining.

I've found out that most people dislike this movie because of the writing or perhaps the actors. Here's an insider tip to help you get through this hilarious film: DON'T THINK OF IT AS A MOVIE SET OUT TO MAKE A POINT ABOUT SOMETHING. IT IS MEANT TO MAKE YOU LAUGH, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Okay, the accomplished part is from my point of view. I've seen a number of pointless films. Especially in the past year or so. Anyway, this IS a movie with a dumb story line to go off of. I'll admit to that. But I think that it is filled with clever and hysterical situations. Yeah, yeah, that is just my opinion and nobody really cares, but just deal with me here.

Chevy Chase and Beverly DeAngelo reprise their roles as the quirky yet lovable Griswolds. Marisol Nichols gives an alright performance as Audrey. But Ethan Embry is extremely funny as Rusty. Randy Quaid is, as always, hilarious as Cousin Eddie. The whole cast is great.

The problems that each of the Griswold members run into are creative and amusing. Clarke with his inability to stop gambling. Ellen with her semi-obsession with Wayne Newton. Rusty with his wanting to gamble but more importantly, his lucky streak with the four cars that he wins. And Audrey with her dancing career ready to take off. All of them are good.

So, like I've said, this movie was meant to be funny and it was. Some intelligent writing was put into it but not a whole lot. That's fine. I enjoyed it, and I'm probably alone on that one.

`Vegas Vacation' - 1997 - 3.5/5 stars

In 1989, audiences were introduced to `Christmas Vacation,' which turned out to be more than a pleasant surprise. Then, in 1997, almost a decade later, another `Vacation' film churned out. The fourth in the series.

`Vegas Vacation.'

Clark Griswold has finally gotten his break. His food preservatives have been approved, and he has gotten a bonus. Now, what to do with the money? He has an idea. Take the wife and kids to.(big surprise) Vegas! But soon after the ordeal of arriving in Vegas is over, Clark finds himself wasting away his money gambling; especially playing craps! Now, with the help of Uncle> Eddie, he must regain his money, and regain his wife from the grasp of Wayne Newton!

Chevy Chase returns to the role of Clark Griswold, he gets these crazy notions and perfect ideas built up in his head, and as we have learned in the other films, they always disintegrate one at a time until he blows his top.

Beverly D'Angelo returns to the character of Ellen Griswold, she pulls off the housewife/mother role quite believably; she is not nearly as bad as anyone would expect. Many people say she was in the first movie just to flash the screen a few times, but that's just from the mouths of people who dislike the movies; I think her role is important, and D'Angelo carries it well. The only other person I can think of that fits the Ellen character is Goldie Hawn, but that's probably because she acts a bit like D'Angelo so it is easier to imagine her as Ellen.

The kids in this `Vacation' film are (finally!) older; Rusty is on the verge of manhood, and Audrey has matured as well. The things they get themselves into during the film are quite funny. Audrey becomes a Vegas dancer, and Rusty becomes a rich tycoon with the help from some `friends.' We splice back and forth to their predicaments during the film.

One hilarious segment includes a bit where the Griswold family visits Uncle Eddie (a returning Randy Quaid) out in the middle of nowhere; he says that he got his land for free from the government because it used to be a nuclear test site (`I got tomatoes growing this big!'). Uncle Eddie is more disgusting than ever; he lives in a small trailer with about forty-something kids, all of which have strange deformations.

In `Vegas Vacation,' Randy Quaid has the longest screen time that Eddie's ever had before, and I think this is a good thing. Perhaps some people thought it went a bit over the top with Eddie, but I say, `The more Eddie, the better!'

Wallace Shawn makes a rather long cameo as the craps dealer; Clark has a vengeance built up against Shawn's character. He MUST beat him. However, Clark always loses and that is how he loses all his money.

Wayne Newton takes a rather big role as well. He pretends to be in love with Ellen Griswold (`It's a lock of my hair.') in the film; he tries to steal her from Clark, who forgets to pay attention to his wife while he blows his money away like it's just paper and nothing more.

John Hughes, writer of `Vacation' and `Christmas Vacation,' did NOT return to the keyboard for this one; someone else wrote it. I think, however, that the writer of `Vegas Vacation' wrote the script well; the jokes are plentiful and enjoyable. It's nowhere near as bad as some comedy sequels get (i.e. `Police Academy' sequels).

Many people really hated `Vegas Vacation,' saying t

Vegas Vacation fmovies. I saw this movie when it was first released in the theatres, and thought it was one of the worst films ever made. Since then, whenever this movie comes on TV, I cannot turn it off. What was once like watching a car wreck has become an enjoyable viewing experience that is a very funny experience. Still can't figure out how the daughter grew up Latina but Marisol Nichols is so cute, who cares? Sinatra imitator very funny, as is the seemingly five minutes of silence they hold on the Quaid/Newton bit. Also funny, the server in the buffet "oh you're right, this is chicken WANT SOME!" and Chevy Chase butt-ugly costume.

Okay--You've probably seen reviews on here that say, "Vegas is the best Vacation ever!", and then "Vegas is the worst Vacation ever!". Now, that doesn't help a person who hasn't seen the movie for himself yet. Here's the middle ground:

This isn't as good as the first--sequels rarely are. There isn't as much humor potential as in "Christmas Vacation", either. But for god sakes, people, this is MUCH better than the "European Vacation" movie, which has misfire gags left and right (you can check out my review on THAT by clicking on "mdnrules").

Vegas Vacation has as much "Cousin Eddie" humor as in the Christmas Vacation movie which seems to make up for the "diaster" humor Vegas is lacking. This movie seems to have the happiest ending of all of them.

Based on many opinions, here is the order of the Vacations, starting with the best and ending with the worst:

1. a tie between "Vacation" and "Christmas Vacation" 2. Vegas Vacation being a fair third, and 3. European Vacation being a very distant fourth.

Hope this helps, all.

Mayhem ensues when the Griswolds go to Las Vegas in this fourth film in the 'Vacation' franchise. Chevy Chase is solid as always and Wallace Shawn has a fun extended cameo this time round as a condescending croupier, but with minimal road trip elements here, the dynamic is not quite as juicy as the first or even second film. The plot basically consists of each member of the Griswold clan having their own individual Vegas experiences, and while there is quite a bit of oddball humour in how Rusty makes it as a gambling king, there is not a lot of interest in Audrey becoming a Vegas dancer, Ellen being seduced by Wayne Netwon or Clark's gambling debt woes (Shawn's role in the matter aside). The recasting of the kids (yet again) also works against the film; while Marisol Nichols and Ethan Embry are both older than the characters they are playing, they don't look it, while Chase - with grey hair now - looks older than ever. Randy Quaid also has far too much screen time for his own good as the abrasive cousin Eddie and it is hard to know what to make of a scene in which Quaid and Chase visit an outskirts casino with "what number am I thinking of" gambling games. The solution to Chase's gambling woes comes a little too easily too. There are, however, enough scattered good moments here to make the film possibly worth a look. The return of the blonde in a convertible (from the first film) is a nice touch, some dam wordplay surprisingly works well, a sun-roof incident is quite funny and what a way the film depicts to obtain a fake ID!