Around the time Vegas Vacation came out, Chevy Chase said he wanted to do one in Australia, so they must actually be making it. I actually thought Vegas Vacation was pretty damn funny, likely due to Randy Quaid taggin along with them the whole film. Chevy actually wasn't even that bad either, and I thought it was better then European Vacation (hell, it even had Christie Brinkley from the first film making a cameo).
As for Chevy Chase's acting career going downhill, it's obvious where the screwup happened. Think about when it started going downhill, it was after he started playing a klutz in EVERY MOVIE he's in. Damn, where's the Chevy from the 70's/early 80's? Chevy Chase isn't funny as a klutz, he's funny being the cool jacka$$ he plays in Fletch, Caddyshack, SNL's news thing ("I'm Chevy Chase, and you not.") etc etc etc. Hell, Caddyshack 2's only redeeming quality is 5 minutes of Chevy Chase playing a cocky bada$$ like he played back in the day. I admit it would be weird to see him gray haired and trying to act like that, but I certainley miss that Chevy (hell, he was almost Otter in Animal House, another example of one of those cocky roles.)
Finally, as for Christmas Vacation 2, I have VERY LOW expectations. National Lampoon's TV movies are bad, literally some of the worst movies I've seen (Men in White, Golf Punks, Last Resort, wtf?). It's a shame they stopped making theatrical movies, but at least they seem to be getting back into it with Van Wilder and stuff (again, Chevy would've been Van Wilder if it was made 20 years ago). The last one they made before the hiatus was Senior Trip, and I actually thought that was pretty damn funny. But since it does have Quaid, along with the original Cathy, and even the original Audrey (wow, continuity with the Griswold kids) it could be somewhat decent, but damn it, do not kiddie it up like most of the National Lampoon TV movies, which tend to be a soft PG.
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MichaelMovieLoft
21 years ago
Well, this is a sign of the Vacation movie series dying. When a box office film franchise decides to make a sequel for television (Revenge of the nerds, Brady Bunch, Home Alone, etc.), that is usually a sign that it is the death knell for that series. And after Vegas Vacation, I am not surprised. Randy Quaid is capable of carrying a movie or a TV show, so I think he will do a fine job here. And getting Dana Barron & Miriam Flynn to return is a good thing.
But like many of you, I am worried about the quality of the film. Nat'l Lampoon films that are made for TV are B-A-Double D, BADD!!!! But we'll see what happens with one.
Pat
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