Leofwine_draca My first exposure to a National Lampoon movie and it wasn't a great experience. This is largely an unfunny comedy that, despite best intentions, suffers from a weak script in which almost all of the laughs are predictable in the extreme and can be spotted a mile off. This means that the actual laugh factor is low, because genuine laughs are few and far between.The story is a light one in which Chevy Chase and his family spend two weeks travelling around various destinations in Europe. There are the expected cultural and fish-out-of-water laughs here, but I appreciated that most of the humour comes from the 'dumb Americans on holiday' stereotypes. Chase and D'Angelo are great value as the parents, the kids less so; Jason Lively (NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) tries hard but his character is unappealing, while Dana Hill is plain over the top and annoying.The good thing about these movies is that they're fast paced, although European Vacation does slow down for the laboured climax which is the worst part of the entire movie. Still, there are some good bits here, mainly involving the likes of cameoing stars such as Eric Idle, Robbie Coltrane, John Astin, and Paul Bartel.

FilmBuff1994 European Vacation is a good movie with a well developed storyline a good comedic cast.I was certainly disappointed by this movie,because after seeing the first one,I thought seeing the Griswolds going to Europe would just be even more fun,but it wasn't,but this movie still is filled with some very funny scenes.Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo are still in good form in this movie,and they are certainly the highlight,they are filled with positive energy and there is great chemistry between the two of them.I found Audrey,who is played by a different actor than she was in the first,was extremely annoying and certainly the worst part,she didn't make me laugh once.European Vacation is certainly disappointing,but fans of the first should still definitely enjoy.After entering a game show,the Griswolds win a trip to Europe,but while they're there one problem after another comes along.Best Performance: Chevy Chase Worst Performance: Dana Hill

pottsb29 By now I've watched all 4 vacation movies. Depending on your sense of humor, you might find some funny moments in European Vacation, or not find anything funny at all. The movie begins with the Griswalds winning a vacation to Europe in a game show. Although Clark and Ellen are looking forward to the vacation, the kids don't want to go, but end up going anyway. The vacation has a problematic beginning (staying in a hotel that's not as good as advertised), and for the Griswalds, it only gets worse. Unlike in Vacation, there is no specific destination the family is trying to reach, though there are references to some past events once they reach their final destination (Rome). Some of the things they discover in Rome are the following:(1) Before leaving home Clark made a video of Ellen, which she wanted him to erase. It becomes clear that the recording was not erased. (2) Throughout the movie Audrey has complained about leaving Jack. She sees him, or someone very similar to him, with another girl from a distance. (3) The bike rider Clark ran over in London shows up. It turns out that the accident caused more than a "flesh wound."My least favorite thing about the movie is Audrey complaining about being away from Jack (who didn't care much about her), especially because it happens at every destination. Some people might object to the nude scenes (there are more than in the other vacation movies).

Der_Schnibbler Stick with the Christmas one and you'll be all right. This one was atrocious. Unimaginative, boring, repetitive, predictable. Chase is in good form as always, but there's little he can do with such a dumb script. Same for the wife. The son is just passable and the girl who plays the daughter... oh my dear lord.. I have never seen such an off- putting creature in my life. She looks like a pig, especially when seen from the side.The only thing I liked was the film's comparison of Americans with swine. (In the beginning of the film, the Griswold's are encouraged by a TV audience to "be a pig.") I suppose that's why they casted that disgusting thing as the daughter, who is supposed to be playing a teenager but looks like she's nearly forty. They also did a good job of showing the utter ignorance and degeneration of American parents, even back in '85: in a beginning scene, the piglet daughter's boyfriend is over and they're down each other's throats in front of the parents. What kind of a emasculated little moron of a "father" allows his teenage piglet this behaviour?An American one, I guess.