Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

krautR-930-608582 I have to admit that until recently I believed I like this movie as much as "Vacation" and "Christmas Vacation",but I read several negative reviews about it and,after giving them a thought,I have to admit that they partially are right.Yes,this movie (and especially its stereotypes) is somewhat flat,sometimes even dumb.It's no masterpiece.But it's still worth watching it not only once,but several times.After all,its nevertheless a Griswold movie with Chevy Chase and Beverly d'Angelo!And I don't agree very much with the many critical comments on Dana Hill and Jason Lively (who played the Griswold's daughter and son)Yes,their characters in the film are annoying,nervy and sometimes obnoxious.But I think that's exactly how kids tend to be at the age both characters are designed to have in the movie.Their characters could be seen as the most realistic part of "European vacation" Maybe some people who watched this movie recognized their own children in these characters.I did,at least partially.As I recognized myself while remembering when I was as young as Rusty is in this movie.What concerns the national clichés the movie constantly harps upon: Yes,they are rather dumb,and,more important,unequal.It makes an "unbelievably small" difference whether you stereotypically portray people as ultra-polite/sex-loving or as lynch mob/mafiosi. After having had a short look on the director's biography I unfortunately have to suppose that this movie might reflect her personal clichés...For people who believe these stereotypes to be more or less reliable: At least at the time this movie was released (1985/86) it was the so polite Britons who in Europe had a reputation problem (due to their ultra violent hooligans-remember the Heysel stadium tragedy) Nevertheless the clichés in this movie appear rather harmless,especially regarding the movie's age (if someone wants to watch really dumb national stereotypes,I "recommend" the British "top gear")Where did the Schuhplattler dance take place IN THE MOVIE? (in reality these scenes were shot in Southern Tyrol,Italy,as you know) Well,I can only say that there are shown many little blue-white flags (blue-white the colors of Bavaria) and red-white flags (red-white the colors of Upper Austria,a federal state of Austria) And there's shown a big German (at that time only West-German!) flag (black-red-gold).So everybody can brood over it,if she or he wants...I suggest a Schuhplattler contest between Bavarian and Upper Austrian towns near the border.By the way,Hitler's birthplace Braunau is also a town near to the Upper Austrian/Bavarian border.A strange coincidence,isn't it? Therefore I suspect that the oddly high number of flags in this "Schuhplattler-town" is an allusion to the "Reichsparteitag" in Nuremberg...Finally,what concerns the nudity in this movie: Come on,this is "European vacation" and not "Saudi Arabian vacation"!

FlashCallahan When the Griswolds accidentally win a trip to Europe on a TV show, they happily decide to go. But the family's name would not be Griswold if everything went without complication. In London, they see Big Ben and Parliament extensively, but only after Clark learns to drive on the left side by not doing so.In Paris, Rusty's hormones disastrously spring to life. In Germany, the Griswolds visit the wrong relatives and in Italy, the family gets in touch with crime and a videotape that was in the camera that was stolen back in Paris. In addition, Audrey, who is in love, keeps ringing up the phone bill, Rusty keeps hitting on girls, and Ellen keeps keeping them all together when times are bad.....It's easily the weakest of the four movies, yet EV has a certain charm to it, whether it be cameos from famous people in a particular country, or Clark spouting out inane one liners, you cannot help but smile at it.But that's the problem, you only ever smile, never laugh or chuckle, which is a shame, because the book ending films were hilarious.It gets very boring at times too, and the jokes get recycled time and time again, especially the running joke of the family not understanding the language, and the locals being derogatory toward them. Funny the first time, tiresome come the fifth.Throw in some kind of heist, and you have your film, albeit a very average one

AaronCapenBanner The Griswold family(Chevy Chase & Beverly D' Angelo return, though their two kids are recast) find themselves on a dumb game show, which they somehow win, and the prize is a (you guessed it) European Vacation, but their enthusiasm at this win is deflated when the trip does not go the way they had planned...Stupid and crude sequel uses every cliché in the book, and falls flat on its face. Recasting of the children doesn't click; even use of comedy guest stars Eric Idle and John Astin doesn't work, and film just gets worse as it goes along; only succeeds in giving American tourists a bad name!

Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki After winning the grand prize on a painfully stupid and embarrassing game show, the "Griswald" (formerly, and later, Griswold) family, are off to wreck havoc in the UK, France, and Germany, on a painfully unfunny Euro- tour.Attractive scenery left and right, but film is sexist and unfunny.Stereotypical behavior on the part of the Griswalds, as well as the people they encounter in Europe, was not funny, only formulaic (obnoxious Americans interacting with obnoxious French/ English, etc.). Listening to Audrey whining endlessly about her guy who has just dumped her gets tiresome quickly, but it just goes on for most of the rest of the film.It doesn't seem like there was a point, or final destination here, just the family wandering aimlessly around western Europe, getting into increasingly contrived situations.Some of the situations in the first film were slightly outlandish, but for the most part, that film was believable. This sequel is so far out in left field that none of its situations are believable. Knocking Stonehenge over like dominos? Are we supposed to believe that? Getting involved with thieves in Italy? Highly unlikely. Making a sex video, which is stolen, and becomes a hit movie in cinemas? Not very likely, either. The plane bouncing off the Statue Of Liberty's arm and knocking over its torch? I don't imagine that could happen, either.Chase over does it this time with his terminally stupid character. D'Angelo still looks sexy, but she has no material to work with here.The kids this time around (Jason Lively and Dana Hill) are awful: Lively looks like a 6'2" grade schooler, and Hill is whining almost all throughout.