Vacation
(2015/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
A-/B Sound A-/B Extras: B Film: B+
Vacation
is another one of those movies that people did not give a shot.
Audiences were anticipating another reboot disaster from a franchise
that people were not asking about. However, much to my surprise,
Vacation had many funny scenes, granted some were already seen
in the trailer, which is a disappointment with movies giving away too
much nowadays, but what we were not expecting was those scenes had
even funnier moments.
Rusty
(Ed Helms) takes the reins and the place of his father, Clark
Griswold (Chevy Chase), as the driving force for this family
vacation. At first it is surprising, because in all the movies from
the original Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas
Vacation, and Vegas Vacation it does not seem like the
children are into it, but if you look back, you can see those moments
between Rusty and his father Clark (Chase). It also follows the
trend in movies, and I guess life, that children will ultimately wind
up like their parents, which in this case is not really a bad thing.
Ed Helms delivers a slightly different take to the head of the
Griswold household. He involves his family more to bring the humor,
where as Chevy Chase could be alone and still bring the comedy, Helms
really does not give us that.
There
is also a lot more involvement with Rusty's wife, Debbie (Christina
Applegate), where she has her own story and equal opportunities to
bring the comedy in Vacation. They also seem to have better
conversations as husband and wife; that is not to say the original
couple of Clark (Chase) and Ellen Griswold (Beverly D'Angelo) did not
work as a couple, but it was clear back then that Chevy Chase was the
frontrunner where as now Christina Applegate is truly a co-star
alongside Ed Helms.
As
Helms says in the trailer, "...the new Vacation will
stand on its own…" and it does. They do keep some of the old
shticks of the originals, but manage to poke and make fun of some of
them as well and add their own, which is a refreshing take on The
Griswold's. A big one that they put their own spin on is not having
the hilarious Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) character, but using Rusty's
(Helms) sister Audrey (Leslie Mann) instead. Although, Audrey (Mann)
is rarely seen and does not bring as much as her normal humor that
she does to the screen. Instead, it is her husband and Rusty's
brother-in-law Stone (Chris Hemsworth) that brings that extended
family comedy into the Griswold family and world that Vacation
creates. If they are to bring this cast back and not stick to the
usual trend of replacing people such as Rusty and Audrey I would like
to see more of Leslie Mann's style, but Chris Hemsworth picked up the
slack. Perhaps casting her was just to make a cameo like the so many
that are in this movie such as Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, and
Norman Reedus, just to name a few.
Now
to talk about the new kids that are involved, which are Rusty (Helms)
and Debbie's (Applegate) children. Most of the humor you will find
actually comes from these two. There is the awkward teen, James
(Skyler Gisondo), who is picked on by his bully of a younger brother
Kevin (Steele Stebbins). These two young actors play off each other
great and it would be nice to see Vacation break away from the
trend of replacing any of the kids.
Vacation
is presented on Blu-ray high definition 1080p in a 2.40:1 widescreen
format, which looks great on any television. Comedies are supposed
to bright and have vibrant colors to set a warm mood and this movie
is no exception. Each character is heard clearly through the
lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1, which has a feel that makes you feel
like you are at the movies and able to laugh with the rest of the
audience. The DVD is presented on standard definition widescreen,
but still looks fairly decent for not being in high definition.
There
are a few fun bonus features on the disc for Vacation that
include: Return to Walley World, The Griswold Odyssey, Gag Reel,
and Deleted Scenes. It also includes a digital copy of the
movie so you can watch it on the go, like if you go on Vacation with
your family.
-
Jordan Whiteko
