European Vacation

Commentary by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
Widescreen anamorphic format

In this one, the Griswalds accidently win a family quiz show, Pig in a Poke, and are sent on a whirlwind 4 countries in 14 days European Tour. Audry doesn't want to leave her boyfriend, Rusty wants to get laid, Ellen is hoping for some romantic time with Clark, and Clark wants to see every single landmark and museum in England, German, France and Italy.

As they are packing, Clark films Ellen doing a strip, and D'Angelo shows the side of a breast. When the video camera is stolen with the footage Clark promised to erase, it turns up on a billboard for an Italian porno. Rusty is about to get lucky in Germany with Claudia Neidig, who has bared her breasts, when Clark picks a fight with some Bavarian dancers, who want to lynch him. There are also some topless aerobic dancers at the club Clark takes Ellen to to see French culture.

The Critics Vote

Rotten Tomatoes summary. Eleven articles on file, 20% positive.

The People Vote ...

IMDB summary. IMDb voters score it 5.1/10

with their dollars: a solid mini-hit, at $50 million gross.

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, the genre is Chevy Chase comedy. If you hate them, this one won't change your mind, but if you enjoy him, then this is a good one. C.