National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

National Lampoon’s European Vacation

• The second movie in the National Lampoon series, and much like the first, definitely disappointing. This one was pretty boring throughout the whole thing, and there were only a few scenes that I actually enjoyed. The story followed the standard vacation storyline, except that this one was abroad. I actually really liked the setting, and I love how the Griswold’s get to see historic cities and landmarks. However, despite the great setting, the story didn’t have any kind of luster to it. It felt super slow and somewhat drawn out. Certain parts of it also felt really reminiscent of the first movie, so this one didn’t feel too original. I also didn’t care for many of the characters, except for Clark. He was funny as always, although a bit less in this movie. I’m also not a fan of how Rusty and Audrey are always played by different actors. It seems really weird, although definitely unique, and it shakes each movie up. I really disliked Rusty in this movie, and though I semi-liked his actor, I absolutely hated how they made him a total horndog. Of course, he’s a hormonal teenage guy, so that’s kind of who he is, but I definitely think they went over the top with his character. I didn’t like Audrey either, and she was totally obnoxious, unlike the first movie. However, I really liked the small amount of screen time that William Zabka had. I also loved the music in this movie. The style of music matched each country they were in, which was a nice touch. It gave the movie a fun feel, as long as  a weirdly educational feel. You get to hear different cultures and instruments in each part, which I loved. Overall, I probably wouldn’t watch this again, and I probably wouldn’t recommend it, either.