National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Phil H

  
  Solid stuff, very funny in places but very dumb in others. Its hella dated though haha again Chase is making it happen here, the strip club, the German beer festival clog dance, the roundabout in London, the hotel in london, staying with the German relations etc...Chase makes this… More
  Solid stuff, very funny in places but very dumb in others. Its hella dated though haha again Chase is making it happen here, the strip club, the German beer festival clog dance, the roundabout in London, the hotel in london, staying with the German relations etc...Chase makes this work completely with his buffoonery. The cast is pretty good here too including a good British selection for the London part and the odd cameo from US character names, although there are more big British cameos here. Its just the same as the first film only in Europe really, simple, not quite as hot as the first and I can't quite put my finger on it, I think the all American road trip version works so well really. The problem here I think is the silly kidnapping sub plot towards the end which just loses your suspension of disbelief, that doesn't normally happen to people so you don't relate to it, the whole point of these 'Vacation' comedies, the best part, is you can relate to the Griswold scenarios, lose that and you lose the audience.

• Alexander D

  
  Sequel to 1983 road movie still has the innuendo and raunch that made us laugh so hard. The laughs aren't <i>as</i> large and frequent with EUROPEAN VACATION, but it still is definitive of the series's sponsor's name (<i>National Lampoon</i>).… More
  Sequel to 1983 road movie still has the innuendo and raunch that made us laugh so hard. The laughs aren't <i>as</i> large and frequent with EUROPEAN VACATION, but it still is definitive of the series's sponsor's name (<i>National Lampoon</i>). Unlike the first one, this is not based on a short story teen comedy director John Hughes had published for the <i>National Lampoon</i> magazine. Nothing unfortunate about that, though! The laughs in this follow-up come from similar jokes and bawdiness that the first one had, but they aren't merely copies, either. The cast for this one is slightly different: Clark W. Griswold, Jr. is still portrayed by Chevy Chase, and Ellen Griswold is still being played by Beverly D'Angelo; but the kids are different, which was a fairly big mistake. Anthony Michael Hall, for whatever reason, said he didn't want to do a sequel. I don't know what the deal was with the person who performed as Audrey. But still, it would have been better with the same kids as before. The new actors look similar to the other ones, but their roles are not fully believable. That said, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION is a fun second outing. It isn't a must-see, though, and it is quite dumb in comparison to the original. Fans of #1 should enjoy it.

• Martin S

  
  I can't seem to understand why this would be funny...

• Mike S

  
  Say what you will about Chevy Chase, but I've always enjoyed his style of humor. At least as it comes to his "Vacation" comedies, which I can watch over and over again, without the entertainment value ever fading. Here in Sweden they run them on TV all the time, and… More
  Say what you will about Chevy Chase, but I've always enjoyed his style of humor. At least as it comes to his "Vacation" comedies, which I can watch over and over again, without the entertainment value ever fading. Here in Sweden they run them on TV all the time, and whenever they do, I always drop whatever I'm doing and park myself in front of the tube. And though it's annoying that they change some of the actors in every film (I don't know how many different kids they've had by now), they're just too much fun for me to be bothered by such trifles. In my eyes, this a comedy classic, and one of my all-time favourite road trip movies.

• Dean !

  
  I just remembered I have seen this, the bit in the London B&B. It's not as good as the first Vacation film.

• AJ V

  
  Another hilarious Vacation movie from National Lampoon, this time the family goes to Europe (obviously). I loved this sequel, it's fantastic, and Eric Idle is especially awesome.

• Nicki M

  
  Pathetic, but good fun, in a bad 80's movie kind of way. There are certainly better ones out there, but for something mindless, could do worse.

• Anthony L

  
  Almost as good as the first. It?s a childhood favourite and I?ll always watch if it?s on TV!

• Cassandra M

  
  I'm surprised by all the negative. OK, so it's not a great work of art, but I thought it was side-splittingly funny in places, and cleverly parodies all the national stereotypes that people tend to use. As a great fan of visual humour, my favourite moment in the film has to… More
  I'm surprised by all the negative. OK, so it's not a great work of art, but I thought it was side-splittingly funny in places, and cleverly parodies all the national stereotypes that people tend to use. As a great fan of visual humour, my favourite moment in the film has to be the scene where, having had all their clothes stolen, the family go shopping in a boutique in Italy and emerge on to the street dressed in absurdly over-the-top designer creations. It really is one of the funniest sights I have ever seen in a film. I defy anyone with a sense of humour not to laugh.

• Chris G

  
  The Griswald's are back for another trip to the old country in this 1985 comedy bringing back Chevy Chase as Clark and Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen. When the family wins a European vacation on a game show you know what's going to happen: confusion, destruction, and… More
  The Griswald's are back for another trip to the old country in this 1985 comedy bringing back Chevy Chase as Clark and Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen. When the family wins a European vacation on a game show you know what's going to happen: confusion, destruction, and debauchery on the other side of the Atlantic. This is your basic sequel following the same formula as the first film. Some things work, some things don't. Chevy Chase plays Clark even dumber than the first film and pulls it away from the goofy dad of the first film to a dimwit. It's a funny movie, but not hilarious and not up to par with the films that bookend it.

• Lenny M

  
  No need but still funny, good scenes.

• Jason S

  
  Not as good as the first but it did manage to get a few of it's own laughs in.

• Lafe F

  
  Packed with jokes, it continues the hilarious momentum from the first film. The loveable Griswalds take us on a hilarious tour of many famous European landmarks. Good stuff.

• xGary X

  
  Every one of the National Lampoon sequels are about as funny as an in-depth analysis of the political infra-structure of Belgium in the early 1990s.

• Michael S

  
  Worst in the series.

• Leigh R

  
  Great.

• Dean M

  
  Quite funny, but weird than the first Vacation series.

• Deb S

  
  "European Vacation" is the second movie in the series starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold and new actors in the roles of Russ and Audrey Griswold. This time the Griswold's win a trip to Europe after appearing on the game show… More
  "European Vacation" is the second movie in the series starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold and new actors in the roles of Russ and Audrey Griswold. This time the Griswold's win a trip to Europe after appearing on the game show "Pig in a Poke". Clark and Ellen, along with kids Rusty and Audrey, visit England, France, Germany, and Italy where they manage to cause one unfortunate disaster after another from the big brawl at the German street fair to visiting family members but ending up with complete strangers."European Vacation" isn't quite as funny as the first "Vacation" movie, but it does have its share of laughs. Memorable scenes include the camcorder thief and the shower scene with beautiful Beverly D'Angelo.

• Naughtia N

  
  I love Chevy Chase movies and I love the 'vacation' series. In this movie the Griswalds win the grand prize at a gameshow. The prize is a trip to Europe. They get to travel to England, France, Germany and Italy. Somehow they always manage to get themselves in to big trouble,… More
  I love Chevy Chase movies and I love the 'vacation' series. In this movie the Griswalds win the grand prize at a gameshow. The prize is a trip to Europe. They get to travel to England, France, Germany and Italy. Somehow they always manage to get themselves in to big trouble, so this time mom gets kidnapped by some gangsters and the rest of the Griswald family must come to the rescue. This movie is a classic and it's fun to watch even though it's a bit out of date.

• Sunil J

  
  Not as good as Christmas but another great dyfunctional family trip.

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