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| image = European_Vacation.jpg
| image = European_Vacation.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| alt =
| director = [[Amy Heckerling]]
| director = [[Amy Heckerling]]
| producer = [[Matty Simmons]]
| producer = [[Matty Simmons]]
| screenplay = [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]]<br>Robert Klane
| screenplay = [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]]<br>Robert Klane
| story = John Hughes
| story = John Hughes
| starring = [[Chevy Chase]]<br>[[Beverly D'Angelo]]<br>[[Dana Hill]]<br>[[Jason Lively]]<br>[[Victor Lanoux]]<br>[[Eric Idle]]
| starring = {{Plain list |
* [[Chevy Chase]]<br>
* [[Beverly D'Angelo]]<br>
* [[Dana Hill]]<br>
* [[Jason Lively]]<br>
* [[Victor Lanoux]]<br>
* [[Eric Idle]]
}}
| music = [[Charles Fox (composer)|Charles Fox]]
| music = [[Charles Fox (composer)|Charles Fox]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Paynter]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Paynter]]
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===Critical response===
===Critical response===
The film received mixed reviews. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 38% of 21 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.7 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/national_lampoons_european_vacation/?name_order=asc|title=National Lampoon's European Vacation|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate=2012-12-19}}</ref>
The film received mixed reviews. Review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 21 critics, with an average of 4.7 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/national_lampoons_european_vacation/ |title= National Lampoon's European Vacation |publisher= [[Flixster]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |accessdate= 2012-12-19}}</ref>


[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' thought positively of the film stating, "While it's very much a retread, it succeeds in following up the first film's humor with more in a similar vein." She added, "The film's best visual humor arises from the mere juxtaposition of European settings with the funny hats, T-shirts and soda cans with which the Griswalds announce their presence."<ref>{{cite web|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Film: National Lampoon in Europe|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E0D61238F934A15754C0A963948260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=December 19, 2012|date=July 27, 1985}}</ref> Entertainment magazine ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' gave the film a negative review explaining, "As the family of characters cartwheel through London, Paris, Italy and Germany - with the French deliciously taking it on the chin for their arrogance and rudeness - director Amy Heckerling gets carried away with physical humor while letting her American tourists grow tiresome and predictable. Structurally, the film unfolds like a series of travel brochures."<ref>{{cite web|title=National Lampoon's European Vacation|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117793427/?refCatId=31|publisher=[[Variety (magazine){{!}}Variety]]|accessdate=19 December 2012|date=1985}}</ref>
[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' thought positively of the film stating, "While it's very much a retread, it succeeds in following up the first film's humor with more in a similar vein." She added, "The film's best visual humor arises from the mere juxtaposition of European settings with the funny hats, T-shirts and soda cans with which the Griswalds announce their presence."<ref>{{cite web|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Film: National Lampoon in Europe|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E0D61238F934A15754C0A963948260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=December 19, 2012|date=July 27, 1985}}</ref> Entertainment magazine ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' gave the film a negative review explaining, "As the family of characters cartwheel through London, Paris, Italy and Germany - with the French deliciously taking it on the chin for their arrogance and rudeness - director Amy Heckerling gets carried away with physical humor while letting her American tourists grow tiresome and predictable. Structurally, the film unfolds like a series of travel brochures."<ref>{{cite web |title= National Lampoon's European Vacation |url= http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117793427/ |publisher= [[Variety (magazine){{!}}Variety]] |accessdate= 19 December 2012 |date= 1985}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 21:26, 16 February 2014

National Lampoon's
European Vacation
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAmy Heckerling
Screenplay byJohn Hughes
Robert Klane
Story byJohn Hughes
Produced byMatty Simmons
Starring
CinematographyRobert Paynter
Edited byPembroke J. Herring
Music byCharles Fox
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • July 26, 1985 (1985-07-26)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$49,364,621

European Vacation (originally given the working title Vacation '2' Europe) is a 1985 comedy film. The second film in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, it was directed by Amy Heckerling and stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. Dana Hill and Jason Lively replace Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall as Griswold children Audrey and Rusty. After Hall declined to reprise his role (he decided to star in Weird Science instead), the producers decided to recast both children.

The film is the only installment of the series to credit the family’s name spelled as “Griswald”, instead of "Griswold"

Plot

The Griswold family competes in a game show called Pig in a Poke and wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe. In a whirlwind tour of western Europe, chaos of all sorts ensues. They stay in a fleabag London hotel with a sloppy, tattooed Cockney desk clerk (Mel Smith). While in their English rental car, a yellow Austin Maxi, Clark drives his family endlessly around the busy Lambeth Bridge roundabout for hours, unable to maneuver his way out of traffic due to the opposite direction of North American driving. His wrong-way driving habits cause him to frequently crash into cars and accidentally knock over a frightened bicyclist (Eric Idle) who reappears in numerous scenes as if by coincidence. At Stonehenge, Clark backs their Austin into a priceless, ancient stone monolith, knocking all the stones down like dominoes, which they do not even notice as they happily leave the scene.

In Paris, Clark throws Rusty's beret cap off the Eiffel Tower observation deck, causing a lady's dachshund to jump off after it; later, young Rusty meets a hooker at a bawdy Paris can-can dance show. While in Paris, the family's video camera is stolen by a passerby whom Clark had asked to take a picture of the family. Also, Clark, with his terrible French, manages to insult every native Frenchman.

The Griswolds burst in on a bewildered, elderly German village couple (Willy Millowitsch, Erika Wackernagel), who they mistakenly think are relatives but who serve them dinner anyhow, not knowing each other's languages. Clark manages to turn a lively thigh-slapping Bavarian folk dance stage performance, into an all-out street brawl, after which he, fleeing hastily, gets their Citroën DS stuck in a too-narrow medieval archway after knocking down several street vendors' stands.

In Rome, the Griswolds rent a car at a travel office. However, they don't know that the real manager is restrained by two thieves. The leader thief (Victor Lanoux) gives them a car with the real manager in the trunk. He claims that he lost the keys to the trunk. Later the Griswolds go shopping. The next day Ellen is shocked to discover that private, sexy videos of her from the family's previously stolen video camera have been used in a billboard advertising a pornographic movie, leaving her completely humiliated. After screaming her anger at Clark (who had told her he had erased the video), Ellen storms off to the hotel they are staying at and encounters the thief who sold them the car. She confesses her recent troubles. She is still unaware that he is a thief. The man then tries to get the car keys, which are in her purse. However he fails and then the police arrive at the hotel and Ellen tries to escape. She is kidnapped by him, prompting Clark to rescue her. At the end while flying back to the U.S.A., Clark accidentally causes the plane to "knock" the Statue of Liberty's torch upside down.

Cast

Landmarks and locations

Famous landmarks and sights appearing as the family tours England, France, West Germany, and Italy include:[1]

Other locations used in the movie include:

Scenes supposedly taking place in West Germany were actually shot in German-speaking part of Italy (Brixen).

Soundtrack

The film's musical score was composed by Charles Fox, who replaced Ralph Burns of the first film. Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road" was once again featured as the film's theme song, with the soundtrack including many other contemporary songs.

  1. "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham
  2. "Some Like It Hot" by Power Station
  3. "Town Called Malice" by The Jam
  4. "Problèmes d'amour" by Alexander Robotnick
  5. "Ça plane pour moi" by Plastic Bertrand
  6. "Pig In a Poke" by Danny Gould
  7. "Baby It's You, Yes I Am" by Danger Zone
  8. "New Looks" by Dr. John
  9. "Back in America" by Network

Reception

Box office

The film opened July 26, 1985 in 1,546 theaters in the United States and grossed $12,329,627 its opening weekend, ranking number one at the box office.[2] After its initial run, the film grossed a total of $49,364,621 domestically.

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 21 critics, with an average of 4.7 out of 10.[3]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times thought positively of the film stating, "While it's very much a retread, it succeeds in following up the first film's humor with more in a similar vein." She added, "The film's best visual humor arises from the mere juxtaposition of European settings with the funny hats, T-shirts and soda cans with which the Griswalds announce their presence."[4] Entertainment magazine Variety gave the film a negative review explaining, "As the family of characters cartwheel through London, Paris, Italy and Germany - with the French deliciously taking it on the chin for their arrogance and rudeness - director Amy Heckerling gets carried away with physical humor while letting her American tourists grow tiresome and predictable. Structurally, the film unfolds like a series of travel brochures."[5]

References

  1. ^ 'National Lampoons Movie Locations and Now & Then photos' at Youtube
  2. ^ "National Lampoon's European Vacation - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  3. ^ "National Lampoon's European Vacation". Flixster Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
  4. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 27, 1985). "Film: National Lampoon in Europe". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  5. ^ "National Lampoon's European Vacation". Variety. 1985. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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