Animal House (1978)

At a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him. (IMDb)

Ha ha! Look at the silly boy under the bleachers violate a woman’s privacy! Ha ha! Look at the silly virgin consider raping a passed out girl and then get called “homo” when he chooses not to! Ha ha! Look at the silly friends run away screaming from the scary black people! Ha ha! What a bunch of goofballs! Get the fuck outta here, Animal House. Dumb and mischievous protagonists are funny (see the cafeteria load-up, courtroom contrast), ones with a disturbing disregard for others are not.

3/10 (Awful)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster. (IMDb)

Something about this Vacation installment’s family Christmas/home for the holidays premise grounds and glues it together unlike any of the others, and puts it a step above. Finally solid acting for Russ and Audrey helps too-and with Chase in his best turn as the ambitious and high-strung Clark, and D’Angelo solid again as his pacifier, the family has consistently humourous chemistry dotted with some great quirky cameos that makes great use of the relatable Christmas chaos setting.

7/10 (Good)

Vegas Vacation (1997)

In the fourth outing for the vacation franchise, the Griswolds have to survive Vegas fever when they go to Las Vegas for a fun family vacation. (IMDb)

Fairly bland with only a few redeeming scenes and storylines–Russ’ escalating escapades with a fake ID being one of them. Chase seems to have lost his spark as Clark, who is less likeable and less funny than ever before, and Quaid with Cousin Eddie just feels like he’s trying too hard to mimic his famous character from days gone by. The whole movie feels too old and too tired: a half-hearted attempt at re-enacting the best aspects of the Vacation franchise, with a lame ending to boot.

4.5/10 (Bad)

National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985)

The Griswolds win a vacation tour across Europe where the usual havoc ensues. (IMDb)

Good for some laughs, but they are too few and far between. The memorable scenes (see the hotel room mix-up in England and the case of mistaken identity in Germany) are sparse amidst many slow and awkward ones where the humour tries but always falls just a bit short. The bad-guy-chase side-plot, meanwhile, feels cheap and does little to spice up the standard and uninspired mishap-laden plot. Altogether, the movie fails to ever pick up steam and consequently feels disjointed and boring.

5/10 (Poor)

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

The Griswold family’s cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated. (IMDb)

Definitely some laugh-out-loud moments, mostly thanks to Clark Griswold’s manic drive and ridiculous stubbornness, but they are too often separated by awkwardly slow scenes with bad attempts at humour. Poor joke execution aside, the 80s Americana road-trip cinematography is nice, and the film does well at building up the mishap-filled “Murphy’s Law” plot to a fittingly nuts-o climax.

6/10 (Mediocre)