I like all National Lampoon movies with Chase. This one is no different. It's really a fun ride through Europe, with all the things you'd expect. It's a family story at its core, with the main guy leading his family on excursions. The wife is such a hottie. It's a great time in Europe, though not the best. Has it's boring parts.

6 stars

National Lampoon's European Vacation features that All American family the Griswolds who have won themselves a European vacation. Not quite as lavish as what I got when I went to London a few years earlier, but then again I didn't win my trip on a game show called Pig In The Poke.

Chevy Chase is back again as Dwight Griswold not exactly father of the year and not the guy I would send as a typical American. He means well, but cultural nuances just aren't his thing. Mrs. Griswold becomes a porn star when hubby leaves a video camera on and it records Chase and D'Angeo getting down and dirty and the video is stolen. Doesn't put her in a good frame of mind for the rest of the trip. By the way the sequence of how the camera is stolen is hilarious.

Son Jason Lively wants to meet European girls and his style is cramped by dad's incessant sight seeing. And daughter Dana Hill just pines away for new boyfriend William Zabka and worries whether he's doing the same.

Other funny sequences are with a French poodle on the Eiffel Tower and a whole long sequence of the family at a reunion in Germany with Chase's relations. They're not likely to be invited back.

John Astin and Eric Idle make a couple of memorable short bits. European Vacation is good fun.

For the entire family.

I love the original Vacation and Christmas Vacation was surprisingly good too. European Vacation isn't necessarily a bad film, it's just that for me it wasn't particularly memorable or good either.

Pros: Loved the scenery, it was very colourful and striking, and the cinematography and editing do a good job complimenting it. The soundtrack is great with some infectious and nostalgic tunes, and a quirky score. The direction has spark, and the cast do give it their all, Chevvy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Eric Idle give fun performances, and there are some amusing cameos from John Astin and Robbie Coltrane.

Cons: The story is predictable and unfortunately rather thin too, not helped by some uneven pacing, being rushed one minute and a little too drawn-out the next. Despite the top notch efforts of the cast, the characters are not as appealing here, the fashions are dated and clichéd and the script and gags are rather leaden and tired.

In conclusion, it was a decent enough watch but nothing beyond that. 5/10 Bethany Cox