Christmas Vacation 2 is nowhere near as classic as the original. But that doesn't mean it's not worth a few laughs. Just switch your brain off and enjoy an afternoon of stupidness.
Cousin Eddie (the ever lovable Randy Quaid) is housesitting for Audrey (the totally sexy Dana Barron) during the Xmas holidays but loses his job at the Nuclear research plant to a chimp. Feeling down about how hopeless he is, Eddie is cheered up when the company offer his family and all expenses paid trip to Hawaii. So off they go (uncle Nick and Audrey too) for their dream Christmas Vacation. Obviously disaster is never too far away.
This movie is basically pointless. The first was about Clark Griswald wishing to give his family the best Xmas ever. This 'un is just an excuse for a string of bad jokes with terrible comic timing. In this regard it's kinda similar to Vegas Vacation, the wit and sentiment of John Hughes is sorely missed.
Quaid does his best, but there is a lot of not funniness to it. He deserves better material, Matty Simmons may have produced all the other Vacation movies but he hasn't a clue how to write a good script. Christmas Vacation 2 is to the original what Home Alone 4 was to Home Alone.
Plus I have a few questions, which I am sure a lot of other people will be asking. Why does Audrey's plumbing go mental? Why do Eddie's clothes stay impossibly white for the entire film? Why is there an elephant on the island?
Plus there isn't that much of an Xmas feel to it. Sure the scenes in Chicago and quaint and snowy but a Hawaiian Island is hardly the best setting for a festive movie. However, Eddie does whistle and hum enough Xmas tunes to make up for it. But where the hell is the wonderful Christmas Vacation song?
Buy if you're a fan of the first. Rent if you're only curious. It's nice to see a great character such as Cousin Eddie given the center spotlight but I just wish he was given funnier stuff to do.
The DVD is in above average 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with okay Dolby 2.0 surround that is mainly used for general ambiance but still sounds fine whenever required. A handful of trailers, a brief featurette and a commentary make up the extras.
Cousin Eddie (the ever lovable Randy Quaid) is housesitting for Audrey (the totally sexy Dana Barron) during the Xmas holidays but loses his job at the Nuclear research plant to a chimp. Feeling down about how hopeless he is, Eddie is cheered up when the company offer his family and all expenses paid trip to Hawaii. So off they go (uncle Nick and Audrey too) for their dream Christmas Vacation. Obviously disaster is never too far away.
This movie is basically pointless. The first was about Clark Griswald wishing to give his family the best Xmas ever. This 'un is just an excuse for a string of bad jokes with terrible comic timing. In this regard it's kinda similar to Vegas Vacation, the wit and sentiment of John Hughes is sorely missed.
Quaid does his best, but there is a lot of not funniness to it. He deserves better material, Matty Simmons may have produced all the other Vacation movies but he hasn't a clue how to write a good script. Christmas Vacation 2 is to the original what Home Alone 4 was to Home Alone.
Plus I have a few questions, which I am sure a lot of other people will be asking. Why does Audrey's plumbing go mental? Why do Eddie's clothes stay impossibly white for the entire film? Why is there an elephant on the island?
Plus there isn't that much of an Xmas feel to it. Sure the scenes in Chicago and quaint and snowy but a Hawaiian Island is hardly the best setting for a festive movie. However, Eddie does whistle and hum enough Xmas tunes to make up for it. But where the hell is the wonderful Christmas Vacation song?
Buy if you're a fan of the first. Rent if you're only curious. It's nice to see a great character such as Cousin Eddie given the center spotlight but I just wish he was given funnier stuff to do.
The DVD is in above average 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with okay Dolby 2.0 surround that is mainly used for general ambiance but still sounds fine whenever required. A handful of trailers, a brief featurette and a commentary make up the extras.