"This time the Griswolds are on a roll."

Vegas Vacation (1997): 7/10

Poster art from impawards.com
Fourth and most recent in the Vacation series, Vegas Vacation is eight years after Christmas Vacation. Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) got a big bonus for his long-life food preserver and decides to take his family, which includes his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo, still looking hot after all these years), son Rusty (Ethan Embry), and daughter Audrey (Marisol Nichols), to fantastic Las Vegas! As one may think from a screwball movie, everything doesn’t go as planned. In fact, it seems like this Vacation has the most mishaps out of any of them (maybe because it’s situated in one place?).

Clark develops a serious gambling problem, spending every last penny at the games, mainly at a blackjack table dealt by Marty (Wallace Shawn) who seems to connive to win the game. Wayne Newton, the popular entertainer, falls in love with Ellen (and she’s a big fan of his). Rusty becomes an underage gambler and wins big. And Audrey becomes involved with the ways of her whorish cousin Vicki (Shae D’Lyn).

But that’s not all! Clark’s (or Ellen’s) cousins Eddie (Randy Quaid) and Catherine (Miriam Flynn) now live by Vegas, and no family member is going to not say hi. Actually, they get involved in all sort of crazy plots, most which don’t seem plausible yet still crack me up.

The outlandish scenarios seem to be what cause laughs. Who can’t chuckle as Clark gets lost in Hoover Dam? I doubt anyone can keep a smile in when Clark and Eddie go to that “specialty” casino. All of them are quite hilarious, but still don’t provide the caliber laughs that seem to come from the first Vacation. This has a fine cast, which also includes Sid Caesar, Julia Sweeny, Siegfried and Roy with “guest appearances”.

Chase still seems to come out as Clark, taking all of the past jokes (forgetting about Audrey, yelling to Rusty when he’s right there) and reusing them. They also get in a “good talk, son”, even though that’s not really as funny. The kids aren’t the same throughout the four Vacations, even though Clark and Ellen stay the same. As said in the movie, “And you kids are growing up so fast, I hardly recognize you anymore!” I think I saw this one before any of the other three, so these images of the kids stay in my mind.

Again, Quaid is down-and-out hilarious as the hick cousin. Wearing snorkels into a casino, asking a guy behind a buffet counter that he’d like “some of the yellow”, and asking tour guides where he can get bait, Quaid has great comedic timing and seems to really enjoy doing these types of movies. Flynn underplays her role (and so does the script), and she should be better known. I really liked Sweeny in her role, albeit a small one. Caesar is great, too.

Vegas Vacation is second best in the four movies (next to Vacation), and is should be seen by all, or at least most.

Rated PG for sensuality, language and thematic elements.

Review Date: February 13, 2003