National Lampoon’s European Vacation

Chevy Chase is at his funniest in National Lampoon’s European Vacation. This film now seems somewhat dated, but it still makes me laugh.

Synopsis

“The first time the Griswalds took a trip – in National Lampoon’s Vacation – moviegoers everywhere went along for the ride… and went bonkers! Now they’re into even zanier sightseeing in National Lampoon’s European Vacation, directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo return as Clark …nd Ellen, winners of a European tour on which their teenagers Rusty (Jason Lively) and Audrey (Dana hill) join them. Deluxe accommodations… aren’t. Clark tries left-sided English driving, leaving Stonehenge unhinged. In Bavaria a slap-dancing polka turns into a slaphappy free-for-all. It’s holiday road havoc for the Griswalds – and your high road to hilarity!” – Warner Bros.

Audio

This audio track is very disappointing… but what do you expect from a DVD that only includes a mono soundtrack. The mono track is very… well, mono. There is no soundstage to speak of, and the dialog is mixed into the center channel with the soundtrack. This film deserved a much better audio track then it received.

Video

The video quality on this disc left a lot to be desired. The picture contains a lot of grain and print damage right from the onset, and the film was not effectively remastered. The colors look faded and much older then the 1985 age of the original print, and the darks are not deep at all. The picture cleared up a little into the movie, but the picture quality was never very clean. On the positive side, at least the film is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer.

Features

Other then the DVD basics such as bios and trailers, this disc contains an audio commentary by none other then Chevy Chase himself. This commentary had so much potential, but failed miserably. Though somewhat entertaining, this track was not informative at all, and really acted as a walk-though of the story. The commentary was filled with gaps of silence, and the information spouted by Chevy Chase was unimportant in terms of a commentary.

Closing Thoughts

Unless you are a die hard National Lampoon fan, this disc is a renter. This film is entertaining to view on occasion, but this disc falls so short of its potential, very few will NEED this disc in their collection.

Special Features List

• Commentary by Chevy Chase
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Cast Bios