Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

leplatypus This 4th adventure is not one too much as there is some fun moments but there is indubitably no new ideas since the first movie and that's a pity: Clark is blind, the kids are daredevils, Ellen is strong and the cousins gentle jerks… Going on the road again offers more surprises than staying at home but going to Vegas is boring as this is not a sight-seeing location. However the feel of this sin city is perfectly done as i stayed also in one of this big hotel and that i saw again all things i did (games inside the hotel, buffet meals, labyrinth corridors). The only exterior visit to Hoover Dam is also really funny as well as well as the mile- high club try! This new pair of kids is cool and we have also a Chevy at top of his form! In itself, the movie could be expandable but when you look for genuine comedy, you come to the conclusion that this Griswold family has something the others have not!

Christopher Smith There are very few good comedies about Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a place that is already weirdly funny and crazy itself, so the fact that so few movies have been able to use Vegas to the best of its comedic potential is somewhat surprising. Out of all the Vegas comedies, Vegas Vacation is the strongest and most re-watchable. It's not even close to a perfect movie by any means, but it is quite enjoyable and a lot of fun to watch.As with all the other films in the 'Vacation' series, the biggest strength of Vegas Vacation is Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. The two have always seemed like an unlikely couple, but they always have great chemistry together, and it's stronger here than in any of the other Vacation sequels. Chase is a master of broad, physical comedy and D'Angelo plays off his goofiness nicely. D'Angelo has always had the tougher role of the two; she has to balance showing her love for her husband while often being annoyed or angry at his shenanigans. This is a part that could have been portrayed as the nagging wife stereotype that's prevalent in so many comedies, though D'Angelo never even comes close to falling into the category with her performance in any of the movies. Vegas Vacation is probably her best overall performance in the franchise, as she is given much more to do and has one of the better subplots of the movie.One of the trademarks of the series is that Russ and Audrey are portrayed by different cast members in each film. Vegas Vacation is helped enormously by the fact Ethan Embry as Rusty and Marisol Nichols as Audrey are the most likable and natural of those who have played the characters. They seem like real kids here, which makes the film seem like a lot less cartoonish and stupid than it might have with lesser performers. Their reaction to Clark's "kids, remember when you were babies?" cracks me up every time. In a movie filled with memorable quotes, that line and Uncle Eddie's (Randy Quaid)"where can I get some damn bait?" line are the two best moments of the whole film.As much as I like Vegas Vacation, I'll be the first to admit it has a fair amount of scenes that just don't work. Clark swinging across the Hoover Dam remains not only the worst, most desperately unfunny scene of the 'Vacation' franchise, but maybe one of the worst out of any 90s comedy. It looks terrible, and is too dumb even in a franchise known for having a fair amount of stupidity. Additionally, the Siegfried & Roy scene has never been particularly funny either, though it's not painful to sit through.Vegas Vacation is the most family-friendly of the series (it's the only one to be rated PG), and while there are times when it seems like the filmmakers are actively trying to leave out the seedier elements of Vegas, it seems appropriate given that those elements would have clashed with the light-hearted tone the film has. Despite being a PG-rated sequel to the R-rated National Lampoon's Vacation and its PG-13 sequels, the film has the same overall feeling of the other films. The film doesn't really suffer from not being as raunchy as its predecessors.Vegas Vacation isn't the best 'Vacation' movie, or even the best 'Vacation ' sequel. It is, however, better than any fourth installment in a franchise has any right to be. Though it's not an absolute classic like National Lampoon's Vacation, it is a very good comedy about Las Vegas, as well one of the more memorable comedies from the late 1990s. Recommended. 7/10

eric262003 The final installment to the Griswald family's madcap misadventures, they're just as funny as the other three outrageous film before this one, as Clark, Ellen, Audrey and Rusty are out to stir trouble for themselves and everyone else surrounding them only this time the stakes are higher in the 1997 film "Vegas Vacation." The laughs are gut- bursting, and the hot Nevada desert is the perfect resort to capture just how zany and outrageous the Griswalds can be. Sure it's good to watch one in a blue moon, after seeing the same gags over and over again, it does loses its flavour like a piece of chewing gum and you can easily become bored after a while. The film is truly a follow-up to "Christmas Vacation" as Clark finally got his big bonus from his marketing business after his newly invented cereal bars are a success and decides to use his money to his advantage and brings his wife and kids with him where they'll go on a frenzy gambling and living the life on Easy Street. During their stay, the Griswalds venture on their own to see what fortune comes their way. Such scenes involves legendary crooner Wayne Newton trying to get it on with Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo). Clark and the kids have their moments as well. Sure the Griswald family follow the same path as the other three installments, but that's because of their inept ways of life, they have managed to make us laugh. We all come to see them struggle, fail and try to move up only to still remain left behind, but we love them for that and that is what keeps their fans from coming into theatres for. We were all shocked to see Clark as he dangles off Hoover Dam and crashing through Wayne Newton's house with the van.The movie is very rich because the film is unpredictable. You think that they slowed the tempo down in "Christmas Vacation", but think again, the falls, the slapstick humour is still effective as we await for every gag to takes its shape and every way for the Griswalds to bend it. The laughs continue and never gets bored the first time seeing it at least, but after multiple viewing it loses its flavour like chewing gum. Clark and the gang had their moments of laugh-till-your-stomach- bursts moments, however, the funniest scenes will involve the funniest supporting player to the Griswold clan. I'm talking about Randy Quaid's Cousin Eddie. From the first and third installments (he wasn't in "European Vacation"), he was always a dynamic character and the reason why is that even though he's dumber than rocks, his heart is in the right place and looks out for Clark even in the the most dire situations. But his redneck ways and caring charm puts a light touch to someone's heart. This film isn't without its weaknesses. For one thing if you seen the other three Griswald adventures you seen them all. The madcap over- the-top slapstick humour has been done many times before and many times better. Even the dialogue and the facial expressions have all been executed in the very same pattern. But hey, what do I expect this film was going to be, a life-changing drama? Hell, no this is "National Lampoon" baby, so the film should be about overdosing in slapstick comedy so why spoil a good thing.Another fault is why was Wayne Newton playing a pivotal part in the film. Sure he's a respective singer and I would have been okay if he played a cameo role in the film. But as a supporting character, he was just plain awful. He was just playing himself, a sleazy Vegas singer who had the hots for Ellen.Usually in the other three films I laughed with the family, but in "Vegas Vacation", I couldn't help but feel sorry for them, especially from the kids (who looked too old to play the parts of Audrey and Rusty). The lack of chemistry is missing in this film because the kids and the parents seem to go their own separate ways. I thought it angered me that Clark kept forgetting his daughter's name most of the time (making her feel like the black sheep of the family a la Meg Griffin from "Family Guy"). I also felt that there was a lot of parental negligence as the kids Audrey and Rusty found themselves in dangerous predicaments. It was also very angering that Clark spent over $23,000 of his bonus money on gambling when he should have done as he promised in "Christmas Vacation" was to install a swimming pool. It made me think where's social services when you need them feeling I got. Surely a family could not have been this dysfunctional. But though it all it still succeeds in providing you with non-stop gags and having you laughing the whole way through. Overall this movie is by far a terrible movie. The laughs are plentiful and you'll surely have a good time and Randy Quaid was wonderful as Cousin Eddie. I would recommend it as a comedy and really nothing more than that.

Amy Adler Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) arrives at his home in Chicago, one day, in very high spirits. His wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and two kids, Audrey (Marisol Nichols) and Rusty (Ethan Embry) are called to a family meeting. In short order, Clark announces that his new formula for food preservation has garnered a big bonus and he is taking them all to Las Vegas. No one is very excited but they have little choice but to go along. When they arrive in town, the Griswolds take a limo to their hotel, although poor Audrey gets stuck in the moonroof, thanks to her dad. Before long, cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) shows up, for Ellen has called her cousin, Eddie's wife Catherine, to announce their visit. Eddie promptly watches Clark lose a whopping $300 bucks at the blackjack table, much to the joy of the sadistic dealer, Marty (Wallace Shawn). After the loss, Eddie invites everyone to his house north of Vegas, where the government has given him some lovely, parched, radioactive land. From there, its on to Hoover Dam and to a bunch of shows, including Sigfried & Roy and Wayne Newton. Newton, in fact, makes a play for Ellen in front of the audience, although Clark thinks its part of the act. While Ellen gets invited to have cocktails with Wayne, Clark goes on gambling and the kids, under age, get fake identifications so they can likewise play the tables (Rusty) and try out exotic dancing (Audrey). They even have an encounter with an old, old gambler (Sid Caesar). How will their great adventure end? This is the best of the vacation films, my opinion, even though all are enjoyable. The script is lively and inventive and so, so funny. The cast, too, is excellent, with the main folks reprising their long established roles, and Newton, Embry, Nichols, Shawn, and especially Caesar, adding greatly to the merriment. The scenery is the best of the strip, Eddie's abode notwithstanding, and the costumes and direction are topnotch, also. Do you, personally, need a vacation from the norm? VV is the cure for the anytime blues.