I’ll admit to not knowing — or choosing not to learn — very much about Warner Brothers’ remake of Vacation.
The original 1983 National Lampoon’s Vacation was a classic, helping solidify Chevy Chase’s standing as a comedy icon, giving us classic characters like Clark Griswold and Cousin Eddie and providing key moments in a generation’s development as young men with Christie Brinkley’s role. Some movies don’t need to be remade. This seemed like one of them.
However, after watching the new trailer for Vacation, I learned that it’s not a remake, per se. It’s a sequel. Almost a reboot. There is a connection (and meta references) to the original film and its sequels, with Ed Helms playing Rusty Griswold, Clark’s son, all grown up with a family of his own. And he wants to relive the best trip he ever had as a kid. What could go wrong?
This is a red-band trailer, folks. So probably not safe to watch at work. If it is, let us know where you work because that sounds like a cool place.
I had heard about Chris Hemsworth’s… performance from the many movie bloggers that attended CinemaCon. Let’s see the Avengers try to pick up the hammer Hemsworth is carrying in this movie. Yowza. But seriously, that looks like a great change-of-pace role for Thor.
Warner Bros. is reportedly high on Vacation, and the movie has a lot of positive buzz behind it. Directors John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks, Bones) and Jonathan M. Goldstein apparently did an impressive enough job that they’re on the reported shortlist for Marvel and Sony’s new Spider-Man movie.
Vacation, also starring Christina Applegate and Leslie Mann, hits theaters on July 29. Believe it or not, that’s the same day the original was released in 1983.
