Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood vacation for his own kids, an adult Rusty Griswold takes his wife and two sons on a cross-country road trip to Walley World. Needless to say, things don't go quite as planned.
Plot Synopsis:
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In the opening scene, we are introduced to Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) who is a pilot for Econoair, a regional airline. He is show making the 18 minute flight from South Bend, Indiana to Chicago. He lands, and while waiting for the Crew Shuttle, he is bullied out of line by a rival pilot (Ron Livingston).
At home we see Rusty is married to Debbie (Christina Applegate). His older awkward teenage son James (Skyler Gisondo) is being bullied by his younger brother Kevin (Steele Stebbins). Kevin wrote "I have a vagina" on James' acoustic guitar. Rusty fixes it by crossing out "vagina" and writing "penis".
That night, the Griswolds have dinner with their neighbors the Petersons (Keegan-Michael Key and Regina Hall). Jack Peterson has a great relationship with his son. They built a go-kart and play fight. Rusty tries to show that he and his kids have the same great relationship, but Kevin isn't interested in pretending and James is just really bad at bonding. Nancy Peterson passive-aggressively gives Debbie a hard time about not liking her Instagram photos from the family's Paris vacation. She also comments on the fact that Debbie has lost so much weight that her wedding ring is loose on her finger. Rusty leaves the dining area, but comes back in time to hear Debbie reveal that shes disappointed that the family only ever vacations at their cabin in Cheboygan, Michigan every year and that shed like to do something different.
Rusty rents a car, the only thing left was a thing called a Prancer from the Ukraine. It has two gas tanks and is a hybrid, unfortunately the outlets are insane (and have corkscrews as part of the plugs). It also has too many mirrors and a ridiculous amount of buttons on the key fob including a swastika and a muffin. It was the only thing available that weekend. Rusty is recreating his favorite vacation from he was a kid, hes taking the family to Walley World in Los Angeles!
During the first day's drive, Rusty tries to get the family to sing along with the song Kiss From a Rose by Seal. They have no interest. He shows the family that the car comes standard with a CB so they can talk to truckers. Rusty asks the truck behind them (which has a teddy bear mounted to the grill) if the road is clear of cops. The trucker says it is. Kevin gets on the CB and asks the trucker if its true that all truckers are rapists. Rusty bungles up an apology and explanation as the truck barrels past them.
The family stops at a diner for lunch in Missouri. As they leave, we see the Teddy Bear Truck is in the parking lot.
On the road, James sees a cute girl in the back of a Jeep and they have a wordless flirtation until Kevin puts a plastic bag over his head from behind and tries to kill him. Once James is free, the Jeep girl is gone.
When the Griswolds get to Tennessee, Rusty decides to take a detour and show the boys where their mom went to college. They go to her old sorority house and see they're doing a "chug run" (an obstacle course you have to complete after you chug a pitcher of beer) to raise money for "Ass Burgers" instead of Aspergers. Debbie brags that she actually invented the chug run. One of the current sisters hears and asks if shes the legendary Debbie Does Anything. Debbie is clearly embarrassed that Rusty is finding out about her wild college days. The Sorority Sisters dismiss Debbie as being old, but to prove that shes still got it, she decides to do the chug run. Debbie chugs the beer and immediately starts projectile vomiting her way through the course.
Back on the road, the Teddy Bear Truck is behind the Prancer. It speeds up and taps their bumper. Rusty speeds away, but the truck is hot on their tail. Rusty decides to pull a Fast and the Furious move and yank the emergency brake while turning so they can take off in the opposite direction and get away. His logic: "If Vin Diesel can do it, so can I." Rusty attempts the move and rolls the Prancer end over end along the highway. Luckily it ends up on its wheels and they take off.
The family stops at a little motel and Rusty is a little embarrassed that Debbie clearly has experienced more than he has. They have the number conversation. Rusty has been with three women. Debbie has been with about 30 guys. He decides to spice up their sex life and says they're going to do it in the shower. The shower is unfortunately disgusting and they don't.
Outside, James is playing his guitar while soaking his feet in the hot tub. The girl from the Jeep is staying at the same motel. The girl introduces herself as Adena (Catherine Missal). They're really starting to hit it off until Rusty comes out and tries to help. Instead of helping, he ends up looking like a pedophile and scares off Adena.
The next stop is to visit Rusty's older sister Audry and her husband, an incredibly successful and handsome weatherman named Stone. Debbie is a little too enamored by Stone, so Rusty decides to make another detour first.
The family stops at a hot spring, but the line to get in is really long. He asks a local passing by (with a rat on his shoulder) if he knows a shortcut. The local tells him to take the dirt road off to the side up until it ends. Rusty thanks the local and asks what the pet rats name is. The local sees the rat, screams, and runs away. The Griswolds head up the dirt road and find the spring. At first its great, but then they find an ear and a syringe. They realize its not a spring, but a septic dump. They get out and return to the Prancer only to find that the local broke in and stole all their stuff.
The Griswolds get to Audry (Leslie Mann) and Stones (Chris Hemsworth) house. Its a huge ranch. Rusty wanted to make up a better excuse why they had no money, were in their swimsuits and covered in shit, but Kevin tells them everything. Plus, the local also painted the shape of a penis on the side of the Prancer. Stone is amazing. Everyone loves him.
That night Debbie is super horned up, but Rusty realizes its just because shes turned on by Stone. In fact, her wedding ring is gone. She explains that its been loose lately and she lost it. Shes really upset by that, but it was an accident. Stone comes in to tell them how to operate the remote control. Hes only in boxer briefs and we can clearly see the outline of his massive penis.
The next morning, Rusty wakes up early to help Stone wrangle cattle. Instead of horses, they ride 4 wheeler Quads. Rusty is of course in over his head and ends up riding right through a steer and it explodes. Stone hoses the steer guts off Rusty and the Griswolds are on their way again.
That family stops at a reservation for the night. They're by the Four Corners Monument, so Rusty has the idea that he and Debbie should do it outside in four states all at the same time. They sneak off and go there. Unfortunately there are already dozens of naked couples with the same idea in mind. Four policemen from the four Indian states (Michael Pena, Nick Kroll, Kaitlin Olson and Tim Heidecker) swoop in to make arrests. Everyone flees except Rusty and Debbie. They too are able to escape when the four cops fight over whose jurisdiction this is.
Back at the reservation, James runs into Adena again. He comes clean and explains that the pedophile was his dad trying to be his wing man. Right when they're about to kiss, Kevin comes out and ruins things. Adena thought James was being bullied by an older brother and doesn't understand why he just doesnt stand up to Kevin. James explains that hes been trying to be the bigger man. She asks how thats been working so far. It hasnt. So James finally stands up to Kevin and awkwardly wins.
Back on the road, they stop at the Grand Canyon to go rafting. Their guide (Charlie Day) gets dumped by his fiancé right before the trip and decides to take a much more dangerous fork in the river towards a waterfall. The family barely makes it to safety, but the guide goes over the falls.
Back on the road, Rusty tries to sing Kiss From a Rose again, but no one is having any part of it. This has all been too much. They're at the end of their ropes. The car runs out of gas. Rusty hits the muffin button on the key fob and the car starts up and drives away without them. He hits it again and the car blows up.
The Griswolds don't understand why Rusty needs this vacation so bad. He explains that it was the time in his childhood when his dad pulled out all stops to try to do something for his family. He wanted to do the same, but that's it. He quits. Hes done trying. The car runs out of gas in the desert. Rusty abandons the family and starts walking off. From down the road, the Teddy Bear Truck appears. Rusty runs away, it chases him. Rusty stops running and the driver (Norman Reedus) gets out to tell Rusty that he found Debbie's ring way back in the diner in Missouri. He gives the family a ride to San Francisco. Kevin apologizes for saying that all truckers like molesting kids and asks to make sure thats not true. The trucker doesn't answer. He drops them off at a Bed and Breakfast. Before the trucker leaves, Rusty asks why the Teddy Bear. The trucker says its to make kids on the road feel safe. Rusty asks if the trucker has kids. The trucker says 'no' and drives off.
The Bed and Breakfast is run by Rusty's parents, Clark and Ellen Griswold (Chevy Chase and Beverly DAngelo). After spending the night, Clark tells Debbie that Audrey's life isn't so great. She and Stone sleep around on each other. Rusty finds out the copy of 'The Help' that Debbie has been reading throughout the movie is just the jacket for 'The Help'. Shes actually reading a book about saving a dead marriage. Hes upset. She says they don't have a dead marriage, because he never gave up on it. So Rusty decides he has to complete his mission. He cant give up on the family. Hes taking them to Walley World. Clark lets his son borrow the old station wagon from the first Vacation movie and off they go. Rusty has sold his family on riding this new roller coaster called the Velociraptor and that's just what they're going to do.
Rusty and the family finally get to the park and end up waiting in line five hours to ride the coaster. Right when they're next, the rival pilot from the beginning of the movie and his family cut in line because they have Fast Passes to the park. They're also the last family to get to ride. The park is closing. The Griswolds team up and beat the shit out of the other family and get on the coaster.
As the coaster goes up the first hill, the Griswolds all start singing Kiss from a Rose together. When the coaster gets to the third loop it stalls upside down. Later that night, an emergency team has to go rescue everyone.
The next day, Rusty flies the boys back home. He and Debbie are going to Paris. He used his airline connections to get seats they're the rumble seats next to the bathrooms at the back of the plane where the flight attendants sit. Still though, they're going to Paris.
This has the exact same release date as the original Vacation (1983) - July 29th.
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Randy Quaid couldn't reprise his role as Cousin Eddie, due to his arrest involving a house payment dispute. Quaid currently lives in Canada.
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The only people to appear in every Vacation movie are Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, except for Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003)
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Ed Helms is the sixth actor to play Rusty Griswold after Anthony Michael Hall (Vacation (1983)); Jason Lively (European Vacation (1985)); Johnny Galecki (Christmas Vacation (1989)); Ethan Embry (Vegas Vacation (1997)); Travis Greer (Hotel Hell Vacation (2010).
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As a homage to the previous four movies: Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and Vegas Vacation - The pictures Rusty looks at in his photo album near the beginning of the film, are taken from each of the aforementioned films.
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Before Ed Helms was cast, a few people were suggested, among them were Jason Sudeikis, Adam Sandler and Michael Rosenbaum.
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The van that the Griswolds are traveling in is a modified Toyota Previa.
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The first (and second overall) R-rated entry since the original 1983 film.
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The roller coaster scene in the trailer is "The Ninja" at Six Flags Over Georgia. Although it seems the coaster is depicted as a fun ride in the trailer, regular visitors to the park know the ride is extremely rough and unpleasant.
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It has been 17 years since the Griswolds were seen on the big screen, their last film being Vegas Vacation (1997).
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The movie has the curious distinction of simultaneously being a sequel (the prior films are acknowledged and referenced), a remake (the plot and some scenes are the same as or very similar to those of the earlier film) and a reboot (new film in a dormant series with a new cast).
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The opening credits of Married with Children (1987)'s first four seasons, which starred Christina Applegate, contain a shot from Vacation (1983). The Griswold Truckster station wagon is seen driving on the highway.
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Whilst Colossus and Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain were used for Walley World in the film, the roller coaster shown in the trailer is Ninja at Six Flags Over Georgia.
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When Daley and Goldstein came on to the project to write the script, they didn't know they would also be directing.
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The rafting scene was shot at 3 different locations.
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Goldstein says they describe the movie "like Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) a little bit in tone, or Lost in America (1985) not quite, but that's what we're trying for." He also says it's mostly a sequel to the first movie rather than the rest of the series.
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Christina Applegate previously starred in the classic sitcom Married... with Children. Married... with Children's intro featured stock footage of Chicago, which was pulled from the original 1983 National Lampoon's Vacation film.
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Second Vacation movie without Randy Quaid's Cousin Eddie since he appeared in Christmas Vacation.
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First time the Griswold children have been portrayed as adults. Previously, they were recast in every film because the actors kept growing up.
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Chevy Chase reprises his role of Clark Griswold and is one of few to appear in every single National Lampoon series film.
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They were able to get Ron Livingston into the film since he was already shooting The 5th Wave (2016) in Atlanta.
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Chris Hemsworth was born in 1983, the year that National Lampoon's Vacation was released.
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Randy Quaid does not reprise his role as Cousin Eddie, but the character is mentioned briefly by Debbie Griswold (Christina Applegate).
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In the beginning of the movie, Ron Livingston's character (the rival pilot) is shown without a wedding ring. When he's with his family at Walley World, he's wearing one. This could be a sign of his infidelity when he's abroad.
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This movie will re-trace the trek to Walley World, California - which was the original destination in Vacation (1983). This means that out of the 5 vacation films, the only time the Griswolds left the United States for their vacation was in European Vacation (1985) - every other time the vacation has been a domestic one (including Christmas Vacation (1989) where they did not even leave home!)
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First Vacation movie to be shot in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
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In the hotel scene, when Ed Helms and Christina Applegate are talking about her past, the painting between them is the same one from the 1964 TV Series Bewitched
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The college campus shots are from Emory College Oxford Campus in Oxford (a small town in the larger Covington/Newton County area) while the "Sorrority House" is actually a house on Elm Street just off of the Square. The Square is also shown in the early driving montage, you see the Court House (talk white clock tower)
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Ed Helms recreates Chevy Chase's Psycho impersonation from the original.
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In the early driving montage, the camera scans past the Court House (tall white clock tower) and a smaller green building, both located on the Square in Covington, Ga. This small green building is also used for exterior shots of "The Mystic Grill" from The Vampire Diaries; and furthermore, this building has been turned into an actual restaurant called The Mystic Grill in honor of the show.
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The hybrid power plug for the Tartan Prancer, that is shown in the film is actually based on a HBL2431 three phase 20A 480VAC plug. Of the original four prongs, two remain original. The other two prongs have been replaced with offset angled prongs. The plug has two screw holes that hold the plug together after assembly, two European-style household prongs are fit in their place. In the center, is a corkscrew.
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During the opening credits there is a brief still of the late John Hughes and his family on vacation. John Hughes was the writer of the original Vacation (1983), European Vacation (1985), and Christmas Vacation (1989).
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When Ed Helms (Rusty) is looking through old family photos, images of all the other films are shown, including the old "Rustys".
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The Family Truckster from the original film makes an appearance.
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One of the directors, John Francis Daley, is the ride operator for the "Velociraptor" ride at WalleyWorld.
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After the car roll scene, the mirrors are broken and fall off the car. Later on it is shown that they have been Duct-taped on
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When the Griswald's are eating with Audrey and Stone, a cow in the background constantly disappears and reappears.
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When the van rolls over the mirrors are torn from their mounts and hanging on by the adjustment cables. The next day the mirrors are back in place and working.
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Following Rusty having his arm slammed in the door of the van by Debbie, the door remains open. When the camera changes to the rear of the van, the door is closed.
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The Pyramid in Memphis, TN is seen on the Griswold's left. This would only happen if you crossed Mississippi River heading east into Tennessee from Arkansas on I-40. Since they are heading west to California, then this scene should have been shot as they were leaving Memphis no arriving.
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After getting a ride to San Francisco, the Griswolds are shown crossing the Golden Gate bridge. Since they are previously destined for Southern California's Walley World and recently visited the 4 corners they are certainly coming from the South where they would not encounter the Golden Gate bridge as it is North of San Francisco on US-101.
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After bursting back into the cockpit, Russ claims the co-pilot had taken the aircraft (later claimed to be an A318) to 60,000 ft. This is not possible as the maximum altitude for an aircraft of that type is approximately 40,000 ft.
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When visiting Audrey's house, Stone introduces his steer, Sebastian a red/white steer with horns, claiming he's an Angus steer. In fact the Angus breed is a solid black breed without horns.
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In the airplane scene with his wife, they're both sitting in jumpseats. Only flight crew and certified mechanics can ride in the jumpseat of a commercial airplane per regulations. Pilots and flight attendants often catch free rides in them if there's space, but they can't be used by spouses.
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When Kevin is talking on the CB radio, he is clearly shown not actually pressing the button to transmit at all.
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The college is supposed to be "The University of Memphis" not "Memphis State" and the colors are blue/gray/white not red.
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road trip|vacation|pubic hair|herding cattle|plano texas|grand canyon|white water rafting|hot springs arkansas|trucker|outdoor sex|female nudity|airline pilot|dysfunctional family|critically bashed|san francisco california|memphis tennessee|chicago illinois|cross country trip|returning character with different actor|sequel|brother sister relationship|brother brother relationship|mother son relationship|father son relationship|husband wife relationship|one word title|title spoken by character|penis|bipolar disorder|cow|teenage boy|playing guitar|theme park|amusement park|reference to vin diesel|reference to seal|character says you're a dead man|singing on a roller coaster|singing in a car|boxer briefs|bare chested male|
AKAs Titles:
Argentina - Vacaciones
Bulgaria (Bulgarian title) - ’акан†и
Brazil - F rias Frustradas
Chile - Vacaciones
Germany - Vacation - Wir sind die Griswolds
Denmark - Fars sygt fede bilferie
Spain - Vacaciones
Finland - Loma
France - Vive les vacances
Greece - ΤελŒ θηιο„ο†είο: — νέα γενιά
Croatia - Odmor
Hungary - Vakci
Israel (Hebrew title) - Khoufsha be'hafra'a
Italy - Come ti rovino le vacanze
Lithuania - Kvaisu atostogos
Mexico - Vacaciones
Poland - W nowym zwierciadle: Wakacje
Portugal - F rias
Serbia - Letnja avantura: Nova generacija
Russia - šаникƒл‹
Sweden - Ett pron till farsa: Nsta generation
Slovenia - Nore pocitnice: Nova generacija
Turkey (alternative title) (Turkish title) - Tatil Zamani
Certifications:
Argentina:13 (with warning) / Australia:MA15+ / Australia:M (DVD rating) / Canada:14A (British Columbia) / Chile:TE+7 / Germany:12 / Hong Kong:IIB / Ireland:15A / Japan:PG12 / Netherlands:12 / Norway:12 / Philippines:R-18 / Portugal:M/14 / Russia:18+ / Singapore:M18 / South Korea:18 / Sweden:11 / Switzerland:12 / UK:15 / USA:R (certificate #49896)
Movie Details:
MOVIE
