Strictly average movie

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Mayhem ensues when the Griswolds go to Las Vegas in this fourth film in the 'Vacation' franchise. Chevy Chase is solid as always and Wallace Shawn has a fun extended cameo this time round as a condescending croupier, but with minimal road trip elements here, the dynamic is not quite as juicy as the first or even second film. The plot basically consists of each member of the Griswold clan having their own individual Vegas experiences, and while there is quite a bit of oddball humour in how Rusty makes it as a gambling king, there is not a lot of interest in Audrey becoming a Vegas dancer, Ellen being seduced by Wayne Netwon or Clark's gambling debt woes (Shawn's role in the matter aside). The recasting of the kids (yet again) also works against the film; while Marisol Nichols and Ethan Embry are both older than the characters they are playing, they don't look it, while Chase - with grey hair now - looks older than ever. Randy Quaid also has far too much screen time for his own good as the abrasive cousin Eddie and it is hard to know what to make of a scene in which Quaid and Chase visit an outskirts casino with "what number am I thinking of" gambling games. The solution to Chase's gambling woes comes a little too easily too. There are, however, enough scattered good moments here to make the film possibly worth a look. The return of the blonde in a convertible (from the first film) is a nice touch, some dam wordplay surprisingly works well, a sun-roof incident is quite funny and what a way the film depicts to obtain a fake ID!

I'm way biased here. This is now my favorite Vacation movie after binge watching all 4 from a BluRay box set. I'm biased because I'm a Vegas fanatic and it's hard to watch how they get Vegas wrong in so many movies. Here, they actually shot in so many of the locations and the views from their rooms made sense. Too many times, including the most recent Paul Blart Mall Cop 2, do they just make up sh|t as they go along and hope no one's ever been to Sin City. I digress. I know this isn't everyone's favorite, and some scenes made me cringe, like Clark climbing the Hoover Dam, but I found myself laughing more in this installment than the previous three. Mostly with Cousin Eddie, again, the gambling – specifically the off-strip casino and Marty the Devil Dealer and the luck of Rusty. Am not ashamed, despite my obsession with Vegas, to say, this is my favorite Vacation…so far.

Clark (Chevy Chase) got a bonus at work and he's taking the Griswold gang to Vegas. Clark and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) plan to renew their vows. They got new kids (Ethan Embry, Marisol Nichols) and that's the first funny joke. And cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) shows up in this one too.Chevy Chase is his usual bumbling self, and that's what so familiar about this movie. Maybe that's why it seems so old and tired. After a good start, Chevy is playing around with old Vegas like Seigfried and Roy, and Wayne Newton. The movie taking place inside the casino feels ancient. Vegas tourism bureau should not be happy about this movie. Beverly D'Angelo singing is kinda funny, and it's nice to see Christie Brinkley with a funny cameo. Also we get to have some fun with cousin Eddie and his family. But it's not nearly enough. This franchise is past its expiration date.

Well, Clark Griswold has so far botched a road trip, a European vacation and (most memorably) a Christmas vacation; so why does he continue to make his family go through hell on his endless quest for a fun vacation? That's easy; it's pretty enjoyable for us to watch :)"Vegas Vacation" sits comfortably as the third most enjoyable film in the series; surpassing "European Vacation" but not as enjoyable as "Vacation" or "Christmas Vacation". It's pretty far reaching at times but there are solid moments here; such as Clark damn near destroying a damn and getting crazy (as only Clark Griswold can) playing cards and losing everything.The Wayne Newton gag soon grows tiresome and everything concerning Audrey and Russ pretty much stinks but Randy Quaid delivers once again as obnoxious Cousin Eddie and Chase hasn't lost his touch as the world's most annoying (yet somehow oddly endearing) family dad.