Customer Reviews

Christmas Vacation 2 - Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Take everything that was so great about the First Christmas Vacation film, toss it out the window, get a lousy cast and a worst script and you've got the makings of Christmas Vacation 2. Randy Quaid and Miriam Flynn reprise their roles as Cousin Eddie and Catherine Johnson in this horribly un-funny "holiday" film.

Though Eddie's fired right at Christmastime, his boss sends him and his family on a South Pacific vacation, hoping Eddie won't sue him after being bitten by a lab monkey. When the Tuttle family winds up trapped on a tropical island, however, Eddie manages to provide for everyone and prove himself a real man.

Incredibly the movie has a decent supporting cast including Ed Asner, Fred Williard, Eric Idle, Stephen Furst, and Beverly Garland. Never has so little been done with so much.

Why did they make a sequel to Christmas Vacation??? No Chevy Chase, no Beverly DeAngelo? This played more like a bad sitcom than a legitimate movie. Granted, it was a made for tv film, but come on! This was just pathetic.

There were zero laughs in this movie. Seriously....zero laughs. Maybe a snicker or two but that's it. That is quite an achievement! This is nothing more than a slapped together mess meant to cash in on the name of its predecessor. National Lampoon should be cursed to watch this one over and over again.

I just finished watching this movie and i must say, this was the worst movie i have ever seen in my whole life. I only wish i could rate it 0 stars to give it the justice it deserves. i threw up a little bit during this movie due to the extreme horribleness this movie exudes.

HORRIBLE

As a great fan of the other Vacation films, I just purchased and watched this film despite reading the mostly negative reviews from other Amazon customers. Frankly, before I viewed the film I was worried that I may have wasted my money. On the contrary, I haven't laughed so much or so loudly for a very long time. I found it to be the funniest film I have seen for ages. I absolutely love Randy Quaid as the hilarious Cousin Eddie and Miriam Flynn is also excellent as his adoring and long-suffering wife Catherine. It was also nice to see the now grown-up and curvaceous Dana Barron reprising her role from the first Vacation film as the original Audrey Griswold. Ed Asner is great (and very Lou Grant-like) in support as Eddie's grumpy and overly libidinous Uncle Nick. The entire cast is really good, including guest stars in cameos, such as Fred Willard, Beverly Garland and Eric Idle (reprising his role from European Vacation). It is really a very fun, pleasant, upbeat and entertaining film. I also love the original Vacation film and the original Christmas Vacation film. In my opinion, I definitely feel that this film is significantly better however, than both European Vacation and Vegas Vacation. It is nice to see Eddie given a film of his own. I feared that he might not be able to carry the film on his own, but I was wrong. Unfortunately though, the material begins to wear just a little bit thin during the last half-hour or so. Snots the farting Rottweiler is a scream. The film isn't perfect, but I personally feel that it was a most worthwhile purchase and I will definitely be watching it on a regular basis. The filming locations scenery is nice, as well. I thought they did a spendid job, especially considering the budget restrictions being a made for t.v. movie. The so-called professional critics never liked Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch, either. But for forty years now, Gilligan's Island has been a staple among television reruns due to it's ongoing popularity among the viewers. I would now like to see a new Vacation film made with all of the Griswolds and Eddie's family, maybe entitled National Lampoon's Cruise Vacation.

My reviews are based on how well a film entertains my chums and me. All other factors; special effects, visual appeal, editing, stunts, and all the rest merely support the entertainment value. What really matters, once all is said and done, is whether the viewer was entertained.

This film sucks like an Electrolux. The vacuum of space does not suck so compellingly as this movie! It is brutally bad!

This film does not entertain. Nor does it come even close. It is a terrible film. It is absolutely awful. Humor, when any glimmer manifests at all, is strained and overdone. The smell of overcooked ham fills the air as actors cope with a horrifically boring script, idiotic dialog, overblown gags, witless peformances and a screenplay evidently written by chimpanzees. Perhaps it would have sparkled had it been written by chimps, because it certainly doesn't as it presently stands.

I purchased the film on the strength of the first Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, which was hilarious. This film was not hilarious, not even funny, not even remotely so. It was lame. More than lame, it was lame to a quantum 10th magnitude.
This is a tragic performance for Randy Quaid, who has talent that is squandered on this tripe without mercy. I also expected much better from Ed Asner, who is simply wretched in this role.

In the past, I have written reviews critical of bad films. This one absolutely surpasses them all for the "worst film of all time" nominations! This movie is as useless as a glass-bottomed boat in a sewage pond. As an example, much of the lame humor revolves around a flatulent dog. Funny, perhaps to very small children or patients on Thorazine, but lacking appeal to anybody with an IQ above double digit!
Take it from somebody who wasted 15 bucks on this piece of video trash... DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS WORTHLESS PILE OF STEAMING COMPOST! Do not fritter your hard-earned money. Do not subject yourself, your loved ones nor your friends to this atrocious film. It simply isn't worth it. It isn't fair to them, nor fair to yourself.
I repent having fallen for it myself, as National Lampoon once was a funny group of folks. Now they seem mostly brain-dead or gone senile! I will happily part with it when I get that new disc shredder for the holidays!!!

You know. I really enjoyed the first Christmas Vacation. When I saw CV2 on the shelf I was excited to see the saga continue. The movie starts out great....until the beginning credits end. While they did bring back an old Audrey they forget the core family...Chevy Chase and Beverly DeAngelo. Guess they knew to stay away from such a bad movie and so should you. Trust me. This movie is not enjoyable whatsoever.

I would have given it no stars but they don't allow it.

I'm quite surprised at myself saying that, as I normally can't stand Chevy Chase - but I've discovered I can't stand Randy Quaid something worse! I think I would have preferred to watch Chevy, cos he's actually better.

It's not completely a bad movie - I enjoyed the sunshine on the island, and it's a lot better than the depressing weather outside, just 4 days before Christmas. Uncle Nick's character was fabulous as soon as he appeared on screen, but he was the film's only saving grace. These National Lampoon movies (from what I've watched) seem to lurch from one overly predictable and highly unlikely disaster to the next. And there's something between Clark & Ellen from the previous movies, that make them utterly watchable - even if it is Chevy Chase.

I wouldn't be recommending this movie to anyone anytime soon. It was a waste of time watching it, and I'm sure you could find something much better to do with your precious time.

Let me just say this movie is bad. It was very poorly produced. Its worse than a made for tv movie. They steal all the worth while jokes and gags from all of the Vacation movies. It should be an extra on European Vacation DVD.If the orignal Vacation got 10 points, and Christmas Vacation got 9 points, this stinker would get 1.5 points.

The good. You get to see Dana Barron-Audrey-from the original Vacation. She is very hot in my opinion and brings the movie up to at least barely watchable.

Bottom line- If you are a hard core Vacation fan and a sentimentalist, see this movie. If your not, then don't. I heard from many people it was really bad, but it didn't matter, I had to see it for myself. And I am not disapointed I did.

Okey. its enjoyable for big fans of the old vacation movies. becouse you see the original "audrey griswold" back after 20 years. she looks kind of weird though. she's a grown woman now, but still look like one of their kids. and ofcourse Eddie and his wife along with "snod" the dog. so, even though the movie isnt very fun at all. you can still find some enjoyment watching this. i mean, after all, it isnt just a remake with completely diffrent actors and moviemakers. it's a fifth installment in the "Vacation" series.
I really wanted, and really tried to like this movie. but i don't think i laughed once. it starts of bad from the begining, in one of the early scenes, when they've landed in this hot vacation place, they meet all these cute loveable asian girls, and i figure "okey, atleast that's a reason for liking the movie". but then this bitter angry asian girl shows up, and she becomes they're guide. great.. oh, and comedian Fred Willard shows up for a few short scenes. Oh, Eric Idle too!
cousin eddie was my favorite character in the vacation series, so i was really looking forward to this movie and thought i'd like it. but it just isnt funny! on the DVD extras, you see trailers of the old vacation movies.. and i mean.. just compare. this comes out as a very poor and empty movie with old lame jokes and only about 1:20h long.
if i wasn't a fan of the "vacation" series, and this was just like a regular movie i saw, without seeing the prevoius ones. i would just think this was the lamest thing ever.
i don't know.. maybe kids will like it. i'm still hoping for more Vacation movies, even though the movie makers didnt seem to care much about this one. the previous "Vegas Vacation" (1997) wasn't the funniest either. Well, still, i enjoy this movie becouse it's another installment with alote of familiar faces and a great vacation spot. i mean, who wouldnt like to be at that hot place in the middle of the winter. i like it, but it's not fun.

Christmas Vacation 2 is nowhere near as classic as the original. But that doesn't mean it's not worth a few laughs. Just switch your brain off and enjoy an afternoon of stupidness.

Cousin Eddie (the ever lovable Randy Quaid) is housesitting for Audrey (the totally sexy Dana Barron) during the Xmas holidays but loses his job at the Nuclear research plant to a chimp. Feeling down about how hopeless he is, Eddie is cheered up when the company offer his family and all expenses paid trip to Hawaii. So off they go (uncle Nick and Audrey too) for their dream Christmas Vacation. Obviously disaster is never too far away.

This movie is basically pointless. The first was about Clark Griswald wishing to give his family the best Xmas ever. This 'un is just an excuse for a string of bad jokes with terrible comic timing. In this regard it's kinda similar to Vegas Vacation, the wit and sentiment of John Hughes is sorely missed.

Quaid does his best, but there is a lot of not funnyness to it. He deserves better material, Matty Simmons may have produced all the other Vacation movies but he hasn't a clue how to write a good script. Christmas Vacation 2 is to the original what Home Alone 4 was to Home Alone.

Plus I have a few questions, which I am sure a lot of other people will be asking. Why does Audrey's plumbing go mental? Why do Eddie's clothes stay impossibly white for the entire film? Why is there an elephant on the island?

Plus there isn't that much of an Xmas feel to it. Sure the scenes in Chicago are quaint and snowy but a Hawaiian Island is hardly the best setting for a festive movie. However, Eddie does whistle and hum enough Xmas tunes to make up for it. But where the hell is the wonderful Christmas Vacation song?

Buy if you're a fan of the first. Rent if you're only curious. It's nice to see a great character such as Cousin Eddie given the center spotlight but I just wish he was given funnier stuff to do.

The DVD is in above average 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with okay Dolby 2.0 surround that is mainly used for general ambience but still sounds fine whenever required. A handful of trailers, a brief featurette and a commentary make up the extras.

I got this for my father for Christmas. What a waste of money it was. I was expecting some funny, witty jokes- just like the first movie. It was nothing like that at all. It was not funny, there was no storyline, we watched about 30 minutes of it, and just gave up watching it because it was so bad. The acting was also horrible. I would not reccommend this to anyone.