The Only National Lampoon Vacation Movie Without Chevy Chase Is The Franchise's Worst
A deep dive into the infamous National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2 and why it's considered the worst entry in the franchise.
The Legacy of National Lampoon's Vacation Franchise
Christmas Vacation 2 Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003) clip
Chevy Chase only skipped one National Lampoon's Vacation film, which just happens to be the franchise's worst.
The Griswolds standing by their stationwagon in National Lampoon's Vacation
The first National Lampoon's Vacation movie was based on a short story by John Hughes, who also penned the screenplay. Looking at the line-up of comic talent in front of and behind the camera on the original, it's little surprise it was such a success. The resulting franchise has been a mixed bag, with 1997's Vegas Vacation being a lowlight while National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is often considered the best of the franchise.
Christmas Vacation was also a high point the series never reached again. While there was an effort to reboot the property with 2015's legacy sequel Vacation - which featured cameos by Chase and co-star Beverly D'Angelo - it received a lukewarm response and it appears there are no new outings in the works. Given the popularity of the Vacation films in their heyday, it's almost a surprise there wasn't a bigger effort to create more spinoffs.
The cast of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure
The only spinoff was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure, a 2003 TV movie that aired on NBC. As the title indicates, this made the slovenly Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) the main character.
Cousin Eddie on a fishing boat with his family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
The story sees Eddie getting fired from his nuclear plant job when a chimp outperforms him in the role, but when his ex-employers become concerned he might sue, they offer him a vacation in the South Pacific. However, he and the family - including Clark and Ellen's daughter Audrey Griswold - soon become shipwrecked on an island, and Eddie has to save the day.
Randy Quaid's Eddie and his family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
Christmas Vacation 2 can be rented or purchased from iTunes, YouTube or Amazon.
Eddie and his family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
Neither Chevy Chase nor Beverly D'Angelo appear in Christmas Vacation 2, and it's unknown if they were even approached. It's entirely possible they were never asked, since there's no real space for their characters in the story. The spinoff arrived six years after Vegas Vacation, which received middling reviews and was a financial disappointment.
Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation 2
Why Christmas Vacation 2 Is The Worst Entry Of The Franchise
Both Vegas Vacation and 2015's Vacation dropped National Lampoon from their titles; the former due to a falling out between producers and the brand, and the latter because National Lampoon had no involvement with its production. Both are weaker outings but still manage to elicit some belly laughs. Sadly, the last entry to use National Lampoon's in the title was Christmas Vacation 2, which is harrowingly unfunny, with the spinoff opting for the lowest-common-denominator humor at every level. Cousin Eddie is a fun supporting character, but making him the lead is a disastrous choice.
Quaid could be hilarious in the previous movies, but the writers of Christmas Vacation 2 didn't know what to do with the character outside of making him dumb and charmless. The film itself was clearly shot cheaply, being filmed on obvious backlots with the occasional, terrible green screen effect to fill in for an exotic location they didn't have the budget to travel to.
Ed Asner is at least entertaining as Eddie's gruff uncle, and Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure nabbed a cameo from Eric Idle, who previously appeared in National Lampoon's European Vacation. Even ardent fans of National Lampoon's Vacation will have a rough time with Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure; it's cheap, feels rushed and was made with no love or finesse. Chase and D'Angelo were wise to stay out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2, which holds a dismal 2.7 rating on IMDb.
Christmas Vacation 2 Actually Broke The Griswold Recasting Curse
There's an unofficial rule within the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise that each film must recast the Griswold kids Rusty and Audrey. Some famous faces have played the children over the years too, including Juliette Lewis, Anthony Michael Hall and Johnny Galecki. Of course, several factors went into recasting the roles for each entry, including actors refusing to return or aging out of the part, but against all odds, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2 broke this curse by bringing back Dana Barron as Audrey.
Barron played Audrey in the original, but when Rusty performer Anthony Michael Hall declined to return for European Vacation to star in Weird Science, the choice was made to recast both roles. To date, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2 is the only time in the franchise one of the Griswold child actors returned to their role. In Barron's case, there was a 20-year gap between appearances - but it's a real shame her comeback wasn't for a better movie.
