海角大神

鈥淰acation鈥� is a continuation of the story of 鈥淣ational Lampoon鈥檚 Vacation鈥� and is markedly different from the original 鈥� but is that a good thing?

The new movie stars Ed Helms of 鈥淭he Office鈥� as Rusty Griswold, Clark Griswold鈥檚 now-adult son who, remembering the vacations he took with his family as a child, decides to embark on a trip of his own with his family. Christina Applegate of 鈥淎nchorman 2: The Legend Continues,鈥� Steele Stebbins, and Skyler Gisondo co-star.聽

The first film, which was released in 1983, has become a comedy classic 鈥� it was directed by 鈥淕hostbusters鈥� actor Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes, who wrote and/or directed such 1980s classics as 鈥淭he Breakfast Club,鈥� 鈥淔erris Bueller鈥檚 Day Off,鈥� and 鈥淧lanes, Trains and Automobiles.鈥� It starred Chevy Chase, Beverly D鈥橝ngelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron. It was notable more for boundary-pushing humor than gross-out humor.

But many reviewers are complaining about the gags in the new movie, primarily because they seem to be focused on disgusting the audience as much as possible, and that seems to be all there is to the movie鈥檚 humor. The movie includes extended jokes about vomit, human excrement, and animal body parts and one wrote that the co-directors, Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley, 鈥渟ubstitute coarseness for genuine cleverness鈥�. a sequence [with vomiting] is a prime example of this film鈥檚 mood of excess鈥�. another scene [with an animal being killed is] strictly for viewers who confuse unprecedented grossness with delicious drollness.鈥�

said that the film has 鈥渢he sort of self-congratulatory vulgarity that seems to have spewed forth聽from the (junior high) locker room instead of聽the writers room.鈥� wrote that the film 鈥渦ps the gross-out ante without actually bothering to bring the Griswolds into the 21st century.鈥澛�

Gross-out humor is, of course, not new, but what would convince directors to amp up its presence in a movie? Some recent big comedy hits have had their share of gross-out humor, which may lead studio executives to imagine that it鈥檚 what audiences want to see. But these hit comedies weren鈥檛 solely focused on it.

The 2011 smash hit 鈥淏ridesmaids鈥� had a scene set in a bridal shop that involved crude humor, but the real focus was the relationship between protagonist Annie (Kristen Wiig) and her best friend, bride-to-be Lillian. the movie 鈥渂eguilingly witty鈥� and 鈥渃lever.鈥� And recent box office hit 鈥淣eighbors,鈥� which also had various over-the-top gags, also had story lines 鈥� about a couple worried about losing their cool status when a fraternity moves in next door and college students concerned with their futures 鈥� that reviewers found engaging. wrote that 鈥渢he fully developed relationships between the characters ground the film,鈥� while of the film, 鈥淵ou expect hardcore hilarity from聽鈥楴eighbors,鈥� and you get it. It's the nuance that sneaks up on you.鈥澛�

The problem with 鈥淰acation鈥� seems to be that even for those who aren鈥檛 offended by gross-out humor, there's nothing more to the film.聽

鈥淰acation鈥� will be released on July 29.