They are supposed to be having a less than idyllic
time on their European trip, but they overplay considerably. These whiny,
unlikable actors often seem barely dutiful in their approach to dialgoue
that is, admittedly, about as funny as oatmeal. The only imaginative bit
opens the film, when Chase and his family win their trip on a Family
Feud-like TV show where greed and foolishness are the entertainment. John
Austin sends up Richard Dawson's smoochy emcee, lusting after nubile female
contestants. Once Chase and company get to Europea the best to hope for is a
muddled travelogue.
Chase is his smirky self, pausing after every line as if he's waiting to hear the laugh. Director Amy (Johnny Dangerously) Heckerling
and co-writer John (Sixteen Candles) Hughes seem to have agreed that when
their imaginations failed, they would use a car crash scene. There are many
car crash scenes. (PG-13)
