Herb Kane
Screenwriter
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Vegas Vacation
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1997
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 95 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Enhanced Widescreen
Audio: DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $14.98
Package: Snap Case
The Feature:
Recently, Warner Brothers re-released three of the Vacation movies from the series, delivering all new widescreen transfers. European Vacation was already released initially in its proper widescreen format. Also released on October 7th was a four disc box set entitled, The Ultimate Vacation Collection which contains all four movies from the series in their proper widescreen versions. The box for the new Vegas Vacation version appears to be similar however has a red border around the outside and within a red banner along the top, has the words, WIDESCREEN EDITION.
Vegas Vacation is the last (and I won’t say final) version of the franchise. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is back and after receiving a hefty bonus for his food preservative concept, decides to take the dysfunctional family on a vacation to Las Vegas. Though his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) isn’t convinced that Vegas is the place for “family entertainment”, Clark quickly talks her and the family into it.
Upon their arrival, the kids, Rusty and Audrey (this time played by Ethan Embry and Marisol Nichols) are old enough and want to explore the city on their own terms (can you blame them…?). It quickly becomes apparent that Clark has a slight gambling problem and gambles away the entire family savings and Ellen becomes caught in the sights of Wayne Newton as a potential love interest. After Rusty gets a fake I.D. from a Sinatra impersonator (who looks and sounds great by the way), he ventures off to gamble. Needless to say he does a better job than dad. Audrey on the other hand, gets caught up with her cousin (who’s a… er… dancer…) and decides she too is going to dance at “Club Areola”…
Finally, as we have come to love him, cousin Eddie shows up who coincidently just lives outside of town on property once used for military nuclear testing but is quick to proclaim that “his teeth have never been whiter and his garden produces fifty pound tomatoes”… God bless Eddie…! Vegas surely, will never be the same…
I had forgotten the Siegfried and Roy stage show appearance (which seems rather ironic in light of recent events) as well as a neat cameo by the great Sid Ceasar who finally beats the odds in a game of Keno – well, not really… Also present is producer Jerry Weintraub who plays the high roller, Jilly from Philly.
Ironically, my biggest complaint with the movie was the choice of music. The first movie had a toe tapping atmosphere when “Holiday Road” kicked in (similar, was the “Christmas Vacation” theme that accompanied that film and its selection of Christmas music). For this movie, they attempted a tropical theme which felt like something that should have been starring Carmen Miranda… That same atmosphere was noticeably absent from Vegas Vacation. We get another quick cameo of Christie Brinkley (this time with baby - in a car seat)… “Holiday Road” kicks in and it just seems like business as usual…
Video:
This is by far, the best video transfer of the Vacation series. Unfortunately (but I really mean fortunately), I don’t have the original MAR version to compare the two. While it’s not perfect, it is sure to impress fans of the film. The level of detail was exceptional, particularly facial detail. There were a few soft shots… presumably filmed in that manner but were rather infrequent. As you can imagine, there is a veritable buffet of the color palette, all of which jump off the screen. Colors are extremely vibrant and nicely saturated. Skin colors are also rendered seemingly accurately.
Blacks could have been a bit deeper bit don’t disappoint. I could only detect a very slight amount of film dirt and the occasional light speckle. Shadow and contrast levels were acceptable and edge enhancement was a non issue.
By no means perfect but certainly the best of the series. Very nice!!
Audio:
This DD 5.1 offered a little more than I bargained for as well. During the opening credits (and into the film) the music and even the music that I commented on earlier, sounds great. It is a rather aggressive track with a forward soundstage that was pretty impressive. Dialogue was always clear and rendered nicely. A few of the crash scenes weren’t as dynamic as I had hoped for but they weren’t necessarily disappointing either.
There were only a few instances where surrounds were employed and certainly could have been used to a greater extent for better effect. LFE is present but is only obvious during a couple of scenes.
Even thought the soundstage is primarily up-front, it is rather aggressive. Too bad surrounds weren’t used to their full potential… Overall, a satisfying 5.1 track.
Special Features:
From the main menu, upon entering The Gallery, we are given an option of seven special features. The first is titled Cast Profiles. These are brief bios on the cast members and filmographies listing all of their works.
Behind The Scenes is a four page text listing which briefly discusses the shoot and includes comments from a few of the cast members.
Siegfried And Roy is a brief two page text listing and bio of the entertainers.
Next up is Jerry Weintraub which is a three page text list of comments from the producer.
Newcombers is a brief look at the two young stars that play Rusty and Audrey in the film.
On Location is a two page text listing which comments on the making of the film.
Finally, the Theatrical Trailer is included which is in pretty good shape.
Other than the trailer, the special features included really aren’t overly abundant nor are they very enlightening.
Final Thoughts:
There is no question about it. Vegas Vacation is not on par with its predecessors, Vacation or Christmas Vacation. Clearly, it’s not nearly as tight or as well written. While it does fall short of living up to previous versions, it doesn’t fall totally flat. I still had a lot of fun with it.
Whatever this disc lacks in special features, it makes up for in an A/V presentation that bests the others in the series. If you’re a fan of the Vacation series like I am, you’ll want to add this to your collection. Recommended…!!
Released: October 7th, 2003
This is the first and only review I've found on the 'net for this disc. As strange as it might sound, "Vegas Vacation" is my favorite of the Vacation films. The Las Vegas setting creates such a nice atmosphere. Amazon shipped my copy out on Friday and I am looking forward to enjoying it within the next few days.
