chevy chase

Underappreciated upon release, John Landis’ wacky western offered one of the greatest funnymen team-ups of its time.

Full disclosure: I missed the last 10 minutes of Vacation. Last night’s press screening started 20 minutes late, then began without any sound, which lead to a 10 minute delay to correct the technical difficulties. With an unbreakable engagement elsewhere, I had to sneak out right before the very last scene. So take this review with as many grains of salt as you’d like. If you think those final minutes might recontextualize everything that came before to transform a generally miserable comedy into a beacon of transcendent hilarity, so be it. Having sat through the previous 90 minutes, I’m of the opinion that nothing short of the long-lost missing footage from Orson Welles’ Magnificent Ambersons could have redeemed this dreadful film.

After he left 'Saturday Night Live' but before he cemented his status as one of the most bankable comedy stars of the '80s, Chevy Chase tried his hand at being a solo recording artist -- and if this post marks your introduction to his 1980 self-titled album, you can probably figure out why you've never heard it before.