This probably wasn't the reaction Warner Bros. was expecting when they moved the new comedy “Vacation” from October to July. The fifth big screen edition of the franchise that helped make Chevy Chase a star was supposed to be a summer comedy “surprise.” This year's “Meet the Millers” or “Let's Be Cops,” but, um, actually funny. That doesn't seem to be the case.
Directed by the “Horrible Bosses” writing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, “Vacation” earned just a B Cinemascore from audiences polled after seeing it (an average score is actually an A). Critics weren't that kind either. It landed with a terrible 33 out of 100 grade on Metacritic and scored just 26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes which is pretty rotten. And, no, that's not good for its long term prospects at the box office. Still, is it really that bad? Is “Vacation” really one of the worst movies of the year? We're not so sure.
HitFix put “Vacation” under the Best and Worst microscope and actually found just as many nice things to say about it as bad things. But, y'know, maybe it's all in context, right? (Especially if you've had to already endure “Pixels” and “Terminator Genisys” this month).
Keeping all this in mind check out our Best and Worst of “Vacation” in the embedded gallery below.
Are critics and audiences being too tough on the Ed Helms and Christina Applegate flick? Share your thoughts below.