"Vacation" films have been crossing a road for years

The latest version of "Vacation" quite literally breaks the fourth wall. The new lead, a guy who looks only a little like Chevy Chase from the original, plays Rusty, and is one of a handful of other Rusty's that have played the part. Now he is the Dad, with a smoking hot wife, and his two dippy sons. They decide to go on a road trip to Wally World as the Dad had done as a child 30 years earlier.

I am too bored of this concept to address who the actors really are, and yet, Applegate and Helmsworth are in it, but don't get too much to do.

The original classic John Hughes and Harold Ramis one is so surreal and awesome that they've tried to recapture the magic over and over. In 1983 it was one of many road trip movies, but it made fun of them, mocking the American family story and the summer movie. I was at the time too young to see a R rated film, so it was even more amusing seeing it because I wasn't supposed to be in the theater. (I was about 12). Also John Hughes was the man back then, making all sorts of movies.

Then Hughes and Heckerling decided to talked European vacations in European Vacation, where the Griswalds go to Paris and are out of place. It's a fish out of water but in another country.  It had moments of funny, including a Parisian dining scene and a clothing accident, and also a billboard accident.

The 1989 sequel, Christmas Vacation, did for the Holidays what the other did for the summer road trip. Suppose the family was snowed in for Christmas! Yes, and it was great too, although at times not as much fun as the previous one. It was one of the better holiday movies of the period.

Then the Grizwalds were off to Las Vegas in Vegas Vacation, 1997, the least inspired sequel. It actually made vacation in Vegas seem boring. The family getting new cars at the end defeats the purpose of them being losers.

The later one with the red necks having Christmas doesn't count.

Then at last came the recent remake sequel, Vacation 2015, which was like a live action Married with Children. This makes sense if you see it. The critics though were harsh to it. Although it has the staple gross out jokes and suggestive humor, it's not awful, and it's fun to see the cameos.  Some of the little jokes are surprising. Sure ther mean stuff falls flat, but there is enough in it going on for later rental or streaming.