We’ve got a little over a month ‘till Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s VACATION sequel drives its station wagon into theaters, and these two posters (courtesy of EMPIRE) give us a couple of looks at Rusty (now played by Ed Helms) and his family. Going along with the trailer, I’d say it’s safe to say that things get crazier and, hmm, more explosive for Rust and the gang than they did when Clark would drag them out for treks around the country and beyond, no? I mean, sure, Edna was dead and strapped to the roof, but at least the car wasn’t on fire.
It’s funny, but not surprising at all, how hard they’re pushing Chris Hemsworth’s appearance in the film. From what I’ve heard, he’s only one of a number of celebs (Charlie Day, Keegan Michael-Key, Tim Heidecker) who makes a guest appearance for a scene or two, and is not crucial to the plot at all (say, as a villain type or something). Notice, also, that while Leslie Mann’s name is on the credits, Hemsworth’s isn’t, though they’ve made room to highlight Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo’s cameos. Obviously, when you have an Avenger in your movie, you want to get that out there, but it seems like they’re pushing his appearance like it’s an actual supporting role; it’s not.
They didn’t even try to replicate the dad-as-superhero motif of the original poster (though previous designs did go that route), but they do something more important: highlighting Rusty’s optimistic-to-the-point-of-insanity delusion that he’s clearly inherited from his father. Going from Chevy to Helms is not the world’s most obvious jump, but when I see Helms’ deranged face in the midst of the carnage, the similarities and potential for hilarity start to shine through.
These make you feel alright about the sequel-make, or would you rather this didn’t exist at all?
VACATION takes you up the Holiday Road on July 29th.
