Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE FILM. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST! This made for television film is the worse movie ever made. Randy Quaid & Miriam Flynn return to play Cousin Eddie and Katherine. Shocking thing is that Dana Barron returns to play Audrey the role she originated in 1983. Audrey was played later by Julia Lewis, Dana Hill, and Marisol Nichols. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo wisely passed on this.The story begins with Cousin Eddie at his latest workplace, a nuclear facility where he 'works' alongside a monkey. When the monkey outperforms him in every test (specifically mental agility), the decision is made to fire him. Upon finding out the news, the two get into an argument which results in the monkey biting him.With Christmas approaching, Eddie is worried about what this job loss will mean for him and his family and he decides to talk to his former boss. Although the thought never occurs to him, the nuclear company is convinced that he will sue. As a preemptive countermeasure, they offer him and his family (along with Audrey Griswold and his Uncle Nick) a free vacation to an island in the South Pacific. While on holiday they take a trip on a boat, while Eddie attempts to catch a shark, they get lost and eventually shipwrecked on an isolated island.There is not one laugh in this movie. Avoid!

In some way I suspect Warner Brothers made this movie so it would flop. Then they could make the fans go away that nag them about why they're not going to make another Vacation sequel with all the Griswalds and the National Lampoon guy Matty Simmons producing it. It had its funny moments. I liked the scene where Eddie tried to catch a big fish and reel it in. It was so large that it pulled the boat backwards toward their deserted island. Also, it got me laughing when Eddie's son and his uncle (Ed Asner) peek at their Hawaian host undressing both at the same time. If anything that rated one to zero it was the extra feature about the making of the film that focused on training the animals, Eddie's favorite types of beer and how many different ways the cast members could say "Merry Christmas." Audrey said "Merry Christmas, I wanna kill myself!" Yuck. Avoid the extra feature because it told what was fake in the movie besides what already looked cheap and fake.

This movie was exactly what it was meant to be, a low budget TV movie based on secondary characters from the original theatrical releases. With only 3 characters from the original movies, Cousin's Eddie and Catherine, and Audrey Grizwald (portrayed by the Original actress Dana Barron, the only one to reprise the role of Audrey, and apparently, to tie this movie in better with the originals), it had it's little charms, in spite of the weak storyline and dime-a-dozen jokes. The biggest upset about this movie is people viewing it expecting it to be a Grizwald vacation, which it was never meant to be in the first place.All in all, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, and Dana Barron did a great job on reprising their roles, and bringing supporting characters into main characters.The movie also references all four theatrical releases keeping continuity to the vacation timeline (references to Vicki Johnson as a stripper in Vegas Vacation, Snots the Dog was there, as well as Christmas Vacation, Eric Idol cameo reprising his part from European Vacation, Cousin Eddie's dirt farm from the original Vacation also mentioned in Christmas Vegation, etc..)Fortunatly, this movie wasn't the end of the franchise, as Chevy Chase and BEverly D'Angelo reprised their roles in a 20 minute short-movie for HomeAway during the 2010 superbowl (also leading up to the next Vacation theatrical release, featuring the Grizwalds, and Rusty bringing his kids to Wally World before they close the park forever).The movie also did a good job under television restrictions. Those who have watched the original theatrical releases (or any National Lampoon movie) on network television would know, much is edited and overdubbed. The producers had to stay within guidelines, censorships, and restrictions they don't have in theatrical movie making.

I actually picked this DVD up by mistake at work this week mistaking it for the Chevy chase movie. I took it home watched it and loved it. I remember the other vacation movies showing last Christmas eve on t.v and i remember they were funny too. There was a reason that i liked this movie that i know a lot of people don't like for the one reason. It was b grade and low budget but i seem to like the b grade low budget flicks like they just click with me for some reason. Eric idles cameo was pretty cool. hadn't seen him in a while either and randy quad was funny as usual. If you like the other national lampoons movies you will enjoy this one. It had it moments.