Chevy Chase has had something of a chequred career with some hihhlights but also plenty of lows, never quite living up to the potential he demonstrated in films like Fletch and its sequel, Fletch Lives.

This was made in the mid-eighties at something of a high point for Chevy, back when he was first being associated with the National Lampoon chain and as a sequel to the well recieved National Lampoon's American Vacation. This time around, the Griswalds have travelled to Europe to see the sights resulting in the usual slapstick comedy and hilarity that one has come to expect from this series which spanned several sequels over the years, not all of them good and many forgettable.

Many have accused this of just being another dumb American-abroad comedy of the sort which has been done to death many times before but I disagree as Chase here stongly makes it his vehicle with his trademark dry humour and lots of funny scenes. The strength in a film is in its ability to have certain scenes stay with you many years after you first saw the film and it is true that even now if we ever get lost in the car, I still turn around to Mrs.Sparky and go "Kids....Big Ben, Parliament!" (Those of you who have seen this will know exactly what I mean!)

This film is just as good now as the day it was made and is a timeless classic which, and I didn't know this, was part penned by John Hughes ~ himself a name associated with successful comedies in the eighties and early nineties! Maybe that is why unconciously I have always loved this film as I am a big fan of Hughes' work!!!

There is a whole generation now who have probably never heard of Chevy Chase as many of his movies are well worth forgetting. This is not one of them and is a real classic! If you have never seen it before, what are you waiting for? This film is a steal nowadays on Amazon and well worth a few pennies and a couple of hours of your time!