National Lampoon's European Vacation

• Adventure
• Comedy

A hilariously chaotic family vacation spirals into delightfully absurd misadventures as the Griswolds attempt to navigate a European tour won on a game show. Beyond the predictable tourist traps, the film mines humor from the family's spectacularly inept attempts to experience different cultures, exposing the tensions bubbling beneath a seemingly idyllic American family dynamic – particularly the strain on their marriage intensified by constant interruptions and cultural clashes. While superficially a travelogue of mishaps, *European Vacation* offers a surprisingly satirical take on American exceptionalism and the awkwardness of cross-cultural encounters, finding comedic gold in the friction between expectation and reality. The film's charm lies not in grand spectacle, but in the escalating comedy of errors fueled by a family determined to "do" Europe, despite being profoundly unsuited for it.