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ollywood loves comedies and disaster movies, and
there's no better way to combine the two than by
showing people on vacation, desperate to relax but
failing at it "Mr. Bean's Holiday," opening Friday, has
British comic Rowan Atkinson's mostly silent title clown
separating a father and son while on holiday in France, then
trying to reunite them and wreaking havoc along the way.
Film buffs might recognize the nod to 1953's "M. Hulot's
Holiday," but everyone
else simply will
recognize themselves
and some disastrous
family trips. Here are
a few other cinematic
moments of getting
away from it all - and
into a nightmare.
Michael GilE
r THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS (1970)
Deslination: New York is a lot harder to visit
than it is to live in, as Neil Simon demonstrated in
this comedy of errors, directed by Arthur Hiller,
where literally everything goes wrong for tourists
Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.
Aniyal: A gem of bad-old-days NYC - and so
much better than the Steve Martin and Goldie
Hawn's 1999 remake.
r NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION
(1983)
Ilestinatr'on: Not the first family vacation
disaster movie, but one of Chevy Chase's (few)
good films still sets the mileage that all other
vacation flicks try to match.- not to mention
providing a reference point for our real-life trips.
Animl: Now we'll all remember to check the
car roof before driving off.r WHAT ABOUT BOB? (1991t 'j
tDestindion: Bill Murray is the sklttliiil .s
psychoanalyzed patient who just can"t
understand why his doctor 1pia6u'-6:;:ti-H" "fl
Dreyfuss) needs all of August off, so he
decides the best solution is to join 161s1 ] ' $
shrink and his family. : : 'r 3'' I
Anival: Murray overpacks the tics in
this comedy of discomfort, making difector
Frank Oz's lark a little too dark. ri 'f i
I RV (2006)
IDestination: Robin Williams is a guy 3" 'l
who has to navigate his career, and a lohg
overdue family bonding session, while
driving a rentbd behemoth to a conference.
Animl: A hit, but that massive,
unwieldy RV is an aftt metaphor for this
bloated sitcom-ish flick o
there's no better way to combine the two than by
showing people on vacation, desperate to relax but
failing at it "Mr. Bean's Holiday," opening Friday, has
British comic Rowan Atkinson's mostly silent title clown
separating a father and son while on holiday in France, then
trying to reunite them and wreaking havoc along the way.
Film buffs might recognize the nod to 1953's "M. Hulot's
Holiday," but everyone
else simply will
recognize themselves
and some disastrous
family trips. Here are
a few other cinematic
moments of getting
away from it all - and
into a nightmare.
Michael GilE
r THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS (1970)
Deslination: New York is a lot harder to visit
than it is to live in, as Neil Simon demonstrated in
this comedy of errors, directed by Arthur Hiller,
where literally everything goes wrong for tourists
Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.
Aniyal: A gem of bad-old-days NYC - and so
much better than the Steve Martin and Goldie
Hawn's 1999 remake.
r NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION
(1983)
Ilestinatr'on: Not the first family vacation
disaster movie, but one of Chevy Chase's (few)
good films still sets the mileage that all other
vacation flicks try to match.- not to mention
providing a reference point for our real-life trips.
Animl: Now we'll all remember to check the
car roof before driving off.r WHAT ABOUT BOB? (1991t 'j
tDestindion: Bill Murray is the sklttliiil .s
psychoanalyzed patient who just can"t
understand why his doctor 1pia6u'-6:;:ti-H" "fl
Dreyfuss) needs all of August off, so he
decides the best solution is to join 161s1 ] ' $
shrink and his family. : : 'r 3'' I
Anival: Murray overpacks the tics in
this comedy of discomfort, making difector
Frank Oz's lark a little too dark. ri 'f i
I RV (2006)
IDestination: Robin Williams is a guy 3" 'l
who has to navigate his career, and a lohg
overdue family bonding session, while
driving a rentbd behemoth to a conference.
Animl: A hit, but that massive,
unwieldy RV is an aftt metaphor for this
bloated sitcom-ish flick o