Stockwell review: Two summer films prime you for road-tripping

The merry month of May!

We had Mother’s Day a couple Sundays back, graduation ceremonies are on the agenda in coming weeks (congratulations to all graduates – kindergarten, junior high, high school or college), and our weather’s warming up.

That can only mean one thing – summer is coming!

Time for us to think about what we want to do, including the possibility of traveling, as restrictions continue to loosen. Some may rent a house in a tropical area, others may take a road trip cross-country. Either way, remember it costs something to visit a beach.

Usually multiple sand dollars.

Just making sure you are getting your money’s worth in this column. For this week, we’ll go with a couple of classic summertime films, perfect for an evening in or for a makeshift backyard movie screen. Pop some popcorn and make some s’mores – away we go!

“Summer Rental” (1985)

Jack Chester (played by late funnyman John Candy) is an air-traffic controller who lands in a situation caused by a housefly on his radar screen. Granted a five-week paid vacation, he packs up his family and they rent a house in the fictitious town of Citrus Cove, Florida. After crossing paths with self-centered sailing champ Al Pellet (Richard Crenna) and misreading an address that causes a midnight move, they finally arrive at a rundown, poor excuse for a house – a veritable shanty next to a path to an overcrowded, public beach.

Yes, the film is set up to be a comedy of errors, and it doesn’t disappoint. Candy, in his first U.S. lead role, is stellar and roll-on-the-floor funny. He doesn’t rely on just physical gags (there are plenty of them); but it’s his timing and reactions, plus the droll delivery of his lines that will keep you laughing for the 87-minute runtime.

Candy is not alone on screen. Tremendous character actor Karen Austin plays his wife, Sandy, who delivers her lines with a natural comedic grace. Crenna, often known for much more serious roles (he would reprise his character Trautman in “Rambo” this same year), plays well off his fellow cast members, portraying an arrogant thorn in everyone’s side. Of course, it is the amazing Rip Torn who steals the second half of the film as the salty old sea captain, Scully. The banter and dialogue are nothing short of cinematic gold.

The incomparable Carl Reiner takes the reins as director, weaving together classic situations and a funny script that give viewers a pleasingly silly film. The movie doesn’t pretend to be anything more than an extended situational comedy, but it doesn’t need to be. It is one of those movies that you can enjoy after a tough day – longing for a chance to relax on a beach without a care in the world.

The PG rating is fair; there is an ongoing joke about implants that will make the older crowd laugh, but outside of that, nothing of concern. HBO Max has it for subscribers, or Prime for $2.99.

“National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983)

After working long hours at his job as a food additive specialist, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides to take his family to Walley World in California. Instead of flying, which his wife (Beverly D’Angelo) suggests, he wants to take a road trip to reconnect with their two children, Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron). Upon arriving at the car dealership where a salesman (comedic genius Eugene Levy) baits and switches him to purchase the “wagon queen family truckster,” the vacation of a lifetime goes downhill from there.

From crossing the Mississippi and heading into a less than desirable area in St. Louis, to a worm farm in Kansas, a stop at Kamp Komfort in Colorado, becoming lost in the Arizona desert, missing the Grand Canyon, and losing a beloved pet and family member, to a rain-soaked Los Angeles, most would rather have stayed home and watched paint dry.

But don’t get me wrong, the superbly written script from the great John Hughes will make you laugh all the way through the 98-minute film. The over-the-top situations are paced wonderfully and shot with grace by the dazzling director, Harold Ramis.

Originally a short story by Hughes, when the idea was first pitched to Jeffrey Katzenberg at Paramount, he rejected it as too episodic. Producer Matty Simmons insisted that was how it was supposed to be, and took it to Warner Bros., which jumped at it. Ramis runs with it, and even though it entails a series of gags and situations (similar to the above-mentioned film), the building to the climax of the film makes this flow wonderfully.

Chase and D’Angelo are charming and believable as the husband-and-wife duo. She stands by her man through the majority of his antics, even when “the girl in the Ferrari” (Christie Brinkley) causes a bit of a ruckus at the motel pool. The vastly talented Imogene Coca plays the mean old aunt they end up taking with them to drop off in Phoenix. Randy Quaid is Cousin Eddie, and he embodies that one relative we all have. He is funny without trying to be, and when he grills out, his Hamburger Helper hamburgers and real tomato catsup are “nothing but the best.”

The film is more than funny, it is memorable and deeply quotable. You will laugh at the unbelievable, believable occurrences, bringing back road-trip memories of your own. A cameo at the end of the film ties these two movies together in cinema immortality. Prime has it for $2.99. It is rated R for some language and nudity, but it is a film for adults, made by some very talented ones.

In fact, when you realize how many brilliant people (who have since passed) either worked on or starred in both films, they are more than a summer trip – but instead a visit to the Comedy Movie Hall of Fame.

Oh, if you do decide to take a driving vacation, be sure to go to the state with the most streets.

You know, Rhode Island.

Until next week, happy viewing!

• Jim Stockwell is a tenured instructor of film and broadcast journalism at McHenry County College, teaching Introduction to Film, Advanced Film and Introduction to Public Speaking.