Staycation Movies
When it comes to choosing a crowd-pleasing holiday film, comedy is a no brainer. Niamh O’Reilly rounds up some perfect popcorn flicks to enjoy while on your family staycation.
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION (1985)
If you’re familiar with any of the National Lampoon films from the 80s, then you’ll know what to expect from this take on the Griswolds, ‘doing Europe', so to speak. If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting this now infamous comedy family, then prepare yourselves.
Chevy Chase plays Clark Griswold, the over-enthusiastic patriarch of the clan, who along with his long-suffering wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and two teenage children Audrey (Dana Hill) and Rusty (Jason Lively), embark on seeing as much of Europe as possible after winning a lavish trip on a TV game show.
It’s crass in places and feeds into all the stereotypes you’d expect (watch out for a very British Eric Idle). However, one thing is for sure, your family staycation will seem positively laid back in comparison to this lot.
WINE COUNTRY (2019)
It’s not often that you find an enjoyable, relatable film about a group of women in their late 40s, early 50s that gives you plenty to nod along to, but Wine Country pulls it out of the bag.
Marking Amy Poehler’s directorial debut, the film follows her character Abby and her friends Naomi (Maya Rudolph), Val (Paula Pell), Jenny (Emily Spivey) and Catherine (Ana Gasteyer), as they head to the heart of California’s wine region in Napa Valley to celebrate Rebecca’s (Rachel Dratz) 50th birthday by name, it’s likely you’ll know their faces.
They are stalwarts of the American comedy institution, Saturday Night Live (SNL) and as a result their real-life chemistry translates very well onto the screen. It’s not something that’s easy to manufacture and the film is all the better for it.
Expect lots of laughs, a bit of conflict and plenty of clinking glasses. Oh, and keep a close eye for some top-class comedy cameos along the way.
BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR (2021)
If you are looking for a light-hearted and uncomplicated film to tickle your funny bone while away on your staycation, then this recent outing from Kristen Wiig and her Bridesmaids co-writer and co-star Annie Mumolo is ideal.
Mumolo and Wiig play the two loveable, culotte-wearing oddballs, Barb and Star, who decide to leave their Nebraska town for the first time (ever) and go to a Florida resort for a holiday. Things get complicated when they meet the bad guy Edgar, played by Jamie Dornan who looks like he hasn’t had as much fun on screen in years.
Park your brain at the door and enjoy it for the warm, silly and easy watch that it is.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS (1988)
This is a must-watch while on a family holiday and is as close to a great big 80s comedy hug as you’re likely to get. Starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Candy as two in-laws on a lake-side holiday, it’s a total belter.
Candy plays Chet Ripley who has taken his wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy) and their two sons to the lake for an outdoorsy vacation. Everything changes however, when Connie’s sister Kate Craig, played by Annette Benning in her debut role, arrives with her obnoxious husband Roman (Aykroyd) who has an ulterior motive for gate-crashing.
Things go from bad to worse, with nature and family dynamics providing a truck load of laugh-out-loud comedy moments.
SNATCHED (2017)
80s and 90s comedy legend Goldie Hawn teams up with Amy Schumer for this mother and daughter flick about a trip from hell. Schumer plays Emily Middleton who gets dumped by her boyfriend just before their big trip to South America. In her hour of need, she turns to her overly-cautious mother Linda (Hawn) to fill in as her holiday companion. While mother and daughter are polar opposites in their attitude to life, all goes well until they end up getting abducted and you guessed it, adventure ensues.
It’s predictable in parts, but it’s huge fun and fans of Goldie will be pleased to see her steal the show every time she’s on screen.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018)
One of the top grossing films of 2018 and marking a turning point for diversity in Hollywood, Crazy Rich Asians is simply fantastic.
Full of grandiose, over-the-top wealth, it’s big, brash, loud and everything you’d expect from a film called Crazy Rich Asians.
Based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel, the story has an air of Cinderella about it.
New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and her Singapore native boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) are two NYU professors living a nice life in Manhattan. When she goes with him to a friend’s wedding in Singapore however, she realises that Nick is part of the wealthiest family on the island and heir to what may as well be a throne.
It is a well-worn trope of a regular woman meeting a prince charming of sorts and trying to fit into his world. It just so happens to be brilliantly done and is the epitome of a crowd pleaser.
COUPLES RETREAT (2009)
Featuring an all-star cast, including Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman, this rom com will definitely have you feeling better about your own relationship.
Bateman and Bell play married couple Jason and Cynthia who are struggling to have a family and feel as though they need to go to a couple’s therapy retreat on a tropical island to work on their marriage. The only snag is that they can’t afford the hefty price tag unless they can get other couples to come with them at a group rate. So they trick three sets of their other married pals to come with them.
Once there, they find that participation in the couples therapy is not optional however. Shot in Bora, Bora it will have you dreaming of exotic beaches and beautiful resorts.
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