by Heinrich Domingo

You might have seen junks of Hollywood comedy films. Formulaic, crass, uninventive. You have been fed up. We all have been fed up. With the showing of Vacation, we have again brought with the lowest kind of film. It is a kind that would make you think how these big productions could create a low-level output despite having a high budget.

It is simply incorrect to lose hope on a material with a lot of potential. But when one sees a movie that is plot-wise empty, she or he cannot help but promise not to expect again.

Vacation uses the typical arrangement of a Hollywood comedy film. Jokes on sexism, spiels on homophobia, and overflowing remarks on sexual intercourse fill the whole story-line. It is as if this recipe has not been offered to the public yet.

The film starts with a poor father’s wish to have a good time with his family. From there on, the story revolved around the family’s trip to Walley World simply to ride on a rollercoaster. Despite the shallowness of its foundation, the Vacation could be valued as a narrative giving importance to familial ties, marital relationship, and father-children bond. Yet, rather than capitalize on these traits, the movie decided to live by its stigma and present nothing but low-brow humor.

The filmmakers might justify the plot holes with good casting and production design. But the film, in its totality, does not allow its actors to showcase acting quality. Also, its imagery cannot be appreciated because its story-line is not engaging enough for viewers to continue watching. There are overflowing unsatisfactory elements that notably positive items are easily washed ashore. From unnecessary sexualization to animal brutality, the movie has been committing mistakes one after the other.

This multitude of mistakes can only be salvaged by a radical change of the whole film’s arrangement. From its plot to the script, everything must be altered in order to jibe with the fitting kind of humor.

It is time for Hollywood comedy films like Vacation to rethink their passé formula of filmmaking. They can begin through accepting that comedy does not go with stupidity or lowliness. Acts can still bring entertainment while being educational and informative. To date, people have been fed up with media items that are not worthy of their money. The industry is truly in need of materials bearing the potential to redefine this genre. It is not impossible to do this. In the recent times, movies like Spy, Shaun of the Dead, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, showed the hope of effectively joining fun and wit. With this, the next time our nearest cinema opens a Hollywood comedy film, we might still give it a try.