|
|
Article: `Johnson Family' follows route of first `Vacation'.(VARIETY)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- April 7, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Jeff Strickler; Staff Writer
The creators of "Johnson Family Vacation" had their hearts in the right place, even if their brains were on autopilot.
This comedy about a mishap-filled road trip is a rewarmed version of "National Lampoon's Vacation." In fact, the opening scenes are so similar - a man goes to pick up his new SUV so he can drive his family cross-country - that we wonder if the director and writers (all first-timers) simply took the script from that 1983 comedy, scratched out "Griswold" and wrote in "Johnson."
Little else in the plot is surprising, either. There are embarrassing moments in motels, encounters with goofy ...