Here's the deal: this movie wants to be a nostalgic callback to the 1983 National Lampoon classic, but it mistakes vulgarity for wit and cruelty for comedy. The Griswolds are awful to each other for 99 minutes, the jokes are aggressively crude, and there's a scene where they accidentally kill someone that's supposed to be funny but is just disturbing.

The critical reception tells the story—27% on Rotten Tomatoes, 34 on Metacritic, a dismal 2.7 on Letterboxd. Even audiences who went in expecting lowbrow comedy were disappointed (45% audience score). Common Sense Media pegs this at 17+, which should immediately tell parents this is not the family-friendly road trip movie the marketing implied.

If you're an adult looking for mindless R-rated comedy, there are better options. If you're a parent who accidentally rented this thinking it's like the old Chevy Chase movies, nope—turn it off and find literally anything else. This is a hard pass for families.