Vacation Daze: A Dusty Little Snapshot of Nothing Much

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’ve got a weird itch for black-and-white slapstick that feels like it was filmed in a broom closet. If you’re a fan of Ruth Donnelly, you might find a crumb of joy here, but don’t go in expecting a hidden masterpiece. People who hate movies where characters just yell for 60 minutes will probably want to throw their screen out the window by the halfway point. 🍿

It’s one of those pictures that assumes movement equals comedy. There is a lot of walking into rooms and looking confused. It feels less like a directed narrative and more like a stage play where the actors forgot their marks but decided to keep talking anyway.

The Rhythm of the Thing

The pacing is… well, it’s frantic in a way that’s actually kind of exhausting. Characters don't walk; they lunge across the frame. I caught myself wondering if the editor just had a vendetta against slow scenes. There’s no room to breathe.

There’s this one bit with Allen Jenkins where he’s trying to handle some bags, and it just goes on way too long. It stops being a gag and starts feeling like a chore for the guy holding the camera. You can practically see the sweat on his forehead while he tries to maintain the energy.

Small Things

• The background extras in the hotel lobby scenes look like they’re waiting for a bus rather than playing a role.
• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly dark, like they ran out of bulbs.
• Someone drops a hat and nobody acknowledges it, which somehow ended up being the highlight for me.

I couldn't help but compare the messiness here to the more polished vibe of The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood. That movie actually had a handle on its own chaos. Vacation Daze just sort of trips over its own shoelaces for an hour and calls it a day.

It’s not a film that stays with you. It’s the kind of thing you watch while folding laundry, and even then, you might get distracted by a rogue sock. It’s perfectly fine for what it is, I guess, but don’t look for any deep meaning under the rug. It’s just noise and shouting in a fancy suit. 🤷‍♂️