Tourist Trap

I remember watching this movie as a kid, but couldn't remember the name untill we went to the wis dells last year. It's kinda corny, but also very funny. Kinda a mix between Vacation, we're the millers and RV. A dad trying to bring his family closer by spending a few weeks in a camper. The nice thing is that its family friendly, I might even be able to watch it with my grandparents.

When a disgruntled banker decides to force his wife and dysfunctional kids to go on a vacation he doesn't realize what hell awaits him. All his life he has read the journal of a heroic Union officer, who was also his great great grandfather, and is determined to take the family to the scene of his ancestor's greatest battle. What he finds there is not what he expected and adds a flavorless topping to the entire tasteless trip. Along the way they are joined by a radical survivalist physician and his boys, are threatened by a hilarious Easy Rider duo, and they all start falling apart while trying to cope with each other and the dumb vacation spots dad insists they all see. If all this sounds crazy....it is; the film is so stupid it is funny, but not as zany as Chevy Chase's "National Lampoon Vacation".

this movie is absolutely amazing! it is so funny i was crying form laughing so hard...it's a really unknown movie which is surprising because it is really good...i really recommend it for those who haven't seen it...but since no one knows what this movie is then no one will ever come to this page and no one will see that i recommended it...but whatever...basically if you're in the mood to laugh this is the movie! Daniel stern is such a funny guy...he was in home alone...the tall bad guy...anyways if you see him in this one...it's even funnier than home alone...most of the other actors are unknown but when they are all put together it is one hell of a show!

Daniel Stern and Julie Hagerty star in this television film about a family that works so hard, they never end up seeing one another and the father feels he is in a dead end job. Ryan Reynolds makes an early appearance in his film career, long before he was famous for Deadpool or Green Lantern. We also see a young Paul Giamatti before he was too well known, and he shows his range as a comedic actor here.

Tourist Trap could have easily been one of the movies that Disney could have distributed to theaters in 1998; it would have made a great summer film, but they decided to release it on television. And like many other Disney tv films, it hasn't gotten a proper home video release since VHS. This movie needs a DVD at least. Its a fun film that a new generation of kids and families are missing out on.

"Tourist Trap," written by Andy Breckman -- who once wrote for Saturday Night Live as well as films such as "Rat Race" and "Sgt. Bilko" -- doesn't offer nearly as many laughs as "Vacation" or other great family vacation movies of its genre, but Daniel Stern is funny, and helps generate some laughs.

One other great thing about "Tourist Trap" is that unlike "Vacation," "Trap" is family-friendly. Some of the guffaws are aimed towards children, but there's some hidden adult humor, as well. Such as when we have a flashback involving Jefferson's chair. It's painful to watch, thinking about what the chair is and witnessing its demise. Of course, it's a film, but if it were real...can you imagine?

"Tourist Trap" may not be "cool" to some, but if you have a family, it's a better pick than "Vacation," which needless to say, is quite raunchy at times.

3/5 stars-

John Ulmer