Dane Simpson and National Lampoon's Vacation

Wagga Comedian Dane Simpson had never seen National Lampoon’s Vacation, until now!

Was it a laugh-filled travel adventure or a fast track to a Clark Griswold meltdown? Who does he think would enjoy the chaos, and which scene had him calling total nonsense?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You a pete. Hell are you here?

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Welcome to you ain't seen nothing yet? The movie podcast
where I chat to a movie lover about a classical
love movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now.
And today's guest comedian Dane Simpson, all below.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
I want to stay here with you.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
The jobber, my hat, snake shucked my hail.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
They couldn't happening right, So you ain't seen nothing yet.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
This is an episode I've been waiting to do for
a little while now one because of the guests we
have on Dane Simpson.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
I love this bloke.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
He's a much more around the Australian comedy scene with
both audiences and comedians alike. First onto the scene ten
years ago or so, I think did he win the
Deadly Awards or Deadly Funny I should say, because he
is exactly that. He is deadly funny, both just hanging
out or watching him on stage. I did some gigs

(01:22):
with him in Wogga Wogga, where he's from. He's basically
the king of Wagga.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
There's a mural of him which is Dane took me
by on the way to the airport, just quietly. We
got a photo I'll post it. Actually it was a
lot of funny.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
He's much loved up there, and so he should be
because he's creating work for locals, for comedians and also
bringing comedians from the cities into Wogga to perform, and
if somebody like Dane's not doing that, then it may
not happened.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
So he's a great man. For those who don't know Dane,
where have you been?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
You would have seen him on various Melbourne International Comedy
Festival galas. He did The Amazing Race, the first celebrity
edition with his dad. Sadly they got knocked out in
the first leg, but it wasn't in India, which was
a bloody hot I've heard hellish reports about how hard
that was compared to the series I did. But yeah,

(02:16):
you would have seen him there. He would have seen
him on have you been paying attention? On Get Kraken.
He's kind of everywhere and he's funny, he's smart and
we got chatting when we're in Wagga about what movies
he hadn't seen, and he mentioned planes, trains and autobils.
We've already done that, but then he mentioned National Lampion's vacation.
I thought, oh, hang on, hang on, Oh, we need to.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Get into this.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Dane is, Like I said, it's funny, he's smart, he's vibrant,
and I'm stoked to be hanging with him today.

Speaker 5 (02:50):
Goody, I'm Dave Simpson. My three favorite films are The
Dark Knight and Why So Serious Shaw Shark Redemption, Get
Busy Living, You get busy, diet and dread and wondering
when you'd remember you left.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Your helmet behind, Sir, A helmet can interfere with my
psychic abilities.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
I think a bullet mightn't feel with the more.

Speaker 5 (03:20):
Up until last night, I have never seen National Lampoon's
Vacation so weet.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Oh yes all they wrote.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Okay, It's nineteen eighty three and Chevy Chase's Clark w
Griswold gets two days off a year, and he's hell
bent on giving his family a dream of vacation, a
pilgrimage of sorts to visit fun Park, a wally world
where the star of their favorite TV show, Marty Moose,
will be waiting for them. But things get off to

(04:09):
a shaggy start when Clark takes his teenage son, Rusty
Anthony Michael Hall to pick their new car up from
a shady car salesman played hilariously by the great Eugene Levy.
From there, the speed bumps and detours never really stop,
as Clark's wife Allan, the fantastic Beverly DeAngelo, and daughter
Audrey Dana Baron begin to lose patience and excitement for

(04:31):
the Griswold's Grand American adventure. But Clark will be danned
if he's not going to make this the best damn
holiday ever, no matter how many people or pets get
killed along the way. From a script by legend John
Hughes directed by the equally legendary Harold Ramis, National Lampoon's
Vacation is undoubtedly a classic, spawning a number of sequels

(04:52):
and reboots of varying quality over the years. But no
matter what you thought of Vegas Vacation or the end
Ed Helms reboot or the weird Cousin Eddie thing, National
Lampoon's Vacation remains the og and the goat for holiday
road movies. Dane Simpson, have you ever eaten a sandwich?
It's been pissed on?

Speaker 5 (05:12):
It's great, great scene in the movie. By the way,
I reckon, I've eaten some horrible sandwiches in my day,
Like you know that I've gotten that you put the
beetroot on too early, you know, Oh yes sometimes, And
I've made a honey sandwich for myself and taken it

(05:33):
to school, which is beetrig esque. A mistake. Yeah, it's
almost like it makes its own little honeycomb and inside
the bread during the up until lunch. Not a sandwich
that's been pissed on.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
I'm glad.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
I'm glad that we won't change that today. But thanks
so much mate for joining me. I've been wanting to
get you on for a long time. I was up
in a wagga doing your great comedy gigs that you
were running. You're doing a great job up there in Wagga,
and Jesus, we had some fun we those gigs, and
we got chatting and we decided that I found out

(06:10):
that you had never seen National Lampion's Vacation, and my
ears just pricked. This is a movie I've seen many
many times. This is like, I don't think I saw
it in the cinemas. I think it came to me
on VHS. But I've seen it so many times.

Speaker 5 (06:24):
You go back and you watch it constantly.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
Oh, like I actually watched it just recently.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Like it's one of those movies that we talked about
a lot on this show where if it's on, you
just sitting down and watching the rest of it, you know,
or you know, I've seen it so many times, you've
probably I probably don't even need to watch all of it.
I'll watch for as long as I can, and or
you know, I can't, I can't switch immediately, and I
need to watch some of it at least, you know,
it is a.

Speaker 5 (06:49):
Movie that almost has broken up into bits. What what
are you What do you reckon about the sequels? Do
you watch number one the most? Or do you reckon
there was sequels?

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah, absolutely, there's a whole bunch of them. This is
certainly the best European vacation. I quite I quite like
I've got a bit of a spot for that. Chris
is a vacation I think goes all right. I think
it's actually aged pretty good over time as far as, yeah,
my enjoyment of it, and then Vegas vacation not great.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
And there's a few other ones. Cousin Eddie, which is lame.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
The ed Helm's Christine Applegate reboot they did was actually Okay,
I thought they did a pretty good job. Ed Helms
plays an older rusty who is taking his family on holiday,
and which I think is a nice kind of angle
on it.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
But what did you know before? I before?

Speaker 2 (07:42):
I don't want to know if you'd like even like
the film just yet because I want to talk about
your three favorite films. But what did you know of
National Lampoon's Vacation.

Speaker 5 (07:52):
I knew that Chevy Chase was in it was that
was it. That was the absolute maximum of me knowing
anything about this movie. And I thought that it was
a Christmas movie. So I didn't know that the sequel
was a Christmas movie. I'm assuming it's part two.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
That's part three, It's part three, okay, so yeah, European
Vacation is the next one, right, I just by what
you I.

Speaker 5 (08:19):
Was literally going through my brat like beause I heard
about it and then I was like, oh so this.
I didn't know that there was a Vegas one. You
hit me with the left field there, clever girl.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
Most people forget there's a Vegas one. I think I
saw it once and night. I don't need to see
it again. But yeah, this is there's a lot to
talk about with vacation. I do want to get into it,
but let's talk about your three favorite films, starting with
the classic. It's come up quite a bit in this podcast,
The Dark Knight. Why there's a Dark Knight resonate with

(08:50):
you over say Batman Begins or Batman Forever.

Speaker 5 (08:56):
I loved Batman Begins when it came out. I thought
it was like an awesome take on Batman. I'm a
very I'm not a very big That's that's a lie.
I'm a I'm a Batman fan. I the reason why
is not because of the comics, but because of the
Tim Burton movie that came out. And I was the
right age at the right time.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, when it came out eighty nine.

Speaker 5 (09:19):
Eighty nine, yep, and I would have been roughly abound six,
and it was like awesome. Everything about it was just
so cool and yeah, you remember there's being just like insane.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
You walk down the street and everybody was wearing a
Batman T shirt like it just was like every it
was everywhere.

Speaker 5 (09:36):
It was everywhere, and it was just it was like
it was cool to wear one, just the symbol on
the front, like it was Yeah, and the Joker was
like Jack Nicholson was just incredible with that. It was
so I used to watch the Batman movies, like the
ones from the seventies when I was a kid, or
is it.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
The seventies, Yeah, and with what's his name, Adam West,
Adam West, and I loved that.

Speaker 5 (10:01):
I loved I remember them. They were turning people to powder.
I think they were dehydrating people from the from the
un which is just so funny, and Batman having shark
repellent in his belt and like that was real camp
and real fun. And I was a right age bracket
for that when that came out, and then when the

(10:21):
new one came out, and I was I think I
watched it. I would have been about eight, so probably
a couple of years after it came out at the cinemas.
I reckon, I watched it on the TV when it
came out and it was just so cool. And then
I got older, so I reckon, I've aged at the
right time for these Batman's to come out. Yeah, as yeah,
as the Dark Knight came out, well, as the Batman
Begins came out, I was the right age because that

(10:43):
was it's fairly growing up. It's a fairly serious movie.
It takes itself very seriously. And by this stage I'd
already gotten into a little bit of the Law of Batman,
so the rajah Ghoul stuff like where he trained and
learned how to fight, and just knowing a few more
deeper of the characters because I got into it. And
then yeah, and then that The Batman Begins came out.

(11:05):
That was so cool and it was a cool take.
But then the Dark Knight. I quote The Dark Knight
often even in life, in comedy, which I find so
stupidly funny, Like when when I'm talking to people about
comedy and you know, you would know this classic rule
of you could have like the killer of killer jokes ready,

(11:26):
but if you just got a really big laugh, like leave,
get off the stage. Yeah, like nothing, You've got this
little bit of a joke. That's and you're like, nah,
don't add that, dude, leave And I quote the Dark Knight.
I'm like, you could die the hero or live long
enough to become the villain.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
That's that is great because there's nothing there's nothing worse
when you're waiting to come on, particularly maybe if you're
headlining and there's there's somebody in the MC has gone out,
and usually, you know, my advice to them usually is,
you know, just get them comfortable, get a laugh or
to it, and and bring me on. And I think
most headliners kind of feel like that. Sometimes you hear

(12:04):
the laugh making the applause, you think, okay, yeah, okay,
here we go, here we go. You got the applause.
Nothing beats in the applause. Oh they got another one.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Oh they can top that.

Speaker 5 (12:15):
Ok. I don't reckon, I could.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
They're waiting for the standing ovation before they bring you up.

Speaker 5 (12:22):
Absolutely, it's yeah. So it's it's so funny. There's there's
so many of those little little quotes in the movie
that just pop into my head whenever I sort of
need to use like a reference, and it's just it's
weird that I'm I'm constantly quoting Batman or if I'm
quoting like the Joker something stupid. So it's it's fun. Yeah,

(12:43):
and I love it. It's fantastic movie. It's well put
together and obviously.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
And he'th leedged obviously, Yeah, blew it away, And yeah,
it was so cool. Let's talk about when that's obviously
come up a few times, which is sure shank redemption.

Speaker 5 (12:58):
Yeah, it's f's I put it down as and I'm
sure I'm not alone in this greatest movie that's ever
been made. It came out to like bad reception, never
never got the love that it deserved, found love later on.
I it's everything. It's got. Every Andy Duffrain is like
one of the greatest characters, and they still played off

(13:22):
as in like did he do it? Did he not?
Like there's no there's no resolution in that. I think
I find that the the coolness of the movie is
that there's no absolutes. It's just what what what? However
you interpret this? That's cool? Made of my again this
I find this really funny. My my friend that I

(13:43):
went to high school with his teacher wheeled in a
TV every Joe with a VHS and it was Shawshank
Redemption and was always playing movies and short Shank Redemption
was something that he often chose to play. And I
was like, you learn anything from that? Surely? Like you
don't learn? And what's like I live around the corner

(14:04):
from a from an art center and they've got a
little sign that just says Lapidary Club, And I was like,
I don't know what lapidary is. And my mate goes,
that's rock shaping, and I'm like, how how did you
know that? You'll like the dumbest guy I know? And
he goes Shawshank Redemption. He asks for a little rock
shaper and he goes, what do you want to you
want to stick that in somebody's head? And he goes, NA,

(14:26):
I need it for lapidary, Like you learn from the
teacher that played movies all the time. That's so funny.
And the reason why he played movies is because he
was hung over like half the time.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
And but this guy still learned.

Speaker 5 (14:41):
That's the funniest thing.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, And what I think I try to think about why, why?
What is it about shaw Shank that touches people? And
I think it's quite It's quite a poetic film, you know,
in a way like the narration from you know, the
honey Tones of Morgan Freeman. A beautiful it's beautifully shot,
and I think it's it's poetic enough, but not too much,

(15:05):
you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
Like it's got it's got some darkness. It's it's got
darkness to it.

Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, there are scenes that are you know, basically where
there's rape involved, and it's it gets pretty dark, it's
suicide like it's it's a it's a dark film, but
there is this poetry to it that is accessible I
think for mainstream audiences, you know, like like people like
your mate, like like just people who well it's not
like lyrical. Well if somebody somebodys a movie is lyrical,

(15:31):
I get I get nervous. It's going to be style
over substance potentially, and it's going to be it's going
to be beautiful and it's gonna you know, and I can,
I can. I can love lyrical movies. But this is
shaw Shaking, I think. Is it has the right amount
of poetry and and and and meaning that people can
hook into.

Speaker 5 (15:51):
I think I totally agree, And I think it's you
know what it is that essence of justice. I feel like,
is he works hard for it, but it comes to
fruition eventually. And I love I love that. I love
that he Yeah, there's there seems to be this this

(16:12):
justice dealt in the movie. The people people get their comeuppins,
and you're like cool, because there's a lot of times
where people well a lot of these movies they dig
holes and they're like, oh, the protagonist has got this
going on and this going on, and this is how
are they going to get out of it? And I
feel like they cheat code a lot at the end

(16:32):
and just go magic and you're like, no, that sucks.
Whereas this guy he worked hard, he was he played
that long game and it really paid off. And there's
there's a twist in the movie that we don't there's
not really a twist, but it is a twist. It's
it's just really well done. I think it didn't even
Stephen King say that like he loved the movie, which

(16:55):
is like he wrote the book. You've got to create
a good movie. If the guy who wrote the story
goes that's a that's a good movie.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
You know, there's been plenty of examples of people, you know,
writers not not enjoying the adaptations of their work.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
That's that's quite a long list.

Speaker 5 (17:14):
But especially Stephen King, like he because he didn't like
the was it the myst like I think, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
I think there's a couple that he hasn't stand by me.
I think he had a bit of an issue with.

Speaker 5 (17:26):
I loved Have you seen it? Am I allowed to
talk about there's a spoiler in this in the mist
there's a it's the it's a movie theory, but I
think it's really fun. Have you seen it, You've seen
the Myss?

Speaker 1 (17:40):
I don't think I have.

Speaker 5 (17:41):
Actually, it's so the miss comes and there's it's there's
speaky alien monsters and all this type of stuff. But
the big sort of thing in the movie is how
people react to it, like because it's that fear of
the unknown. And they're in a supermarket and there's this
lady and she almost gives that vibe of reallyous connotations
and she's like, we have to sacrifice your child. The

(18:05):
protagonist has got a son that he's just trying to
look after and he's just trying to save his son,
and it's in this supermarket and people are like trying
to pull the son off him and give him to
the to the beasts in the mist, and it's that's
real crazy. That's a cool part of the movie. But

(18:25):
the theory behind it is because and this is the spoiler,
is at the end of the movie, they end up
driving into the mist and they get caught up and
they're like, well, there's nothing nothing else I can do,
and so he's sacrificed, like he pulls out a gun
and kills everybody. But once his son dies, the mist

(18:48):
clears up and the army come through. And the twist
is obviously that he killed everybody and all he had
to do was wait thirty seconds and the army would
have taken over.

Speaker 1 (18:59):
That's why I just just wait for the weather of
the past, you know, the past overreact.

Speaker 5 (19:05):
You know. It's such a it's such a crazy film. Yeah,
I suppose that's that's probably why Stephen King was angry
about that.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, yeah, sure, sure. Janks an absolute ripper, one that
doesn't necessarily hold a place.

Speaker 1 (19:21):
In in my heart. And I'm not even sure i've
seen his Dread?

Speaker 5 (19:28):
Is that? Is it?

Speaker 2 (19:28):
The recent the remake? Yeah, okay, tell us about your
your love of dread, uh.

Speaker 5 (19:35):
Your love of dreads. But I love it. It's yeah,
it's got Carl Urban in it as as a lead.
It is. It's just it's one of my favorite films
because it's directed so incredibly like it's such an incredible
watch as a movie. It's got the vibe of like
what they wanted to do in the eighties and nineties

(19:57):
with action movies, but it's done cleanly with what they
can do now. The whole one with Sylvester Stallone. It
was weird, Like it's a weird movie, right. I loved
it when I was a kid because I just loved
all those action movies. It was really fun to watch.
But this was an actual cool movie where it's got

(20:18):
like these effects. They have a drug in the movie
called slow Mo, and then when they do the drugs,
it's the whole movie slows down into slow mo and
gives you the You get to watch it from their
point of view, okay, and that's a really cool idea
for them to so, and then that gives us action

(20:39):
sequences so much more like Kick. Yeah, another movie that
didn't get a bit of love when it was at
the cinemas, but later found its hone, which is a
real shame because I was keen to watch a sequel
on that. But I don't think that that will ever
be because I just don't think people will see the
money in it.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
You never know.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
I mean, things can, like saw Shank can find its
the audience have a time, and I certainly Whenel recently
just did Wolfman and we're chatting about the Thing, which
you know was released about the same time as a
later runner. Both were not hits, but have really have
since become massive, you know, like but love you know,
and as Lee said, it just proves that the only

(21:17):
true critic is.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
Time, you know, and sometimes you do need that time and.

Speaker 2 (21:22):
Perspective and and sometimes about the world catching up to
what the movie was about as well.

Speaker 5 (21:27):
Yeah, I love the idea of this is such an
eighties thing because since you haven't seen it, but dread comes.
So's he's the law. He is the police officer, but
he's also the judge and the executioner if need be.
So when when they come in they do, they see them,

(21:48):
and then they judge them on the spot, and then
they that the population is so huge that they just
need to take care of the law then and there
get it done. And so then he will literally just
just pull out his weapon and and instantly like take
care of what needs to be taken care of once
they've been judged. This building, So they get into a building,

(22:08):
building goes into lockdown. The bad guy or bad girl
should we say that in this particular movie, is at
the top of the building and he has to make
his way up the levels past different villains on the way.
Some have different guards.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
It's just such a cool it's cool.

Speaker 5 (22:26):
It is sort of movie, but it's obviously filmed in
the twenty ten's, I think, or even the two thousand,
so it's such as it's relies on those old tropes,
but it's a new take on it, and I just
dig it. I think it's got a lot of nostalgia
for a new movie.

Speaker 1 (22:45):
Okay, okay, I'll check that out. Dread is on Take
it out. It's great, But let's talk about the movie
we are here to talk about.

Speaker 3 (22:54):
I don't want to be in the car anymore. I
want to go home.

Speaker 5 (22:57):
I don't want to go to Wali World Clark under
the circumstances, I wouldn't mind if we just went home.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
In retrospect, it seems like a pretty bad idea driving out.
It's been one disaster after another. Yeah, it's been a
real drag Dad. Maybe we can try it some all
the time. Why the world's overrated?

Speaker 6 (23:14):
Anyway?

Speaker 5 (23:15):
What do you think?

Speaker 4 (23:20):
I think you're all fucked in the head. We're ten
hours from the fucking fun park and you wanna bail out. Well,
I'll tell you something.

Speaker 5 (23:27):
This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest.

Speaker 1 (23:30):
It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun, and
you're gonna have fun.

Speaker 4 (23:34):
We're all gonna have so much fucking fun.

Speaker 7 (23:35):
When lead plastic surgery don't remove our goddamn s files,
you'll be whistling symphony due to out of your assholes.

Speaker 4 (23:43):
I gotta be crazy. I'm gonna pilgrimage to.

Speaker 1 (23:45):
See a Moose, praise Marty Moose.

Speaker 3 (23:49):
Ohly, shit, Dad, you want to ask for something?

Speaker 2 (23:53):
Okay, I'm excited when the comedian says that having not
seen this movie, which is in my life, and I'm
a bit older than you, Dane, so I understand why.
Maybe you haven't seen it. But this was such a
quotable movie with me and my friends. There's so many
things we used to quote from this movie. I cannot
wait to find out. What did you think? Did you
enjoy from nineteen eighty three Beverly the Angelo, obviously Chevy Chase,

(24:20):
Anthony Michael Hall, direct by Harold Ramis, written by John Hughes.
Did you enjoy National Lampoon's Vacation?

Speaker 5 (24:27):
Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed it. It was a good movie.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah yeah, I certainly.

Speaker 5 (24:35):
Don't see the iconicness of it, and maybe, yeah, it
is a it's a weird do you know what I'm
putting it down to. And this might come across as
really rude, but I find it to be very appealing
to old white dads. It's just it's just got that

(24:56):
vibe to it where, like I reckon, a mom would
watch it and go yeah and kids, and it's just
it's it's set and like absolutely stars an old white
dad who can just take his brain and put it
straight into Chevy Chase's character Griswold and just go yeah,
I'm like that, and you're like.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Great, well, it's it's interesting because I mean, first of all,
I love this movie when I was a teenage, Like
when I was a teenager, so and all our friends
watched it, and I have to say, my wife loves this,
like like I know it's about like I kind of
know what you're saying, because that's what the central character
kind of is. But I think the main line into

(25:38):
this movie is just like being on holidays with the
family and if you've ever been in that situation where
you're in the back of the backseat of the car. Originally,
the movie You Know, was based on an article that
John Hughes had written for The National lampoons, which is
called Vacation fifty six forty six or fifty eight, and
it was largely told through rusties the kid point of view,

(26:01):
which kind of explains the the slight weirdness of the
Ferrari girl played by Christy Brinkley. And we'll get to
that soon. So that was maybe like a fourteen year
old girl that like Russi's in the back seat, you know,
with his parents in the front, and he's like looking
looking over at his footing your girl, and they're kind
of like and they're kind of, you know, flirting, and
you know he's feeling weird about the whole thing, and

(26:22):
that that is way more innocent and kind of I think.

Speaker 5 (26:25):
That would genuinely make way more sense, man, because the
main character just basically cheating on his wife.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
Like it's so funny.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
Like when I was watching it as a kid, and
for so many years watching it, you knew it's a
bit weird and all that, but I just kind of went, oh, whatever,
you know, Like watching it kind of more recently in
recent years, you kind of go, it's such a big
swing and risk to take to have this guy who
you need to believe like and he's a he's a

(26:59):
good dad. You know, he gets two days off a
year and he wants this And that's the in for
me as well, Like being a dad, you're going to
go yeah, And this is as I get older and
now I am a dad, they're going to go, yeah,
I know what it's light to kind of go, I
want this to be perfect, you know, and I want
this am I to be honest. My wife would feel
like that as well. Like I think that's even these
days seen as a dad thing. I think my wife

(27:22):
as a mum, wants everything to be as good as
they can be for her kids.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
But it's a holiday, whether it's it's.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
Getting them ready for a school excursion, whatever it might be,
you know, making sure they're prepared for sport, all that stuff.
So yeah, the idea that he's a good dad. And
then the hot girl comes along in the Ferrari. Sure,
if you want to have that fantasy going, that's all fine.
The fantasy, Yeah, we get it, you know whatever, But

(27:49):
it's the follow through at the hotel later on.

Speaker 5 (27:54):
Go what Like I almost thought that this could this
girl could not exist, Like for three quarters of the movie,
I was like, maybe because everyone else is asleep, and
then he's just he's in his own world and he
just dreams of I wish I was like single or

(28:17):
back in my day when I still got it, Like
he's got these fantasies of him being like young again
or still attractive. And I get that that's really funny,
and that I thought that in the movie leading right
up to him actually meeting her and her being real
and being seen by other people, I was like, this

(28:37):
is a cool I get where he's where this imagination
is coming from. And then hopefully we find out that
this is not real, because I don't want this guy
to be a like he's a good dad, but he's
got to cree it.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
Yeah, he's a piece of you.

Speaker 5 (28:55):
And then that's where I thought it was going to go,
and I was like, Oh, this is great. And then yeah,
when she was real and they're they're in a pool
together and I'm just like, oh, dude, And then he's
explaining it to his life but he's just doing the
whole but you get it.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
Yeah, yeah, and she kind of goes along with it
because you know, and that's the level of the movie
that we're dealing with. We're not dealing with a real
examination of a marriage and desires and all that. But
I think what you are proposing is the perfect fix
for it. Like you can even have the scene where
they're having a drink and he's lying about being, you know,
the owner of the hotel, and then they can go

(29:30):
into the pool, but as soon as you know, somebody
comes out, she just disappears because she's a fantasy.

Speaker 5 (29:37):
Yeah, and I thought that that would be exactly what
was going to happen, That everyone comes out, sees him
naked in the pool, and then everyone goes, there's no girl,
and then he sort of wonders whether there really was
or whether whether she took off or And I thought
that that's cool. I could, I could. That could be

(29:57):
the the just side note, whether you take from what
you want from it. But yeah, and then I was like,
maybe it could still exist, like maybe that still exists
in my brain. But then he talks to Rusty.

Speaker 1 (30:11):
And then was it Rusty Rusty yeah, Rusty, ye yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (30:14):
He talks to Rusty and then Rusty is like, who's
that girl? Or we've seen the girl in the pool,
And then I'm like, ah, And then I thought maybe
they did that because it's a good gag for a
rusty to go do you reckon? Mumble buy It? That's
a good joke.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
That's that seems really is really nicely performed. And you know,
Anthony michaelhol what a great young child actor he is.
He goes on and works with you know, John Hughes
and Breakfast Club and sixteen Candles and Weird Science and yeah,
he's so like beyond like some of.

Speaker 1 (30:48):
The little touches he gives is so good.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
I think he's one of the best performances from anybody
that age that I've said.

Speaker 5 (30:58):
He's he's he goes on to do something with ghosts,
doesn't he like it's a TV show?

Speaker 1 (31:07):
Is that the Recent? Is that the Recent? Ghosts? Seriously
he's in that?

Speaker 5 (31:11):
Is he?

Speaker 8 (31:11):
Or?

Speaker 5 (31:12):
I think there's some kind of kind he does.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
He does pop up.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
He was in war Machine. Brad Pitt made a movie
called war Machine years ago and that so he does.
I mean for this generation, for a generation who you
know was at the right age for a Breakfast Club
and sixteen Candles. I mean, Anthony Michael Hall is a
you know, he's a legend. The producers did want Christy
Brinkley to be naked for that scene she refused good

(31:38):
on her, And so what happened, Like I said, it
was supposed to be kind of told from Rusty's point
of view, and then when chevy Chase signs on, you know,
he's a massive star coming out of Saturday Night Live,
They're going to go, well, nothing's going to be funny
than seeing it from you know, chevy Chase's point of view.

Speaker 1 (31:53):
So they changed they changes.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
Was supposed to be kind of a more innocent, you know,
a girl in the back of a car and rusting
back of his car to you know, a supermodel, and
it gets it gets a little bit creepy.

Speaker 5 (32:05):
Yeah, So what's really funny is my wife We're watching it,
and my wife just goes is Christy Brinkley And I'm
just like, I don't know who that is. She's she's
a model, and I'm like, okay, crazy.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
So she's a model, and she married Billy Joel so
that they were married. The song I'm much if you
know the song Up Tang Girl, that's that was read
about Christie Brinkley. Oh wow, yeah, she's a major. She's
a major model. I'm not sure like this was like
on her way up to becoming the star that she became,
or exactly whereabouts how established he was when she made this.

(32:40):
One other thing that we'll mention sometimes what happens in
this podcast, and I always remind people our audience dying
is I'm talking to somebody who has just seen this
classic movie. So you just saw it last night. Sometimes
what has happened over over the podcast is that as
we're talking about it, you kind of go, ah, actually, okay,
well yeah, maybe maybe I'll give it another go, or

(33:03):
maybe I think a little bit I may not watch
it again, but I feel a little bit differently that
might happen. It might not before I try to kind of,
you know, like seduce you into into enjoying this maybe
even more that there's a point that Howard Raimer said
that he was not not proud of, you know, in hindsight,
and that's the when they take the wrong exit and
going to the East Saint Louis and said it basically

(33:26):
is all the worst stereotypes of African Americans. You know,
they you know, they they get ripped off, they get
the hub cap stole, and he said that's that's that's
the scene that he regrets the most in the whole film.

Speaker 5 (33:40):
It's it does put a bad taste in your mouth
watching it in today's like, yeah, I've gone back. I've
watched Ninja Turtles, right, and I feel like they do
a really good ghetto scene in that without using like
stereotypes of using like Black America or anything. They actually

(34:02):
use it's just kids. Yeah, it doesn't matter what race
they are or anything. They show the delinquency can be
anything and people. And I'm like, Ninja Turtles got it right?
How crazy? That's like ninety three.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
The original Turtles are you?

Speaker 5 (34:21):
Yeah, like the original Ninja Turtles And it's so it's
so cool to watch. And yeah, Casey Jones like just
just in a park and that these and yeah, it's
it's got there's no racial connotations whatsoever. It's just you
feel gritty and that type of thing. And they're like, wow,
this is what a cool movie to be so woke.

(34:43):
It's weird.

Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well done, Ninja Turtles. There is a lot to like
about this movie.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
And I mean from the get go, I give them
the good mood as soon as I hear Holiday Road
and the postcards and and the you know, the imagery
is great. Written by Lindsay Buckingham remember of Flipper Mac
and she really red holl A Road.

Speaker 1 (35:00):
Yeah yeah, oh this is okay, that's crazy.

Speaker 5 (35:04):
I'm not a big Chevy Shapes fan, so we're probably
getting into the realm of like why I didn't watch it. Yeah,
well I haven't seen it before. I'm not not a
huge one. I love Chevy in Community. I think that's
one of the best series in the series, and he
is one of the greatest characters in that. Finding out
a little bit more about him, like what he was

(35:25):
like on set and stuff from people that are reminiscing
about filming that, and you go, okay, he's a bit.

Speaker 1 (35:31):
Not a cool guy. Not a cool yes, troublesome.

Speaker 2 (35:34):
So he Christopher Columbus actually had a meeting with Chevy Chase,
you know, the great Christopher Columbus, not the guy who
found in America.

Speaker 5 (35:44):
Mistook Native American people for India.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yes, not that one. We won't put that on him.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
Chris comas the director, he had a meeting with Chevy Chase,
so he was in line to direct Lampon's vacation it
might have been Christmas vacation even and then he had
such a horrible experience with him. He pulled out. He said,
I can't, I can't work with this man. And John
Hughes made it up to him and said, Okay, I apologize,
I'll make it up to you. I've got another movie
I want you to direct. That movie was Home Alone,

(36:15):
like one of the massive, the biggest movie the year
and still a classic. But the scene where they were
like throwing you know, when they back out, very early
scene after the he backs out of the home and
the suitcases off four down. Yeah, they wanted him to
shoot that, you know, quite a few times, and he
got he got pissed off and started throwing suitcases around
at the crew and everyone, and yeah, Howard Ramis had

(36:37):
to take him aside and say, if you ever embarrassed
me like that in front of the crew again, or
taught to me like that in front of the crew again,
you know, like just ripped through him and said apparently
after that he actually he caught him on his behavior.

Speaker 1 (36:50):
He was he was pretty good.

Speaker 2 (36:52):
But the stories I've heard about yeah, Chevy Chase, he's
not a particularly likable guy and he.

Speaker 5 (37:00):
The So we're watching that scene and my wife instantly goes,
there's room in the back for the luggage, and I like, yeah,
but the gag doesn't work.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's easily explainable from a comedian.
The gag doesn't work.

Speaker 5 (37:23):
It's such as it's full of gags. I felt like,
you know, sometimes I watch movies and I feel like
a comedian had something to do with the writing, because
there's jokes. There's a joke and it doesn't have much
to do with the movie. There's the crowbard a joking
because someone's gone this bit is funny, let's put it

(37:44):
in the movie. And I feel like there's a few
of those in the movie. There's a there's a few bits.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
Well it's funny.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
Because they took this movie to the famous and powerful
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was a paramount at the time, and
he rejected it because he said it's too episodic. And
their reply was, yeah, it's a road movie. Like that's
almost by definition what it is. You go from place
to place to place to place. That's how Yeah, that's

(38:11):
how road movies work. It's how travel works. Then they
do it Warner Brothers. They got it straight away, and
you know, it was a major hit. But I kind
of would you know, and we're coming from different experiences,
because I literally watched this in the eighties, you know,
maybe not in like I said, the cinema, but on
videotape and became like a massive thing that everyone around
me just quoted. You know that, and three a Megos

(38:32):
and a few other movies, and but nothing ever felt
particularly a shoehorn. And I kind of like there's some
sweet moments that are just effortlessly funny with that. Sometimes
they hinge on on a gag, but sometimes they just
it's a performance based Like Anthony Michael Hall, let's have
a listen to him sharing a beer with his dad.

Speaker 7 (38:53):
You know, maybe she'd be a nicer person she had
a family of her own, you know, instead of always
having a.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
Glamor on someone else.

Speaker 4 (39:02):
You're a pretty bright little guy. Excuse me, man, it's okay.

Speaker 3 (39:14):
You know what I wanna do.

Speaker 7 (39:18):
When I was your age, my dad shared a beer
with me, and I thought it was not the best
thing in the world.

Speaker 5 (39:34):
Eh.

Speaker 4 (39:36):
When I was a boy, it's just about.

Speaker 7 (39:37):
Every summer we take a vacation, and you know, in
eighteen years we never had fun. But now I have
my own family, and well we're on our own vacation
and you know something Russ what d We're gonna have fun?

Speaker 4 (39:56):
Uh, you gonna have fun.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
I love that for two reasons. One, it's funny that
you know, this kid checked me. It also to be honest,
like I allowed my you know, allowed invertcom as my
my sixteen year old to like have a beer at Christmas,
you know, like you know, with with with the family. Yeah,
and I gave him a corona and he like held

(40:26):
that corona. It wasn't his fucking first corona.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
I can take the.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Way he held it. And then he drunk it. And
he drunk it like Rusty Griswold. Okay, okay, yeah, okay,
I think you've shown something there to me.

Speaker 5 (40:44):
But it's not too good stuff at the back of
the come. But I know what it's like.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
And this is when I you know, I love that
movies keep growing and you go watch them at different
ages and they mean different things, and and you know,
I saw it from I found it was funny that
Rusty kind of chug the beer, you know, when I
watched it when I was younger. But now what I
see is a father trying to bond with his child,
and it can be awkward, like trying to actively bond
with your child like it. You know, bonding with your

(41:13):
child happens kind of naturally just through you know, guidance
and being around each other and the love that you
have and all that. But when you actively try to bond,
you know, verbally, try to bond that we're going to
have a conversation. Now it's awkward, like it's awk good.
You don't really have those conversations elsewhere, you know, at
that level where there's emotionally like you might you might

(41:36):
try to connect with somebody, but you may not. The
emotional connection is not necessarily there because you might go, Okay,
it's a bloke at work and we should be you know,
I'll reach out, Okay, we're not friends. Okay, I'll move
under somebody else, you know, I just won't. I'll avoid
him in the corralors or whatever it might be where
this is like, this is my son and I'm trying to,
you know, ask about the music they're listening to or

(41:57):
whatever it might be, and it's there's a movie I
watched recent and we did it on the podcast with
Olivia Deeble called Eighth Grade. I'm not sure if you've
seen that, but there's a scene that just blew me away.
And I just I was watching it by myself a
few months ago in the hotel room in Canberra, and
I just bawled. It's like a father trying to like
connect with his Chinese finally makes a connection and it's

(42:17):
just like, ah, hero moment and and that's this Scene's
not that, but it plays in that area where it's
he it's Chevy Chase, Grant Clark, Griswold trying to connect
with Rusty and put him in charge and like, you know,
say you're you're in charge of you know, I'm going
to go and find a mechanic and so you're in charge.
And he's trying to have this qui little bonding moment

(42:39):
before he heads off, and I just think it's I
think it's really beautiful.

Speaker 5 (42:42):
Yeah, it's It has got some some pretty redeeming moments
of Chevy's character, of Griswold being a dad, being a
cool and genuinely exactly what you're saying. That core of
the movie. I just want this to be perfect, and
it's being the complete opposite is brilliant. It's such a

(43:04):
good that's what makes the movie. That's just him trying
way too hard, and then it just not not playing
out the way that he wants it to. There's the
scene when they do go into a bar and he's
being a bit cheeky and letting his hair down and
he's trying to be a bit of a smarter to

(43:26):
the bartender, who's I think is trying to fix something
under the sink, and he's like, come on, come on, idiot,
giddy and give me a beer, and then he pulls
out I think it's a fake barrel Shoka and I
it's it's such a good scene, but then the closer

(43:46):
of that, the killer gag is excuse me, kind of
just trouble you for a drink? Plea is so funny,
and I'm like, ah, that's a bit. That's a good bit.
That is a that just seems like a really well
written joke. Yeah, and I feel like someone, I feel

(44:07):
like a comedian had something to do with that.

Speaker 1 (44:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
Absolutely, And there and there there are real jokes in there,
and then they're just a little performance performances throughout this movie,
not just by the Prince with the family, but you
have like at the start, Eugene Levy, you know, people
will know from Ship's Creek and you know, Waiting for
Gunman and all those films.

Speaker 5 (44:27):
I call him the dad from an American Pie, the.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
Deaf American Pie. He's like, yeah, he's iconic and brilliant.
I think the first time I ever saw him, and
he's so good. Like I'm not sure if there's any
gags in that scene, but I could watch that so
many times.

Speaker 1 (44:46):
It's just like his reaction of like, I know what happened.
It didn't come in?

Speaker 5 (44:52):
Yeah, yeah what he calls over the mechanic and says
he's looking for he's light blue sports car. Yeah, hangers, No,
I don't know it is, And that his face of
him trying to really like car sales minute is so funny.

(45:12):
What doesn't make sense, obviously, is why why does why
do they do it trading with the car and then
instantly crush it like that, if you rubbish.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I'm going to get I'm going to give the same
answer you gave your wife, because the joke works, The
gag needs to work. I mean I.

Speaker 2 (45:38):
Did laugh at the idea like life was, you know,
like I don't understand, like you know, oh man, and
everyone's going to say this. Whatever age you get to,
you're always going to say this. Our kids will say
this when they're older. Life was simpler then and you
could probably like, yeah, bring your car in. You know,
it's all been arranged, traded in new car.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
There it is where you know now it's there's much
more paperwork to be done, and everything feels a bit
more complicated. But that said, that said, it was you know,
it's done very quickly and obviously.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
To make the joke work. I mean the fact that
they drive the car back out of the pancake is
he's pretty.

Speaker 5 (46:15):
Hilarious, absolutely, and he goes to open the car door
and it's like the gag. The gag is there purely
I think to let you know, this is the humor
to expect for this movie, absolutely, because it's the first
big gag and you go, okay, this is the level
of silly that we're and you can it's not. This

(46:39):
is why I think Chevy pulls into a very weird
category for me, because he's not quite is it Leslie Nielsen,
he's not quite spoof ye silly weird comedy, and he's
not that that jokingly silly, but in real base, in
real life comedy, he's a mixture of in between. Yeah,

(46:59):
but so there's a lot of real life elements but
not spoof.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
Yeah, Americans do this time.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
This is not an uncommon kind of genre for Americans
doing comedy, where in Australia we kind of, I don't know,
sometimes we're trying to emulate what the Americans do with
that style of comedy.

Speaker 1 (47:15):
That'sn't since in the work here.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
But there is that They're they're good at still being
real but still having clear jokes. You know, yeah, they're
you know, within that world and them still kind of working.
And and I mean there are so many I mean
I love thee the barbecue scene when they got a
cousin Eddies Randy quaidh legend.

Speaker 5 (47:39):
More more, Randy Quaid more. That's that is an underutilized
character in this movie. He is ridiculously funny. I loved
every scene he was in, and almost every scene he's
not in when he's in the vicinity is he's got

(47:59):
a four print in it somehow. Yeah, and it's funny.
He's he. I would have loved to have seen almost
a Randy Quaid movie.

Speaker 1 (48:09):
Well, they did do it.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
They did do a cousin Eddy movie, which like years
and years later, it didn't really work, but he is
in Christmas vacation. I don't for a memory, he's in
European vacation, but he's in Christmas vacation. But yeah, he
was a bit of a like he almost stole the show.
Like he's he's as quotable. But when he gives it,
you know, but you can use a cold one, Clark,
and you know he's already junked him with the beer

(48:31):
and he cracks over in a can he gives the
beers has been drinking out of It's so good.

Speaker 8 (48:38):
My wife, My wife looked at me and she goes, you,
not a comment, dame, not a compliment, so insulting.

Speaker 1 (48:49):
It really is, it really is. But the whole this
is this.

Speaker 5 (48:56):
I feel like I'm going to give you a little
bit of light at the end of the tunnel on
this line. So yeah, I enjoyed. I enjoyed the movie
enough for it to be like it's a good movie.
I didn't like absolutely love it, but I love I
love John Candy, John Candy growing up, Uncle Buck, so
many movies where he's just absolutely brilliant, And I've always

(49:17):
loved John Candy movies. And it was cool to see
John little appearance in this one. Yeah, and I always
pause movies. I don't know if you do this, but
we pause movies and we have a chat about our thoughts,
not not particularly on the movie, but it could be.
So we paused it. John Candy pops up and we're
just like we going to this fifteen minute yan about

(49:39):
how there's no big guys, big funny guys in movies anymore.
That we went through a good phase there where there
was you know, Don Belushi, John Candy, Jonah Hill in.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Super Bad, Jonah Hill, Jack Black, I'll give.

Speaker 5 (49:55):
You Jack Black. Yeah, but it's of dried up, you know,
like it's not and they all seem to lose weight
and become more serious of it.

Speaker 1 (50:07):
Yeah, and yeah, bring them back.

Speaker 5 (50:10):
I say, probably I'm being biased in this because I.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
But no, I hear, don't trust me, I hear I
And John Candy is I think so brilliant. And we
discussed another film you hadn't seen, you haven't seen yet,
which is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And we didn't do
it because Georgie Tourney did that on this podcast that
we have covered, but it is in my top three films.

(50:36):
And I think if you love John Candy, plans, trains
and automobiles.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Yep, he's gonna blow your mind.

Speaker 5 (50:43):
Like, here's the thing with that. I don't like Steve Martin,
not don't like. I'm using too strong a words. So
Steve Martin has never been like really funny to me.
I've I've watched Murders in the Building recently and I
absolutely love it, and that's like evoked some some good

(51:06):
emotions to Steve Martin. Martin short has always been funny.
Was he in the Mannequin? I think he was in that?

Speaker 1 (51:16):
That was that was McCartney.

Speaker 5 (51:18):
McCartney. Yeah, I always yeah, But I've loved I've loved
a bunch short movies. But yeah, so Steve Martin, I
will go back and watch planes, trains and automobiles because
I like him now. But Chevy, I'm starting to warn
to well, what what so.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
You're explain James and autobiles? Okay, watch that?

Speaker 2 (51:41):
Watch that that' see Steve Martin, John Candy combination and
John Candy gives I think like it should look like
one of Oscart. In my mind, comedy is underrated, as
you know, but those two together are fucking dynamite. And
and you're not really supposed to like Steve Martin's Carriagter
for a while and you kind of eventually going to
warm to him, and you know, and.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
It's it's beautiful. It's a beautiful movie.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
And it's one of those movies I'm glad to hear.
I think I hear more people talking about as a
classic in then over the last ten or so years.
I shuddered the thing I heard recently that Will Smith
is looking to remake planes, trains and automobiles, and I'm like,
keep your fucking dirty hands off. You keep playing trains
and hoornobiles out of your fucking mouth.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
But it is.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (52:29):
But then you have to watch Three Amigos because Three
Amigos is Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase.

Speaker 1 (52:36):
So that will be the test. You're not ready for
it yet. I don't think you're not ready.

Speaker 5 (52:41):
So I think this is the light at the end
of the tunnel. Is that I'm going to go and
watch Fletch. Yep, because I made of mine said that
that's good. I've been intrigued by Fletch before, like because
it's it's a is he a p I something like this?
And I've seen I think I've seen, Like I haven't

(53:02):
seen any scenes or anything, but I think I've heard gads.
I can't remember, but I think that this would be
I think I've seen it in like the background of
a lound room as I've sort of walked through.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
Yeah, I like I like Fletch.

Speaker 2 (53:17):
But it's interesting what you say about Chevy Chase, because
outside of National Lampage Vacation, I'm not really sure what
I do like him in. To be honest, like I
think he's finding in community, but like when I when
I came to him in through National Lampeage Vacation as
Clark w Griswold, like, it's hard for me to kind
of like shake that off and and to see him

(53:38):
years later, when I've heard all the stories about him,
and you know, and I had a friend who kind
of worked with him and confirmed that, yeah, not a
not a great guy. And so it's hard for me
to even enjoy that as much. But I'm happy to
keep vacation in its own bubble and kind of go.
It meant a lot to me as a kid. It
made me laugh. We worried, you know, reultimate or catch

(54:01):
a beddy. Nothing but the best you know, that's a
good saying.

Speaker 5 (54:05):
That's a funny the Hamburger Helper Hamburg. I didn't I've
never heard of this before. But you can tell through
context of that gag and how quickly they do it,
you can just tell what what it is. I'm assuming
it's seafood extender him.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
Yeah, And that's and that's what I think Australians we've
got used to doing, where I don't think Americans do
that for movies that don't involve their culture.

Speaker 1 (54:34):
They did.

Speaker 2 (54:34):
They My impression is they need to be spoon fed.
Where Australians, because you know, most of the movies they
watch are American, they get all the references. So when
you know they get references out in their in their zeitgeist,
they struggle. They need to be told exactly what it is.
Where we just kind of work it out. We're gonna go, okay,

(54:55):
that must be yeah, extended, you know what you said.
But John Candy kind of came in late because they
rewrote the ending. They rewrote the ending and he was
paid a million dollars to do this. And the other
reason this holds a special place in my heart. I
remember my mum watching it and seeing John Candy up
and down at roller coaster and then explaining how good
the roller coaster was.

Speaker 1 (55:14):
At the end, she.

Speaker 2 (55:17):
Just I remember seeing her shoulders. I was thinking behind her,
I think or across from her shoulders would have started shaking,
and she just snorting and laughing so much. And that's
as I wrote, like a yes, Samuel Johnson writes, these
has these books where it's a collation of letters that
people might write to their mums or their fathers, and

(55:37):
I write to my mom about you know, like it
was basically watching her watch John Candy on the roller
coaster nationally MPG vacation was like, oh, I want to
make people laugh.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
I want to make people laugh like that, you know.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
So yeah, John Canny has a very special place in
my heart, not just for this film, but for so yeah,
playing trains.

Speaker 5 (55:58):
You know what's really funny in that Randy Quaid scene.
I've already quoted that this morning. I've watched it last night,
and this morning I took my little my little man,
little Ari to swimming practice. Yep, and it's ten dollars,
but you've got to pay cash. And I asked my wife,

(56:21):
do you have any cash on you? As we're walking
in and she goes, how much do you need? And
I said fifty two thousand dollars. It's that's funny. That's
a good scene. That is that is a silly gag.

(56:41):
I can't stress John Candy. And I was going to say,
Dennis Quaid, what are they? What's Randy and Dennis Quay They?

Speaker 1 (56:47):
I think I think they are related. Actually it's a
good question.

Speaker 2 (56:51):
But Z every little joke's like you know, cousin Eddie's
wife when she says, you know, Eddie says, when the
bee becomes I can quit one of my night jobs.

Speaker 5 (57:00):
That's so funny. That's such a funny. That's a good line.
One of my night jobs is a great line. And
he's doing nothing, which is really funny. And yeah, there's
just there's so much to it. There's there's how he
sort of beats around the bush with asking for money
and then is really insulting to him when he does

(57:24):
asks for it. I just yeah, I constantly as the
movie kept progressing, I'm like, he'll pop up again. There's
no way this guy won't be in this movie again.
And he just wasn't. Yeah, and I missed it.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
You have also emaging Coco, who is a bit of
a comedy legend work with since Caesar, almost like a
Betty White style like legend. In the States, she plays
Aunt Edna, and her concern was that she thought the
character was too mean and she wasn't sure if she
could actually be that mean, and you know, and she

(57:58):
did also like traveling in cars. But she's very she's
very funny. I remember kind of hating her watching a bit,
like hating the character and like kind of going, I
would not want to be trapped in the car with
this woman, and which is exactly how you're supposed to
feel like. It's it's such a great it's a great performance.

Speaker 4 (58:16):
Real tomato Ketchupanny, Oh, nothing but the best.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
And Edna go for getting cold?

Speaker 5 (58:26):
Is that your Aunt edla.

Speaker 7 (58:37):
Ed After all these years, you're looking.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
So good.

Speaker 4 (58:42):
And nice to see you again. You remember, Clark, don't you?

Speaker 3 (58:54):
You were the ones that sent me the fruitcake for Christmas.
It made me so sick. Oh, I'm sorry.

Speaker 7 (59:02):
We thought you enjoyed fruitcake.

Speaker 3 (59:04):
You enjoy throwing up every five minutes, Claude Clark, I
thought so well? Am I gonna eat? Or am I
gonna starve to death? Catherine, did you.

Speaker 5 (59:19):
Tell Clark and Ellen the good news? Uh? No, I
was just about to Catherine, what's the good news?

Speaker 3 (59:28):
You're driving me the Phoenix.

Speaker 5 (59:31):
She's amazing and that that you can tell that there's
chemistry between all of the actors, how they all gel together.
But it was cool seeing these people like comedians today,
like seeing that that young boyster, the guy who plays Rusty.
I seen him in some TV show and I remember,
I can't remember what it's called ghost World or something
like that. When I was growing up, he could see spirits.

(59:52):
I remember that so as a teenager, and that came
on like late at night at ten o'clock. The Daughter,
Oh of Randy Quaid.

Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
Oh yeah, Jane Krakowski.

Speaker 5 (01:00:04):
Yeah, she's from thirty Rock, thirty Rock, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:00:07):
Her film debut, Ally McBeal and thirty Rock Yeah. And
The Sun the Sun Dale. He has a claim to
fame that he delivers the first line ever in Cheers.

Speaker 5 (01:00:19):
Oh wow.

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
Yeah, he walks into the bar at Cheers and delivers
a line to the Sam Alone Ted dancing.

Speaker 9 (01:00:27):
It's yeah, you can just tell that that these people
are like it's a it's a classic movie, but all
of these people have gone on to do really cool
things in that comedy space, which I like.

Speaker 5 (01:00:38):
But yeah, John Candy has got some just some great
lines in it as well. Oh even when he just goes,
that's a bb gun, that whole that whole acknowledgment of
it being a bb gun, I just find myself laughing
out loud. Yeah, and then he goes to get up
and he just shoots him in the barm. Is just

(01:01:00):
it's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:01:01):
Well, the the power of this I think movie has
is and that what drives Clark, and you know it
keeps the family going is this promise of this utopia
that is Wally World. You know, originally in the script
it was Disneyland. They said that we are opened three
hundred and sixty five days a year. We are not
shutting down for your movie.

Speaker 5 (01:01:21):
Sorry, folks, Park's closed.

Speaker 10 (01:01:23):
The moose out front should have told you, yes, we're
here to see mister Roy Wallie.

Speaker 4 (01:01:27):
What's your name for Clark w Griswoll. What's just regarding
mister Bristol.

Speaker 10 (01:01:35):
Ah, we're public relations or a summer inspection to a
personal matter, Ah inspection.

Speaker 4 (01:01:44):
Oh nobody nobody notified this office of on there anything. Well,
I'm notifying you. I'm afraid I'm gonna need a little more,
not sir. Okay, dokie, how's it, Clark?

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
If you lost your mind?

Speaker 4 (01:01:59):
Where did you get sporting? Good story? Honey? Now you
listen to me, fantass. You do what I say and
it won't be any problem.

Speaker 10 (01:02:04):
Okay, okay, we just throw two four hundred and sixty
miles just for a little Roy Walley entertainment.

Speaker 4 (01:02:09):
The moose says, your clothes. I say, you're open.

Speaker 3 (01:02:12):
We're not really violent people. This is our first gun.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
No, it isn't so they I think they should. They
should have six flags when they're in the car park.
You know, why do we puck so far away? Because
at the end of the day, when the lot is full,
we'll be the first ones out.

Speaker 5 (01:02:30):
Yeah, that's gotta be. That's gotta be an iconic line.

Speaker 1 (01:02:32):
Oh absolutely, I I was.

Speaker 5 (01:02:35):
I was equal amounts angry and laughing at that scene
because I felt like that's something my dad would do,
and it's just so stupidly. It's like an idiot genius
came up with this.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
The charot, Yeah, the charots are fine kind of the
other they're so happy, they're so happy, and then it's
you know, and then it's you know, the moose informs
and that it's closed. But originally, and they shot this originally,
Wally's daughter was going to be the Ferrari girl, Christy Brinkley,

(01:03:11):
and she was going to let them, let them off,
and then they were going to go home, and they
got onto the wrong flight and they realized whilst on
the flight that they're on the wrong plane, and then
I think then hijacks the plane. Was like, it's kind
of like nuts. And then somebody, the producers or somebody said,
you know, we need to finish the story at Wallyworld.

(01:03:32):
It's been all about going to wally Wild. Let's finish
the story at Wallywild. So they changed it. I think
that's when they got John Candy in actually, and they
they made it does the hijacking of you know, John
Candy and the security people to enjoy the rides. The
rider apparently they had to keep doing them. You know,
Audrey was getting six, was taking you know, medication to help.

Speaker 1 (01:03:53):
Her get through it. They said, there's all the fear
you see in their eyes is real fear.

Speaker 5 (01:03:58):
This is the thing is like, all right, no, we
need to lose the plane scene, but we want to
keep the hijacking needs to stay in. Well, we can
just finish it it well, hijack hijacking. If there's no hijacking, it's.

Speaker 2 (01:04:21):
Eddie Bracken is also somebody else who is a bit
of a legend from vaudeville days. He plays Roy Wally,
obviously playing Walt Disney basically, but.

Speaker 1 (01:04:35):
He's so funny as well.

Speaker 2 (01:04:37):
Like the performance again again, like I'm trying to think
there's any kind of gags as such, but it's just
you know, like you know when collactes are a little
bit haywire.

Speaker 1 (01:04:47):
He goes, well, you've got a lot of haywire. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but it's just such a good nuanced performance in this
what is, as you've mentioned, quite a broad comedy.

Speaker 5 (01:05:00):
Yeah, and I know him as like, I don't know
his last I don't know his her name, but I'll
just call him mister Toys from Home Alone too.

Speaker 1 (01:05:08):
Yes, yes, again another John Hughes movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:05:13):
There seems to be a lot of characters from the
Home Alone series.

Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
And a lot a lot of these actors are also
from Second City, so held ramis in Canada, So how
ramis had this kind of connection with you know, John
Candy and and and and Eugene Levy and and and
Brian Doyle Murray, and you know, there's there's quite a
few of them in there. Miriam Flynn, who's Eddie's wife,
who mentioned before, she's Second City as well, So there's

(01:05:39):
quite a few the scene that I have also, you know,
gotta wrap up soon. But the dog and the on
the freeway, Well.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
Officer, whatever it is I've done, I'm sure I can explain,
explain that, you son of a bitch. Oh my god.

Speaker 6 (01:05:58):
You know what the penalty for animal cruelty is in
this state?

Speaker 11 (01:06:02):
Oh, sir, I don't. Well, it's probably pretty stiff. Oh
you can't think I do this on purpose, sir. I look,
I tied him to the rear bumper when I was
packing the car. It was very confusing. I must have forgot.
I'm very sorry. I feel terrible.

Speaker 4 (01:06:23):
How do you think that little dog feels.

Speaker 6 (01:06:30):
Look, I told you I was sorry. It really was
an accident. Yeah, I guess I can buy that, sir,
But it is a shame I had a poach like
this then when I was a kid. Poor little guy
probably kept up with you for a mile or so, tough,

(01:06:52):
little mud.

Speaker 3 (01:06:55):
Yeah, I was afraid you get pulled over. Clark. You've
been exceeding the speed limit for thousands of miles. Dad
wasn't speeding. The cop stopped us because Dad forgot that
he was speeding, Rusty, No he wasn't.

Speaker 4 (01:07:16):
Mom, Russ, listen to your mother.

Speaker 1 (01:07:18):
I was speeding.

Speaker 4 (01:07:19):
I was driving like a maniac. We can all be
grateful to this man for stopping us.

Speaker 6 (01:07:23):
You see, kids crazily, Sir, I'm going back to get
the rest of the carcass off the road.

Speaker 4 (01:07:28):
Thank you, officir.

Speaker 5 (01:07:29):
See.

Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
I mean, this movie does a really good job of
like going all the bad things that can happen. They
get the wrong car at the start, you know, they
get stuck with this you know old woman who's annoying
and angry and potentially smelly. She ends up dying and
that they killed a pet, you know, and or they
kill a pet before and then then she dies. They

(01:07:52):
crashed the car the money stole like that, and then
they get to the end of Bollywood and it's closed.
Like I always emphasized in this podcast, like great movies
just keep on throwing obstacles that the main characters that
the protagonist you know, and like both emotionally and and
and physically, and there are emotional you know barriers here

(01:08:13):
the kids that are getting over it. You know, there's
there's being like a you know, class kind of cheated
on on on al you know, if not physically emotionally
you know.

Speaker 1 (01:08:21):
And yeah, I do think this movie does it really well.

Speaker 5 (01:08:25):
I love the there's lines in the movie that let
you know the absolute level of stupidity or seriousness should
I even say it's it's a bit of both of
where we're at at the moment. Because the dog, the
dog dying scene, they really they do a gag, but

(01:08:48):
it lets you know that this is a really full
on moment. Yeah, because I think the wife says something
and he's like, oh, let me do it, and then
she's just like, as long as you don't tie me
to the car or what yes, and you go, whoa,
that's really full on. But yeah, that that lets us know.
And then when the mother dies, uh and they just

(01:09:09):
leave her, the wife says it again. She says, well,
I suppose you just led left his dead mum at
his back door, yeah, in the rain, And you just go, oh, yeah,
we have gotten really stupid here, and that line just
lets me know we've really pushed some boundaries here, like
this is really we're in some serious territory. And then

(01:09:32):
for Wally World to be closed and that's the breaking
point is really funny. That's you're like, also, the park
is closed, You're like, dude, that's of all things, that's fine.
But because that's the that's that straw, that's the absolute
pinnacle of the movie, and that's what we've been building

(01:09:53):
towards it. Really, it just makes sense and it's fun,
and yeah, that's it's it's well written in that kind
of context. I loved. I loved all of that, the
stupidity and the build up and the craziness that's happening.
And you're forgiven because again the gag needs to work
so cool and Chevy is brilliant and as well when

(01:10:14):
he gets lost in the desert and goes for a walk.
But the Native American people like look after the family.
That's really funny.

Speaker 2 (01:10:20):
Yeah, like I said, outside of vacation, actually, I do
like Three Amgos. He's great in Three Amgos and I
like Fletch, but I do love Three Amigos. I think
it's got jokes all the way through it.

Speaker 1 (01:10:31):
It's great.

Speaker 2 (01:10:31):
But yeah, I kind of don't necessarily I love Steve Martin,
I love I love John Candy Martin Short. I don't
necessarily have that in built love for Chevy Chase, but
I do particularly love him and I think it's a
perfect role for him and I think he commits to it.

Speaker 1 (01:10:46):
Yeah, it's a fun one, mate. We have to wrap
this up. I love that we got you on. You
are coming. You are touring around the country. Is that happening?

Speaker 5 (01:10:56):
Yeah? Yeah, I heading to Adelaide Free. I've got my
new show, did you read Dad? Obviously just becoming a
new dad, which is crazy. I've got a little boy,
his names Ari and he's eight months old. So Adelaid Fringe.
I'll take that to Adelaid Fringe and too, Sydney Comedy
first and then Melbourne Comedy Festival. I've got some guys

(01:11:17):
coming from Wagga Wogga, which I'm really proud of him.
All the locals heading over the Best of the Bush,
the best of the Bush.

Speaker 2 (01:11:25):
And I really urge people to get along because it
means a lot to these comedians that you've provided this
forum and the festival has. So we did a gig
at Woggle with you, a couple of gigs at one
in Wagga Wogga. There's a whole bunch of comedians on
the bill, and I remember when I was seen saw
how many people on the bill, I was almost like,
you probably just need you to you just get up

(01:11:47):
to it. You know, maybe you have one support and
then I'll get up. But like you see what it
means because you know, you know, a comedian with a
little the profile comes into town. You know, there's there's
a crowd there and you see these comedians get up
and to really kind of lap up, you know, and communities,
you know, we are all better when there's a bigger crowd.

Speaker 5 (01:12:05):
Yeah, of course, So it was.

Speaker 1 (01:12:08):
It was such a joy to do.

Speaker 2 (01:12:09):
And I recommend and anciently making my way to see
the Best of the Bush at the Melbourne.

Speaker 5 (01:12:14):
Yeah comfortable. And then I've got another show called Black
Holes with Isaac Compton. So We're only doing two weeks
with the Best of the Bush and then I'll do
the other two weeks with Isaac mate at the Greek Center. Yeah. Yeah,
always always doing gigs, Bro Gig Pig.

Speaker 1 (01:12:30):
We love it. We absolutely love it and I still
we had. We also did a gig at ger Rodgery
that was a crazy one. That was great, That was iconic.
What a great pub, it's awesome.

Speaker 5 (01:12:44):
The Groddery Hotel, what a fantastic little venue. And everyone
down there is just super into it. They're just beautiful people.
And yeah, I love taking comics down there and just
having a good time.

Speaker 1 (01:12:54):
We loved it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
I still wear my hat proudly. Mate, I love you.
Can't wait to see you in Melbourne and around the
traps for some gigs. And Mate, thanks for joining us,
and you ain't seen nothing yet.

Speaker 5 (01:13:05):
Thanks for having me and my brother.

Speaker 2 (01:13:24):
Dane Simpson. Everybody the great day. The King of Waga
Dane Simpson, I said to him after we finished it.
You know, like when I started this podcast, I was
kind of hoping that everyone loved the movie, you know,
because then it will be easy to do. But what
I've actually grown to enjoy as much, just as much,
is when they're a bit oh not sure, I'm not

(01:13:45):
sure about the movie, and that way we can chat
of that, and as long as they come, I guess,
come with a willingness to chat the reasons they didn't
like the movie or or are still grappling with it.
I think it makes it entertaining, So yeah, I enjoy
I enjoyed that conversation with the Great Dane Simpson. Catchies

(01:14:07):
comedy Fesseral Show, Didrey Dad at the Melburn International Comedy
Festival and Best of the Bush. Excellent stuff next week
on the show. Somebody who means a lot to me.
She directed the only movie I've ever made, I Love
You Too. It's the great Dana Reid, who has gone
on the direct well many things in Australia but also internationally.
She's been working Handmaid's Tail and Upload and working with

(01:14:30):
some real heavy hitters from you know, Steve Carrall and
Elizabeth Moss and absolutely killing it. And we're going to
be discussing a movie from nineteen fifty eight. I'd heard
of this one. I've been really keen to do. The
Defiant Ones Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis basically chained together
prison break movie. It's I watched it last night. I'm

(01:14:51):
going to say I watched it last night and I
cannot wait to talk to Dana about it. If you
haven't seen The Defiant Ones, check it out before you
listen to the podcast. It's amaz On check it out
there and directed by Stanley Kramer. It's a it's an
amazing movie. I can't speak highly enough of it. That's
next week, and you ain't seen nothing yet until then.

Speaker 1 (01:15:10):
By an hour

Speaker 2 (01:15:21):
And so we leave old Pete save fan sult, and
to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a
pleasant good night.