I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not (2025)

An impartial look at the comedic actor known for playing bumbling, arrogant characters with his trademark acerbic wit, from his beginnings with National Lampoon to his meteoric rise on Saturday Night Live; and the flourishing film career at the height of his popularity, before his perceived fall from grace. 

I've always liked Chevy Chase. Even when the world says you shouldn't like 'this person' because of 'this, that or the other.' Honestly, I relate more to the outcasts than anything. Once you get past his thorny exterior, you realize he's full of contradictory layers; thin-skinned and sensitive to criticism, but just wants to be loved. Even when he rubs people the wrong way, there's a self-awareness of coping and pain behind his eyes. This doc features him, warts and all. My only complaint is that it feels like it merely scratches the surface.

3 pratfalls out of 5

Lorne (2026)

Lorne Michaels, the maverick behind Saturday Night Live for the past five decades, is given his own spotlight here, where he is as cagey, elusive and stoic as ever, including to his own friends and co-workers. This doc attempts to penetrate the mystique that surrounds this aura with a cheeky narrative approach that guesses at half-truths, along with some candid footage of the man behind the curtain at Studio 8H, where he ushered in an era of counter-cultural voices and leaves behind an enormous legacy of comedic talent. Yet, at the end of the day, we still don't know much more than when we started. 

2½ Dr. Evil impressions out of 5

Zombie Town (2023)

A kid's zombie movie, where nothing scary ever happens. After watching a cursed film, the town's inhabitants are turned into the walking undead. Based on R.L. Stine's novel, it has all the professionalism of a high school production. All the characters are insufferable, two-dimensional tropes. Full of harmless monsters that aren't even a threat, and predictably boring tripe that amounts to less than nothing. The shitty Zoom cameo from R.L. Stine was probably the scariest part and I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing any zombie makeup.

It was such a crime to have Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase together again after 32 years and only have them share one small scene in the end credits that was obviously intended for the blooper reel. What a waste all around.

½ a film reel out of 5

Caddyshack II (1988)

Sequel to the 1980 classic comedy is a major downgrade in quality, although with the benefit of hindsight, it's not nearly as bad as it's been painted. Chevy Chase is the only actor who returns, but he's joined by Dan Aykroyd (who takes over the Bill Murray role) and Jackie Mason (who plays the Rodney Dangerfield character). Plus, that gloating animatronic gopher is back. The biggest slight against it is that they toned down the naughty R-rated humor and whiffed it with a watered-down PG rating, ensuring that no one is happy.

2 Kenny Loggins songs out of 5

Caddyshack (1980)

Harold Ramis's classic sports comedy has a lot of good things going for it; namely Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield as two freewheeling golfers crashing a stuffy old country club, but most people will undoubtedly be well acquainted with Bill Murray as the groundskeeper trying to outsmart a gopher who's digging holes throughout the green. There's a lot going on here and most of it works, so long as you're in an '80s frame of mind. It's politically incorrect, outrageous and irreverent. So it's got that going for it, which is nice.

4 pool floaters out of 5

Vegas Vacation (1997)

A bit of the spark is gone in the fourth Griswold family adventure, but it's still a rowdy good time if you're into Chevy Chase at his manic best. Clark decides to take the family out on a classy trip to Las Vegas to renew his vows with Ellen, while Rusty tries underage gambling and Audrey becomes an exotic dancer. The film benefits from Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), returning from two of the previous films. Like the city of Vegas itself, it's a bit hacky, but has its charms.

3 dam tours out of 5

National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo return, while the rest of the cast gets a shakeup (a running gag that continues throughout the series). The Griswolds win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe and we're off to the races. This film is noticeably rougher compared to its predecessor, and the jokes are broader, but it's still fun to see the Griswolds causing carnage across the world, from Chicago to London, Paris, West Germany and Rome. I don't know why this stuff tickles me so. To see someone trying so hard and failing is relatable, I guess.

3½ unlucky bike riders out of 5

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

"I must be crazy. I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose. Praise Marty Moose!"

The classic road trip comedy about a well-meaning father (Chevy Chase) who tries to take his wife and kids on a good old-fashioned family vacation, while everything goes wrong at every turn. John Hughes adapts the memories of his youth while Harold Ramis directs the mayhem. It's down and dirty, but this film is pitch-perfect and I won't hear any differently. That's it. That's the review.

5 girls in a red Ferrari out of 5

Fletch Lives (1989)

Fletch finds himself the sole inheritor of an 80-acre estate in the Deep South, where he promptly quits his job as a journalist in order to retire. From there, he quickly becomes embroiled in a murder plot, the Ku Klux Klan, a televangelist megachurch, and other toxic waste. This 1989 sequel is looked down on for a number of reasons, but it's the strength of Chase's performance that really elevates the whole thing for me. It's diminishing returns, but as long as you go into this knowing it's not as good as its predecessor, you'll have a decent time.

2½ plantation dreams out of 5

Fletch (1985)

Chevy Chase is Irwin M. Fletcher, an undercover reporter investigating a drug trafficking ring on the beaches of Los Angeles who gets mixed up in a murder for hire plot. His arsenal is a well versed series of aliases and disguises that he uses to get himself in and out of trouble. Chase settles into the role with ease, and it's this kind of bumbling, sarcastic, quick-witted wiseacre that he always excelled at. A quite enjoyable and frequently hilarious detective comedy.

3½ prostate exams out of 5

Three Amigos (1986)

Three recently out-of-work silent film actors known for their popular role as a trio of heroic gunfighters are recruited by a desperate Mexican village under attack by a gang of banditos who mistake them for the genuine article.

The real charm of this movie comes out of the chemistry between Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, who bounce off each other seamlessly as they remain ignorant of what's happening. It was never particularly well regarded, even at the time of its release, but it's a weirdly reassuring Western comedy from a period of film that's fun to revisit from time to time again.

3 singing bushes out of 5

Note: This is a duplicate nut because I'm an idiot and didn't check first.

The Groove Tube (1974)

One of the earliest examples of a sketch comedy movie (outside of Monty Python and Woody Allen), this unconnected series of vignettes revolves around a spoof of '70s counterculture, local television and commercials of the time. A lot of these references are long gone and only the parody remains.

As with all sketch comedy, there are swings and misses, but the worst offense is a lengthy segment in the middle about a couple of drug dealers which really drags the pacing down. This was also Chevy Chase's first role (before he hit it big on Saturday Night Live the following year), but he only features in two brief bits although was advertised as the "star" on the cover of the rental box.

I saw this at an impressionable age and it had such an impact on me that I always return to it warmly again and again. It features irreverent, sexually charged humor that is chock-full of indecency and scatological references. This was always the stuff I craved; I was clearly born in the wrong time.

If obscenity is your bag, you will enjoy this.

3 "make believe" times out of 5

Note: Originally recorded in 4:3 format, it's been "remastered" and cropped to 16:9 for modern boob tubes, which sadly means you lose part of the frame.

VACATION [2015]

The fifth installment of the long-running Vacation series has Ed Helms stepping in for Chevy Chase in the lead role as Clark Griswold's son, Rusty, now all grown up and with a suffering family of his own.
It basically follows the story of the first film, only now it's a whole new generation of Griswolds making their way to the infamous Walley World amusement park.
Overprotective fan-babies of the original series will scoff at the change in tone from the original films but it's not like they were cinematic gold to begin with.  The films were directionless silly humored and not particularly intelligent but they supplied laughs-a-plenty and that's where this film succeeds if you're ready and willing to lower your expectations to a not-so-classic but highly cherished comedy series of the '80's.

3 "mud" facials out of 5

¡THREE AMIGOS! [1986]

Having not seen director John Landis' comedy ¡Three Amigos! since I was a kid in the late '80's I was afraid it wouldn't be the laugh-fest I remembered it as.
Thankfully the comedy stylings of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase & Martin Short holds up even better than I thought it would in this funny homage to The Magnificent Seven.
Three half-witted heroes of the silent films are hired by a small town in Mexico, who believe they're the real thing, to protect them from a gang of thugs robbing the citizens of everything they're worth.  The silliness is piled on pretty heavily, while the messy script feels like they were like "let's do this next" and never give it a second thought but it's the likeability of the leading trio that makes the whole thing come together.  It's a reasonably harmless slice of good-natured fun that's near impossible to resist.

3 sons of a motherless goat out of 5

(¿Por qué no los dos?)

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

A group of friends past their prime and down on their luck attempt to rekindle memories of their youth at a ski resort they once frequented. One has to suspend disbelief when they discover their hot tub is a time machine. It's a blatant no-brains, have-a-blast type of comedy with plenty of raunchy humor and over-the-top performances. And despite a slow start, the film does a nice job of fitting in stories for each of the ensemble cast. Now in the 80s they act to change their pathetic destinies and find a way back to their own timeline. The only real eye sore is the absolutely terrible green screen effects.

3 one-armed Crispin Glovers out of 5

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

An invisible man story that doesn't play around with how much fun it would be to creep into the ladies showers. Instead, it puts emphasis on how lonely it would feel not being seen by the people you care about. It doesn't go as far down that route as it could've because it seems intent on keeping a light-hearted tone too. It’s less goofy than the kind of film Chevy Chase is better known for, and devoid of the kind of horror themes that Carpenter is known for. The entire film feels like a compromise by everyone involved.

2 suspended laws of physics out of 5

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

The third installment in the Vacation series is also the quintessential standalone movie about staying home for the holidays. It covers all of the usual bases; putting up Christmas decorations, putting up with family, putting up with the stresses of work and bonuses and all the bullshit that goes along with it. It's one of those movies that grows with you year after year until it can do no wrong; it becomes perfect. One of the most laugh-out-loud funniest movies and enjoyable parts of the season, as far as I'm concerned. 

Chevy Chase's incredulous look at the end says it all: I did it.

5 Jelly of the Month Clubs out of 5

Not Another Not Another Movie (2011)

This is not a spoof movie. What is this? It's a satire on movie-making and taking shortcuts in the film industry from the perspective of a clueless PA. There are some parodies here and there (Titanic II, Die Hard In Space), but they're freestanding scenes that aren't really connected to the rest of the movie. So is it funny? Well, yes and no. There's actually some talent here; David Leo Schultz is hilarious in a broad, slapstick sort of way and you've got a bunch of big supporting names (Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase, Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones) rounding out the rest of the cast, but the movie itself feels like one big chaotic editing mess. So do I recommend it? Eh...only if you're in the mood for a purposefully bad comedy*.

2.5 baby ninjas out of 5

*results are probably enhanced under the influence of alcohol