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

The Silence of the Hams (1994)

AKA: Il silenzio dei prosciutti

This spoof on psychological thrillers (most notably The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho) is helmed by Italian comedian Ezio Greggio, who portrays rookie detective Jo Dee Fostar, while the main highlight is Dom DeLuise as convicted murderer Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza. Like many lesser parody films, it employs the "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach, which can be fun in small doses, but it's not one of the more memorable spoofs of the '90s.

2 iggy-boos out of 5

Freaky Friday (1976)

Disney's classic body swap comedy finds 13-year-old Jodie Foster entering into the body of her hot mother (Barbara Harris), and vice versa, on a wish placed during Friday the 13th. My first thought is how easily this could be turned into a porno, but in actuality, it's an incredibly quaint and corny family comedy. What strikes me is how unceremonious the transformation process is, and how quickly they accept their new reality. Both envy each other's lives, yet don't strive to do anything more than housework and schoolwork. In the end, they see the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Which actually makes me feel bad for both parties because their lives seem so miserable.

2½ husbands who like being called "daddy" out of 5

Candy (1968)

Everyone wants a piece of Candy. Her innocence and willingness to do good land her in a lot of water and not all of it’s hot.
It's a satire based on the book by Terry Southern, a significant player in the counter-culture movement of the 1960s. It attracted a quality cast, so I assume it was considered of great importance among cult viewers of the era, but it's nothing more than a string of farcical sexual encounters and a number of great men embarrassing themselves thrown haphazardly together. That may well have been Dir. Christian Marquand's intention, but for me the absurdity never really satisfied.

1 Beatle in the bushes out of 5