Moviefone Editorial

Tag: chevy-chase

  • 5 Worst Comedy Roasts Ever

    A good roast is practically irresistible: Everyone loves seeing a famous person teased mercilessly by equally famous peers. A bad roast, on the other hand, can be a cringe-fest, as the guest of honor bristles at an evening of poorly written jabs. These five roasts are the bottom of the barrel — the times where “funny and mean” turned to “sad and awkward” almost immediately.

    1. Justin Bieber

    “The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber” is painful to watch, mostly because it feels like a rich kid’s birthday party where his parents have paid people to pretend they like him for a day. The roast was filled with an odd mix of celebrities (Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Shaq) and celebrity hopefuls (Chris D’Elia, Pete Davidson, Jeff Ross) who mostly spent the evening making height jokes about roastmaster Kevin Hart.

    While the jabs pointed at Bieber didn’t hold anything back, the Biebs himself ruined the evening by closing with a speech that made it clear the event was a PR stunt ineptly designed to win back the public’s favor after months of highly publicized bad behavior. As Bieber intoned, “This was a moment for me to show people where I am at in my life right now. Right now I’m in a moment of change. As I said, I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but we’re turning a new leaf here,” the night became even less fun — exposed as a poorly thought-out stop on his apology tour.

    2. Pamela Anderson

    Comedy Central roast, believe it or not, was a charity event: The evening raised money for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which was perhaps the only positive outcome of the whole night. It wasn’t just that the jokes retreaded the same territory over and over — half of them were about her appearance, the other half about her sex tape — it’s that the roast was nearly unwatchable thanks to Courtney Love, who spent the entire time intoxicated and writhing in her chair, pausing only to incoherently argue with her co-roasters or flash the audience. Despite all that, seeing the late Bea Arthur read aloud from Anderson’s autobiography remains a must-see clip to this day.

    3. Chevy Chase

    The best comedy roasts have one thing in common — a shared fondness for the person being roasted. That’s what’s fun about them: When Rob Reiner got roasted, it was obvious that everyone in the room actually loved him. The Friars Club roast of Chevy Chase, however, is cringe-inducing thanks to the obvious lack of respect from his peers. The most common joke topic of the night was Chase’s former drug addiction, and watching him squirm, and sometimes openly heckle, the presenters bordered on the tragic. Whether it was that Chevy Chase wasn’t “in on the joke,” or that the jokes seemed unnecessarily cruel to a man in the twilight of his fading career, this roast is one to be avoided. And unlike Chase’s film “Karate Dog,” his roast was never even released to DVD.

    4. David Hasselhoff

    David Hasselhoff‘s roast is the polar opposite of Chevy Chase’s — where Chase acted like a schoolyard kid getting bullied, the Hoff basked in the attention, making sure he was the one laughing loudest at every joke. The result was almost as creepy: It’s less fun for the audience when the person being roasted acts like they wrote all of the gags. Nonetheless, roasters Hulk Hogan, Jerry Springer, Lisa Lampanelli, and Whitney Cummings all took respectable shots in the Comedy Central event that ultimately amounted to new B-listers roasting an old B-lister.

    5. Charlie Sheen

    “The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen” took place at the height of Two and a Half Men” and went on a national tour to talk to crowds about his escapades with porn stars. While the roasters’ jokes were dark, mean, and often hilarious (Jeff Ross’s jab, “If you’re winning, this must not be a child custody hearing” was particularly good), what made the roast rough overall was the overwhelming sense that the whole thing was enabling a man who was obviously in the midst of a personal crisis. As Sheen was proclaiming his own virtue, the public was watching him lose his TV role, custody of his children, and ultimately, his public relevance. Not that he minded: Despite the comics kicking him when he was down, at the end of the night, he still declared himself “winning.”

    Sources

  • Comedy Roasts That Took It Too Far

    Saying the words “Friar’s Club” without scaring away millennials who only speak in memes. Making the celeb in the chair feel honored, but just humbled enough to not jump out a window. Showcasing TV-friendly material that has enough foul language to make Quentin Tarantino blush: The comedic roast walks a whole lot of fine lines — it’s just part of the delicate mix of sick burns, underhanded compliments, and unthinkable vocabulary that makes up the cocktail. But sometimes when you shake that cocktail, it explodes right in your face. Pause to remember five roasts that did just that, and had viewers wincing between the laughs all the way.

    Justin Bieber: Too Fast, Too Furious, Too Soon

    The 2015 Comedy Central roast of Justin Bieber should’ve been a momentous occasion — yeah, it’s weird that the Biebs got roasted in the first place, but at least we can all laugh at the teen pop star turned way-too-smug 20-something.

    Unfortunately, everyone from Jeff Ross to Pete Davidson cast a cloud over the evening with jokes about the then-recent death of “The Fast and the Furious” series star Paul Walker. The tragic running theme was in such poor taste that even Ludacris complained, and when you’ve offended the man who wrote heartfelt ballads like “Hoes in My Room” and “Move Bitch,” you know you’ve crossed a line.

    Roseanne Flips the Script

    Comedy Central’s 2012 roast of Roseanne Barr is pretty middle-of-the-road — you could say that Roseanne jokes are the gift that keeps on giving, but they were never really a gift in the first place. As her roasters waded through all the expected fat jokes, Roseanne turned the tables and put her infamous ex, Tom Arnold, right in the sniper sights. The result is something that felt way too personal for comfort, full of poison-tipped quips like, “I’m glad you have a good wife, Tom; I’m glad she isn’t with you just for your money — I mean, my money.”

    Ouch. Smells like someone burned the roast.

    Lisa Lampanelli Hassles the Hoff

    Gilbert Gottfried stood right on the “too far” line at the 2010 Comedy Central roast of David Hasselhoff, but Lisa Lampanelli sprinted on over it. At the time, the Hoff was vulnerable — fresh off a tabloid streak when a video of him eating a hamburger while his kids implored him to stop drinking made the online rounds. The whole thing made the night feel a little pathetic, but Lisa took no prisoners. “The Queen of Mean” earned her title as she somehow managed to fit jabs about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, race, Haiti, Roger Ebert’s fatal cancer, and the Holocaust into less than five minutes of stage time. That’s got to be some sort of record that should’ve never been set.

    Chevy Chase Gets Weird

    Being mean is a natural part of the roast’s recipe. But something about the New York Friar’s Club roast of Saturday Night Live” posse didn’t show up, Chase sat through the whole torpid affair behind a pair of shades and an uncomfortably humorless scowl, somehow managing to make the audience feel like he was both a terrible sport and yet undeserving of the onslaught that came his way. This one just amped up the mean factor on far too many levels.

    James Franco Plays Softball

    In 2013, James Franco invited a bunch of his Judd Apatow-alumni buds to a fancy dinner, and they lightly ribbed him in what felt like an extended press junket rather than an envelope-pushing night of comedy. This Comedy Central-aired “roast,” to use the term loosely, went way too far in the other direction — it was a too-nice, undercooked dish with no bite and some very unfunny bark.

    Just let Sarah Silverman leave this right here for you: “I can’t tell if this is a dais or the line to suck Judd Apatow’s balls.”

    Sources

  • 10 Ridiculous Clark Griswold ‘Vacation’ Moments

    Chevy Chase in 1983's "Vacation"
    Chevy Chase in 1983’s “Vacation”

    To put it lightly, Clark Griswold isn’t the brightest guy around, but he’s lovable and his scenes from the “Vacation” series are hard to forget. Chevy Chase reprises the character with a brief appearance in the new “Vacation” movie. This time around it’s his grown-up son, played by Ed Helms, who leads the next generation of Griswolds through the shenanigans, co-starring Christina Applegate as his wife, Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth.

    Take a look at some of the most memorable moments from the franchise that opened last week:

    1. Sharing a Beer With Rusty, “Vacation” (1983)

    After Clark runs the family vehicle off the road, he sits down with his son to have a “man to man” chat and says, “When I was your age my dad shared a beer with me and I thought it was the best thing in the world.” Clark takes a sip of the brew and hands if off to Rusty, who chugs the entire can in seconds as his clueless father rambles about family vacations.

    2. The Hap Hap Happiest Christmas Speech, “Christmas Vacation” (1989)
    Note: Adult language
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXkMaZz5Mo8
    Christmas is all about family and nothing will stop Clark from “celebrating” with his loved ones in “Christmas Vacation.” After nearly everything goes wrong (a cat catches on fire, his Christmas bonus didn’t come, his uncouth cousin Eddie arrives) the family decided to call it quits on the family function, leading to a legendary rant.

    3. Moose vs. Man, “Vacation” (1983)

    After driving across the country to visit the glorious (and fictional) Wally World in California, Clark is beyond angry when he finds out that amusement park is closed. A happy, electronic moose greets the Griswolds at the front gates and says, “Sorry folks, we’re closed for two weeks to clean and repair America’s favorite family fun park.” A moose will feel pain.

    PHOTOS: “Vacation” Premieres in Los Angeles

    4. Little Red Corvette, “Vacation” (1983)

    One of the most iconic scenes in “Vacation” happens as a beautiful blonde (Christie Brinkley) in a red convertible catches Clark’s attention. He makes googly-eyes at her and thinks she’s reciprocating the interest. Maybe she is, too. She meets up with Clark later at a motel. And, well, it doesn’t work out too well.

    5. Dreaming of a Bright Christmas, “Christmas Vacation” (1989)

    Clark is determined to have the best looking, most festive house on the street during “Christmas Vacation,” but it’s not so easy. He falls off the roof once and can’t seem to figure out why his 25,000 Christmas lights won’t work. The disaster infuriates him such that he assaults a plastic Santa Claus set in this front yard. Soon the entire city of Chicago suffers.

    6. Stonehenge knockdown, “European Vacation” (1985)

    Clark and family are visiting beautiful Stonehenge in England in “European Vacation.” As the family is getting into the rental car, Clark decides to impart his ill-advised wisdom, as he often does: “Take a last look, kids, at one of man’s most curious creations built to stand the test of time and the elements, war, you name it — a thing of glory for a million future generations to see.” Turns out it really was a last look.

    7. Doggone It, “Vacation” (1983)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkT5g1n8Tv8
    On his way to Wally World in “Vacation,” Clark ties Aunt Edna’s dog to the bumper of the family car and forgets about it. “Sweety, do you hear that rattle?” he asked wife Ellen, not realizing that noise is the dog’s leash dragging against the ground.

    8. Grand Canyon Scene, “Vacation” (1983)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf6R1WFfdpo
    Clark needs money, but can’t get any. His credit card has been reported lost and a Grand Canyon hotel won’t take a personal check. After a clerk walks away without helping in the financial matter, Clark pounds the desk. In doing so, the cash register next to Clark’s hands opens. Clark grabs a handful of money and bolts. Though he tries to hustle his family to the car for a clean getaway, his wife Ellen wants to take in the sight’s sweeping views. With his arm around her, Clark bobs his head for a second or two and shuttles his wife into the car.

    9. German Dance, “European Vacation” (1985)

    Clark participates in a traditional German slap dancing-fight routine in “European Vacation,” but he doesn’t know the rules. He takes it too far and actually starts brawling with his fellow dancers, punching one and head-butting another. One of the German brutes ends up giving Clark a good ‘ol fashioned punch. Dance over.

    10. Double Down, “Vegas Vacation” (1997)

    After the family goes to Las Vegas in “Vegas Vacation,” Clark gets severely addicted to gambling. He becomes so addicted to the thrill that he tells his family to explore Sin City on their own so that he can gamble.

    Watch the trailer for the new “Vacation” below.

    20066746

  • ‘Vacation’ Opens With $3.8 Million to Get Jump on ‘Mission: Impossible’

    Two generations of Griswolds hit the red carpet Monday for the Los Angeles premiere of "Vacation" with Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Christina Applegate, Steele Stebbins, Skyler Gisondo and selfie-taker Ed Helms.
    Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Christina Applegate, Steele Stebbins, Skyler Gisondo and selfie-taker Ed Helms.

    The Griswolds packed up the car a couple days early and made a few million dollars along the way.

    “Vacation” debuted Wednesday (with some late-night Tuesday screenings) and collected a respectable $3.8 million despite mostly bad reviews and a paltry 28 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

    The latest in the franchise, starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate, is expected to finish with about $30 million after five days.

    By opening mid-week, the comedy got a head start on “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” which arrives in theaters Friday. The well-reviewed fifth go-round with Tom Cruise leading his Impossible Missions Force is forecast to bring in $40 million this weekend.

    Cruise, who also is a producer, says a sixth “Mission: Impossible” is already in the works and could be shooting by next summer.

    20066746

  • Best of Late Night TV: Kristin Chenoweth’s Duet and Ed Helms’s Support Llama

    Let’s kick things off with Late Night” to chat about playing Enchantress in “Suicide Squad.” Apparently, Cara got so worked up during her audition that she felt straight-up murderous. Also, it should be noted that Seth’s thoughts on the “Suicide Squad” trailer are as follows: “everyone looked liked they were about to lick someone or be licked.” Accurate.


    Prepare your body, because last night was the 9th Annual “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Pedestrian Belly Flop Competition, which Jimmy says “works the same way prostitution works.” That’s probably all you need to know.

    Sony has an “Emoji Movie” coming out (LOLing forever), and Jimmy Kimmel convinced Brie Larson to read out the script with him. Shoutout to genius use of the eggplant emoji.
    Ed Helms also visited “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and he brought an adorable therapy llama with him. His name is Reggie and he’s your new best friend.
    Over on “The Tonight Show,” Chevy Chase showed up and played a piano duet with Jimmy Fallon. But the best part was his NSFW pre-performance banter with Jimmy. So many jokes about the host’s injured hand, so little time.
    Finally, Late Late Show,” where she and James Corden sung a duet. #blessed

  • The ‘Vacation’ Red Band Trailer Shows Chris Hemsworth in ALL His Glory

    Poor Walley World can’t catch a break from the Griswold family, but fans should enjoy the ride in this “Vacation” sequel. In the movie, out July 31, Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) wants to spice up his family’s life by recreating his epic childhood adventure. The red band trailer was just released and in addition to some BS dropped by a child, discussions on rim jobs and glory holes, we are also treated to Chris Hemsworth illustrating why he’s the Sexiest Man Alive and a superhero god. His boxer briefs do most of the talking, but … message received. It’s hammer time.

    The “Thor” master plays Stone Crandall, Rusty’s brother-in-law; Christina Applegate is Rusty’s wife, Debbie; Leslie Mann is grown-up Audrey; Charlie Day plays a river rafting guide; and Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo return as Clark and Ellen Griswold. Gotta love that end scene with a twist on the Christie Brinkley car flirtation. Didn’t see that coming!


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