The worst things about vacations are the delays. Waiting for the plane to take off, waiting for the bus, waiting to check into the hotel. No one likes to hurry up and wait. The 2015 movie “Vacation” which is a continuation/spin-off of the Chevy Chase “Vacation” series that includes such gems as “Vacation,” “Christmas Vacation,” and my personal favorite “Vegas Vacation,” is very much a “hurry up and wait” comedy. The film rushes into a joke and the punchline never arrives and it dives for the gross-out scene and forgets to pack the laughs.

The whole idea of another “Vacation” movie is predicated on the concept of nostalgia. A lot of people really enjoy the original Chevy Chase movies, yours truly included, but that doesn’t mean we need another one or that another one even fits in this generation of comedy movies. The “Vacation” films of the ’80s and ’90s had an anarchy to them that was tempered by a heavy dose of heart and family.

It was entertaining to see Clark Griswold lose himself in crazy antics in Vegas, which, in turn, made his ultimate redemption more satisfying. That type of filmmaking requires a steady hand, some original ideas and the gumption to make stupid funny work. Unfortunately for the 2015 “Vacation,” it has neither the comedic oomph to land the jokes set up by crazy antics or the heart to make the audience care about them.

Put simply, exceedingly few jokes in “Vacation” were actually funny. It was easy to see what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish, but everything felt out of sync. Imagine trying to dance a waltz to techno music and you’ll get the idea. The rhythm was off and just didn’t fit. There are a couple of mildly amusing moments, but when this comes on TBS in a few years, I will have no qualms about clicking right on by.

On the other hand, if I come across “Vegas Vacation,” I can promise that I will still be entertained by “I put a dollar in, I won a car. I put a dollar in, I won a car.”

2 of 6 stars