Pluskylang Great Film overall

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Myriam Nys The first "Nicolas" movie was a comic delight, mainly because it successfully evoked the uniquely wild and wonderful mental universe of children, where the most sensible ideas sound ridiculous and the most ridiculous ideas sound sensible. The movie also provided an original (and very funny) take on the age-old subject of sibling rivalry.Sadly for all concerned the sequel is far, far worse than the original. There is a considerable decrease in charm, wit and imagination. I don't exactly know what causes this slackening, but I suppose it's got something to do with a shift in emphasis. The parents, both husband and wife, gain in importance, which is a problem since the screenplay provides them with far-fetched and unconvincing adventures. (The dance sequence involving the wife needs to be seen to be believed.) Meanwhile, we're getting a lot of new (child) characters, at least a number of which are not as funny or memorable as the originals. Last but not least I was amazed by the absence of Nicolas' baby sister, whose arrival pretty much dominated the first movie. Listen, people, you can't make a whole movie revolving around the birth of a second child, and then make a sequel in which the said child is never shown or mentioned : it creates a continuity hole the size of Ginnungagap.So I can't really recommend the second movie - but do watch the first, it's delightful.

Kirpianuscus colors and photography and humor. all from the same spirit of summer holiday. so French than becomes, scene by scene, universal. nothing special. except a form of joy who remains refreshing. because it is a film about childhood essence and about family. about small things, details, cinema industry and good choices. about a form of life , desired by everybody, innocent, seductive, comfortable. beach, room of hotel, meets - few magical. memories about the films by Tati and about similar stories. Valerie Lemercier and Kad Merad doing great job. Luca Zingaretti as seductive director . and eulogy to an unique age and its force of imagination.

languedoc-586-836028 The original Nicolas film, still directed by Laurent Tirard, was cute and funny. Its humour relied upon genuine written material forming consistent scenes and situations, and often based on the child's point-of-view, as in René Goscinny's exquisite little stories. "Les Vacances" relies a lot on nods and references to past cinema, and the rest is either disjointed (loose ends - what happens in the end with the tight spot at the nude beach Nicolas' father gets himself into?...) or simply unlikely. Even though the excellent Valérie Lemercier and Kad Merad still play Nicolas' parents, the actors in general, save for Bouli Lanners as Bernique, are insincere in their delivery and reactions and/or poorly directed. The father is supposed to be heartbroken by his wife extending her stay without him at the crazy big-money party, yet his face remains almost expressionless all the while...Also, one scene suggests that hurting severely a live animal can be perceived as humorous, which I have found particularly tasteless.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Les vacances du petit Nicolas" is the sequel to another French movie from 5 years ago. And not a lot has changed. The director is the same and so are the parents to Litte Nick, including the talented and funny Kad Merad. One major change, however, is the lead actor. The child actor who played Nick back then would be too old now, so they recast the part. This film is again based on the stories of René Goscinny, which you should now from his prolific work on the Asterix comics. Fittingly, director Laurent Tirard has also directed a film on the little Gaul in the past.As a whole you could probably classify this film as one of those movies that are worth a watch if you're in for something light, but do not expect too much depth. There is some truly nice scenes like the one near the end, when the little girl looks at Nicolas as their ways are parting. Is it true love? You will find out during the closing credits. Another scene which was nice symbolism was the tractor rolling over the limousine which basically perfectly described the victory of Nicolas' father over the new admirer of his wife. There, I have a criticism also, however. I thought the whole speech of the wife where she belongs was just not suitable and added unnecessary dramatic tension to a film where it did not belong, even if it was well-acted. Other parts I was not too fond of was the whole subplot about him retiring from his job, which was just too predictable to be funny that his boss called him and wants to promote him. Also I did not like how they never touched this topic again afterward. Apart from that, i was not too fond of the whole story that dad's pal thinks his dad is broke and how he finds out etc.What i clearly preferred were those short intermission scenes, the boy at his wedding with the different girls or Grandma burying everybody (a true comedic highlight). Another highlight were these uncountable classic movie references ("Psycho", "The Shining", "Casablanca" and probably many more I overlooked) "Les vacances du petit Nicolas" is a typical French comedy suitable for all ages. If this is your cup of tea, give it a chance. You will not be disappointed.