I admit being a rabid fan of National Lampoon's Vacation film series for over 30 years now. No wonder I was ecstatic when Vacation, a new entry in the series written and co-directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M.Goldstein and meant to reboot the franchise was first announced in 2012. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the film that opened earlier this week turned into disappointment once the lights in the theater went down and the film's title sequence ended.

Ed Helms portrays Rusty Griswold, a mild-mannered airline pilot for one of America's worst airlines. In an effort to connect better with his sons James (Skyler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins) he decides to take two weeks off and embark on a cross country auto voyage  to the Walley World amusement park to ride Velociraptor, the world's tallest, fastest, and most dangerous roller-coaster. Rusty last visited Walley World in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation when parents Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) -- along with sister Audrey (Leslie Mann) -- took a similar road trip that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

This news comes much to the chagrin of James, who can't bear the thought of being cooped up in a car with his 10-year-old brother Kevin for two weeks. Despite being considerably smaller and weighing much less than his brother, Kevin is a foul-mouthed brat who gets away with repeated merciless bullying and physical assault of his older brother.

Meanwhile, Rusty and Debbie reconnect with his sister Audrey. On the surface, she appears to have a picture perfect marriage with boorish weatherman Stone Crandall (Chris Hemsworth). Unbeknownst to Rusty, Debbie secretly thinks his sister's wedded bliss is in stark contrast with their marriage that seems to lack spontaneity. Little do they know Audrey and Stone can barely stand each other and have repeatedly cheated on one another for numerous years.

The only scene executed flawlessly occurs at a motel where James sits by the pool with a girl named Adena (Catherine Missal). He first noticed her as his family barrels down the highway while he gazes out the window and she rides by in a jeep with her family. Just as they are about to kiss, Rusty enters the scene and interrupts them by extolling his son's many virtues before going too far with crude jokes and stories about James, which causes her to leave.

Helms and Applegate are likable here but ultimately cannot rise above the film's bad material. The talents of Chase, D'Angelo, Mann and Hemsworth, who have a series of cameos, are wasted here. The lone standout is Stebbins. He steals every scene he’s in and makes us hope his horrendously behaved character will get a comeuppance.

Goldstein and Daley's screenplay fails to evoke much laughter. While the pair know how to set up a joke, they can't execute its punchline. Far too much time gets wasted on inside jokes about the previous National Lampoon's Vacation movies in addition to an endless stream of gross-out humor and gags that don't work. Goldstein and Daley's writing, directing, and humor lacks the skill and refinement of John Hughes, who turned his short story “Vacation '58” into the script for 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation. Audiences will have a far better time watching that film, which also boasts deft direction from Harold Ramis.

(Released by Warner Bros. Pictures and rated "R" for crude and sexual content and language throughout, and brief graphic nudity.)