Set sail on a cruise with this next movie with stops in Paris and the French Riviera. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
A Brief Summary
(Taken from D23)
Harry Willard finally makes good his promise to take his bride of 20 years on a long-delayed trip by ship to Europe. They are accompanied by their 19-year-old son, Elliott, 18-year-old daughter, Amy, and an active 11-year-old son named Skipper. From the time they arrive at the dock, there follows an unending series of comedy adventures and romantic encounters that keep the family constantly involved until, exhausted but happy, they start for home with memories which will benefit them all in the years to come.
What works
- I just love that the in-laws throw Katie (Mrs. Willard) a Bon Voyage party and invite some (several?) of her old suitors. Because that makes any husband ready to start a trip.
- There are three main settings for this story: the cruise ship, Paris and the French Riviera. With all of the kids’ antics, having multiple locations helps both the story itself and my nerves.
- Having the movie start & then spending the first 40 minutes or so on the cruise ship was helpful to establish character quirks that would become eventual plot points later on in the movie.
- I do like that the 2nd half of the movie becomes more about Harry trying to understand his family better than keeping to any original itinerary list. While that was probably always the intent, it removed some of the tension felt during the early moments of the movie and I enjoyed Harry’s character growth that much more.
- Nick O’Mara also becomes a much more interesting character as the movie progressed, developing into a more complex and rounded character by the movie’s end.
- His conversation with his mother was super insightful for his character.
- Harry punching Rudolph and the domino effect afterward was a great physical ending to Rudolph’s subplot and a good character moment for Harry.
What may or may not work
- Amy and Eliot, the two eldest Willard children, annoyed me through most of the movie, and I couldn’t decide which annoyed me more between the pair. I would probably say Eliot because I thought his attitude towards the trip and his antics with girls were a bit overdone. When all is said and done, I enjoyed his moping from the very, very beginning more than his happy antics and then his final main girl-based antic led to a fun scene with Fred MacMurray that I enjoyed. Other than that, not at all.
- The sewer scene was meh to me. As much as I love exploring places, I didn’t feel as if the reactions of the authority figures (tour guide/police) were realistic and the scene itself went on a bit too long. I did like Fred MacMurray’s appearance post-sewer.
- The Rudolph subplot in the latter half of the movie was a bit distasteful. Though it has a spectacular ending, it dated the film, as shown by Katie’s reactions to Rudolph and her conversation with Harry (Fred MacMurray) after the party. (Before #metoo)
Honorable Mentions
- The cab driver after dropping off the family by the cruise ship: “Bud, what’s gonna happen to you from here on, I wouldn’t go through for a million dollars.”
- “I’d give anything to know what really happened.”
- “Would you really? Well, I’d just love to tell you because I just happen to know the whole story.” (Harry)
- “You do?!”
- “Yes I do” (and then proceeds to tell how they met and got married before revealing that he is her husband)
- One of the highlights of the film was Harry fixing Eliot’s final big mess (involving a girl and trying to seem richer than he is).
- “Now how is Florell with cows?” – Harry
- “Cows?” -Florell’s mother
- “Oh, how about sheep?” -Harry
- “Sheep?!” On mon Dieu, we just escaped the sheep. That is why we left Normandy, to escape the sheep.” -Florell’s mother
- “Why couldn’t I have an old man like you” -Nick to Harry during the final scenes of the movie
Side Questions
- Would Nick and Amy have a second chance later on to pursue something? I’m not sure if I would actually want them to get together or not, but I did like them both individually towards the end of the movie, and I think their growth was enough that if it continued, they would be a decent pair together (plus I think Nick would do well to continue having some of Harry’s influence in his life).
Would I watch this movie again?
- I won’t lie, it was a bit tough getting through this movie. Not because the movie was bad, because there were scenes that I greatly enjoyed. But several antics throughout the movie (mainly from the children) were pushing all the wrong nerve buttons for me so it was not super fun to watch. One of my closest friends loves this movie and I wouldn’t say no if I was watching it with other people. It’ll just be a long time before I watch it again on my own.
If you’ve seen Bon Voyage, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
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