Vegas Vacation - Plot

Plot

At work, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) has invented a long life food preservative, earning him a large bonus check. Clark announces to his family that he is taking them on vacation. Enthusiasm wanes, however, when Clark says they are headed to Las Vegas, Nevada. His wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and teenage daughter, Audrey (Marisol Nichols) have their doubts, as Las Vegas is not known for its family-friendly atmosphere, while teenage son Rusty (Ethan Embry) appears to be more eager, even asking if prostitution is legal there. Upon travelling to Vegas, they run into the "girl in the Ferrari" (Christie Brinkley) who appeared in the first film, Clark is the only one who sees her, but then notices that she has a child.

Upon arriving in Vegas, the family embarks upon a series of mishaps and adventures. Clark crosses paths with Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), the husband of Ellen's cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn). Eddie and his family now live in the desert just north of Las Vegas, on what used to be an H-bomb test site. While on a group tour of the gigantic Hoover Dam led by guide Arty (John P. Finnegan), Clark foolishly leaves the group after accidentally creating a leak in the dam's inside walkways, and is forced to climb the scaffolding to the very top of the dam to get out, because his cries for help cannot be heard over the roaring water of the spillway. Later that night, they win tickets to a Siegfried & Roy (as themselves) concert. Clark is involved, and is turned into a tiger, at the end he is turned back into human though. The next day at night, tickets to a Wayne Newton (as himself) concert, (and a dress for Ellen) are sent in the mail. They go to the concert, only to realize that Newton had sent the dress, and while singing he has Ellen go on stage and sing with him.

The next day, the family go out to eat, but after Ellen gets a suspicion, they decided to go their own ways just for the day. Clark goes to a casino and becomes addicted to gambling (mostly blackjack, which he usually loses to an overzealous dealer (Wallace Shawn) who takes great pleasure from Clark's misfortune), Rusty gets a fake ID and becomes a winning high roller (taking on the pseudonym 'Nick Pappagiorgio'), Audrey starts hanging out with Eddie's wild stripper daughter Vickie (Shae D'Lyn) (and hanging out with impersonators of The Beatles and Vickie's friends as well), and Ellen becomes addicted to Wayne Newton, who may have feelings for Ellen, and it is making Clark jealous.

Meanwhile, After Clark gambles away the family's $22,600 bank account, Ellen finds out and tells Clark that he is ruining their vacation together, besides the fact they are not even spending a "Family Vacation" together, and leaves, then Russ and Audrey depart too. Russ goes off gambling (he has more success at this than Clark does) for cars, Ellen goes to eat with Wayne Newton, and Audrey goes to a strip club with Vickie, and begins to dance like a stripper, leaving Clark alone without money. Eddie — who has money buried in his front yard — tries to come to the Griswold family's rescue in return for everything the Griswolds have done for him and his family over the years. Clark and Eddie go to a local casino to get their money back, but after losing too many games, Clark runs out of Eddie's money.

Clark then goes and finds Ellen at Newton's house, before he kisses Ellen, and apologizes to her. They then go to a party where Russ is, and find him in a Jacuzzi flirting with girls who are in it with him, they take him out of the Jacuzzi, go to the stripper club, get Audrey and leave. The Griswolds gamble their last two dollars on a game of Keno. They take a seat next to an older man (Sid Caesar in a cameo) who compliments Clark on his lovely family, and hints that he has been lonely all of his life. Out of guilt, Clark tells the man to consider himself part of the Griswold family for the night. The man happily accepts Clark's kind words, and both parties begin the game. At first, the Griswolds are hopeful, but as they realize they have already lost the game, they sadly sit for moments in silence. Suddenly, the man next to them ecstatically declares that he's won the game. As he continues to express joy, he suddenly begins to slip in and out of consciousness while Ellen sends Rusty for help. He awakens one last time and whispers a message to Clark, before dropping his winning ticket and falling one final time.

Clark, puzzled, tells Ellen that the man said "take the ticket." When the casino security guards and paramedics arrive, they declare the man officially dead. They tell the Griswolds his name was Mr. Ellis, and commented on how sad his loneliness was to them. As Mr. Ellis is carried away, a janitor approaches with a vacuum cleaner; walking straight for the winning ticket on the floor. Though it appears Clark is going to allow it to be lost, he at the last moment pulls the ticket out of the path of the vacuum. With them winning the lottery, Clark and Ellen get remarried (Russ is Clark's best man and Audrey is Ellen's bridesmaid.) Afterwards, Clark hands Eddie a large pile of cash (Eddie can be overheard saying $5000 after counting it) and explains by telling him that "we were very fortunate last night." They all drive home in the four cars Rusty won on the slot machines: a Dodge Viper, a Ford Mustang, a Hummer H1, and a Ford Aspire.