Chasing Chevy Chase Podcast

Mike, Mark, and Chris revisit Cops & Robbersons, a mid-’90s Chevy Chase outing that jams suburban family comedy into a would-be cop thriller. Chase plays Andy Robberson, a lackluster father whose life implodes when a volatile detective (Jack Palance) moves in to surveil a killer (Robert Davi).

The discussion looks at where the film sits in Chase’s post-Vacation career, Michael Ritchie’s shaky tonal control, and the odd-couple dynamic between Chase’s flustered everyman and Palance’s granite-jawed intensity. Is this an overlooked curiosity, a misjudged genre mash-up, or just another example of how badly a Chase vehicle can skid without a sharp satirical edge?

Chevy Chase takes an unexpected turn into sci-fi thriller territory with Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992). Directed by John Carpenter and adapted from H.F. Saint’s novel, the film follows Nick Halloway (Chase), who becomes invisible after a freak laboratory accident. As he grapples with the perks and pitfalls of invisibility, he also tries to evade ruthless CIA operative David Jenkins (Sam Neill) and connect with Alice Monroe (Daryl Hannah). 

It’s an ambitious mash-up of comedy, romance, and paranoia that didn’t quite land with audiences or critics at the time but remains one of the oddest entries in Chase’s career. Mike, Mark, and Chris break down the film’s tonal shifts, behind-the-scenes clashes, and its place in both Chase’s and Carpenter’s filmographies.

Mike, Mark, and Chris revisit the 2015 Vacation, a remake-sequel that tries to chart a new path while carrying the Griswold name. They examine how the film reframes Rusty as the next-generation family man, what works (and what doesn’t) in its mix of callbacks and updated comedy, and how the movie handles the legacy of the original series. The trio also considers Chevy and Beverly D’Angelo’s brief return and whether the film earns its place in the larger Vacation lineage.

Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Dan Aykroyd walk into a nightmare—literally—in Nothing But Trouble (1991), Aykroyd’s one and only directorial effort. Chris, Mark, and Mike dig into this gonzo horror-comedy oddity that blends Texas Chain Saw Massacre grime with Looney Tunes energy and a dash of Wall Street satire. Though often written off as one of the worst films of the ’90s, our hosts find themselves surprisingly charmed by its grotesque ambition, wild set design, and commitment to sheer weirdness. Maybe, just maybe, Nothing But Trouble deserves a little less hate.

Potentially the most popular of all of Chevy Chase's films, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has become a perennial family favorite despite the Griswolds not actually going on vacation but their extended family visiting them in the suburbs of Chicago during a year where Clark counts too heavily on his Christmas bonus.

With a stand-out performance from Randy Quaid returning as Cousin Eddie, the film layers slapstick chaos with sharp holiday satire. Beverly D’Angelo anchors the madness as Ellen Griswold and new kids Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki provide memorable turns.

Written by John Hughes and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, the movie captures both the warmth and the frustration of family gatherings, becoming a December staple for generations who can’t help but sympathize with Clark’s doomed quest for the “perfect” Christmas.