National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

The pure insanity of the holidays has never really been shown as brilliantly as in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” released in 1989. Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by the late John Hughes, the family comedy has become one of the most quotable comedies of all time. Alan French said in his review, “Of course, it’s easy to sell your jokes when you have peak Chevy Chase in your back pocket. With a cast that has (mostly) aged well and some truly unhinged humor, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation has earned its legendary status.”

The Griswolds get ready to welcome their grandparents (John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, and Doris Roberts) to their home for the winter holidays. However, they soon find others arriving with them, including the crazy Uncle Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his family (Catherine Johnson, Cody Burger, and Ellen Hamilton Latzen). Even with the insanity, Clark, reprised by Chase, believes that he will be getting a big bonus, letting him finally get a pool for his family. As he tries to keep his hopes high, Ellen, reprised by Beverly D’Angelo, tries to keep his expectations on the right track.

French credited, “The power of the National Lampoon brand was still working overtime in 1989. In addition to Chase returning to the franchise, there are bit parts for future and current legends throughout the movie.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Diane Ladd, and Brian Doyle-Murray are the main highlights, but the Griswold children, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki, would become the real stardoms in film and TV in the following years.

French credited, “The real powerhouse performance that goes toe-to-toe with Chase is Quaid. While the actor has embraced some strange ideas in recent history, his comedic timing in this movie is off the charts. Not only are the line readings near perfect, but his reactions and mannerisms are wholly unique in every situation.” This is honestly one of the comedic performances that you would think the Oscars would pay attention to.

French ending his review by saying, “Then again, it’s Chase who uses every ounce of his slime and his charisma in the role to keep Christmas Vacation moving along. He’s very funny, and his eye-popping expressions are still marvelous today. Chase had plenty of jokes to tell, but his rubber face was always his greatest weapon. While the off-camera issues slowed his career, there are few performances in the Christmas-movie genre that can blend the saccharine with the humor quite like Chase.”

This is a Christmas classic for everyone to watch each year. One of the best comedies that has a very heartwarming ending. You can probably relate to everything that goes on when it comes to family coming over, hoping for a bonus, the preparations with the decorations and the meal, everything is just stressful on everyone, especially Clark. I know that a few years ago I did some “National Lampoon” movies and left this one out, but now I have reviewed it because I was waiting for the right time. Check this out on Disney+, Hulu, or HBO Max and have an enjoyable time laughing at the movie from start to finish.

Happy Holidays everyone. I hope that everyone has exciting plans for today. Spend the time with the family and let’s all finish out this year on a positive note, seeing how this has been a stressful and bad year for a lot of people. Tomorrow I will be looking at another surprising DCOM sequel in “Disney Month 2025.”