CLAYTON'S CHRISTMAS CINEMA!
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Review
Written by the late and great John Hughes (the genius behind
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and Planes, Train, and Automobiles) comes
what many consider a modern Christmas classic, starring Chevy Chase as Clark
Griswold, the father of a pretty average American family who wants to go
all-out for a Christmas the family will never forget. I watched Christmas Vacation for the first time
this holiday season, and while I can’t say I loved it, I can definitely see
where the nostalgia comes from for those who saw it at a young age or back in
the day when it was released.
Clark Griswold has big plans this Christmas season. He wants
to build a pool in his backyard with the Christmas bonus he knows is coming to
him, he wants to outshine the entire neighbourhood by putting up a
record-shattering 25,000 Christmas lights, but first, he takes his family out
into the frigid wilderness to get a Christmas tree—a wild one from the untamed
beauty of the woods—the old fashioned way. He invites the entire family over
for Christmas, thinking it will be a swell time. Of course a few things go
wrong. Okay, maybe for than a few things. As his plans start to crumble, Clark
finds himself losing the Christmas spirit as the big day grows nearer and
nearer and thing get worse and worse. His wife's cousin shows up, bringing along the
family in an RV, their mischievous, drooling dog, and no presents for the kids.
Clark must do all in his power in order to keep the spirit of the holidays
alive (and his sanity intact).
At many points during Christmas
Vacation, I couldn’t help but feel I was missing something. As it turns
out, I was. Christmas Vacation is the
third film in the ongoing National
Lampoon’s Vacation franchise, and if you haven’t seen the first two, there
are some things regarding character traits and minor inside jokes you won’t
understand, but for the most part, the plot and humour is self contained. The
first act is a little shaky with its setup, but once the ball gets rolling, the
jokes keep coming in rapid succession. Not all the jokes work—there were some
running gags I didn’t care for—but for the most part, Christmas Vacation is a very fun time, and fully
embraces the seasonal setting. Crazy Christmas antics include issues with the
lights actually lighting up, a squirrel in the tree, senile family members, and
plenty more. Chevy Chase is great in the role as a slightly eccentric husband
and father trying not to lose his mind as the problems mount and get steadily
trickier and more over-the-top. I didn’t love the final wrap up of the film,
but it has enough sequences of physical humour and clever gags that it never
ceases to be entertaining.
National Lampoon’s Christmas
Vacation is a funny and enjoyable Christmas flick with all the essential
ingredients that makes a Christmas movie great. It may not be outright
hilarious, but it certainly holds nostalgic value for many, and is easily
accessible to any newcomers to the franchise.
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