There's No Place Like Home For A Holiday!
MPAA Rating: PG_13
IMDB Rating: 7.3 / 10
Release Date: 12/1/1989
Length: 97 min
Tags: comedy

The National Lampoon have always been an American attempt to
match the English comedy giants The Monty Python. To me they never
quite did live up to those highest of high standards, although they
made some huge stars and great films in their attempts. One of
those great films is the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,
featuring one of the Lampoon's biggest comedy names, Chevy
Chase.
Chevy chase stars as Clark Griswold, who leads the Griswold family
in overenthusiastic fashion as they search for the Griswold Family
Christmas Tree. With their first Christmas at home in years, they
must face the shenanigans that ensue when their extended family
turns up unannounced on their doorstep. The film relies on many
physical gags, which Chase gets the brunt of, and many character
traits that are less than ideal, such as deaf, insufferable and
fungus-infected.
Chase is, as ever, on top form with his unique style of
smiling-to-cover-up-the-despair humour, and no scene better
represents this than at the dinner table, when he reacts to the
more or less evaporated turkey with; "Ok, it's just a little dry,
it's fine." Randy Quaid also gives a great performance as the
Griswolds' cousin, Eddie Johnson, is convincing in his obnoxious
and ignorant of anything outside of his own backwards lifestyle. He
apparently took some behavioural traits, such as the clicking of
his tongue, from a man he grew up with in Texas.
We once again see the comedy guru John Hughes penning this
Christmas film, a strong trend at this stage (with Home Alone and
Miracle on 34th Street also Hughes' films), and he once again nails
the accessible family comedy that he made a name in.
The National Lampoon began as a comedy magazine, which, under its
brand umbrella went on to spawn films, radio, live theatre and all
kinds of recordings and books. The big name actors involved were
Bill Murray, John Belushi, and of course, Chase, who gained much of
their acclaim through the Saturday Night Live sketch comedy show.
Christmas Vacation was the only National Lampoon film to have a
direct sequel - the direct-to-video National Lampoon's Christmas
Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure - but stick with the
original and feel lucky about your family this Christmas.
Fun Fact:
The Griswold's neighbor's house is the same house that Murtaugh
and his family lived in all of the Lethal Weapon movies. The houses
on this street are on the Warner Brothers Studios back lot.
Purchase / Download National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation from Amazon >>