One of the new Christmas/Holiday classics in the world of film has become National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. In the film, Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold in his third go-round as the lead character. He has taken a Vacation to Wally-World, he has taken a European Vacation, and now he is on board for a Christmas Vacation. The title is a little mis-leading because they aren't really going anywhere, but during the Christmas season depicted in the film, all of his family is coming for a visit. This includes not only his family, but the in-laws, in what should turn out to be an interesting week to say the least. This time around the story focuses more on taking advantage of hilarious situations, and putting Chevy Chase into an immense amount of physical humor in order to garner more laughs.

Among the plans for this "vacation" is a Christmas bonus that Clark expects to show up as a check during the weeks off from work. He plans to use this in order to install a pool for the family, but early on you start to see that his bonus may not be quite what he expected. Then his cousin (played by Randy Quaid) shows up with his family, and all sorts of interesting situations start to occur. With the family all in town, and Clark at his ropes end having to deal with all of the inherent drama associated with that, the movie sets itself up to be a family-oriented comedy that will show just how funny family get-togethers can actually end up.

In addition to Chase and Quaid, Beverly D'Angelo returns as Clark's wife, and brings with her the great persona that made her funny in the first two films. The kids are played by different actors, but since so many years passed between films, that was expected in order to keep a time-line within the film itself. There are few notable actors/actresses that also have roles in the film including Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a neighbor fed up with the Griswold's and Juliette Lewis as Randy Quaid's wife. Not only that, but John Hughes was writer and producer, so he was able to infuse an immense level of humor into a story that already had Chevy Chase as its lead asset. This is one of those family comedies that is set up perfectly, and Hughes did an excellent job creating a film that would stay funny for years.

If I had to make a list of the funniest Christmas themed films ever made, I would have to put National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation at the top of that list. Chevy Chase has never been better (some would argue Caddy Shack) that he is in this film, and he takes physical comedy to the perfect level. All through the film he is doing things that guys would normally be doing, adding a high level of realism to the story, and making everything turn out so much funnier as a result. This includes the family trying to find a Christmas tree in the wilderness, Clark trying to set up 25,000 Christmas lights on his house, and a super-powered sled just to name a few of the funniest moments in the film. Though it came out way back in 1989, this film is still extremely funny, and well worth a place in any movie fans collection. It will stay in ours for a long time to come, and has my highest recommendation for a holiday comedy.






Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD