Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation isn’t your “normal” Christmas movie like “Miracle on 34th St.” or “The Santa Clause,” but I think it’s one of the best Christmas movies ever. It makes you laugh at, among other things, how families interact at the holidays and how trying to have a perfect Christmas can turn disastrous.

The movie follows Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his family as he tries to create his version of the perfect family Christmas, complete with crazy relatives. Even brother-in-law Eddie (Randy Quaid) shows up, uninvited, and parks his RV in front of the Griswold’s house. There’s a scene later in the movie in which Clark and Eddie’s young daughter have a chat about Santa. It’s both cute and funny.

But, as anyone who knows Clark Griswold would figure out, everything goes hilariously wrong. The drive to the forest to pick out the perfect family Christmas tree nearly gets the family killed. His daughter (Juliette Lewis) is frozen from the waist down after the trek to find the tree. Once they get the tree home, of course it doesn’t fit in the living room. But that doesn’t stop Clark in his pursuit of perfection.

The scenes involving putting lights on the house are hilarious. It’s a good commentary on how neighbors try to outdo each other. Speaking of neighbors, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss plays the Griswold’s uptight next door neighbor who gets the worst end of some of Clark’s mishaps.

Through all his planning for the perfect Christmas, Clark is looking forward to his Christmas bonus from work and already has plans for the money. When, instead of money, he receives a membership to the Jelly-of-the-Month Club, Clark loses it. But Eddie saves the day in a very funny way.

Christmas Vacation isn’t the typical warm and fuzzy holiday fare, but it serves up what we all need at this time of year – a funny look at the holidays.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older