I've never been a fan of National Lampoon's brand of comedy. This is due mostly with the fact that the modern films are little more than wasted screwball efforts. Among National Lampoon's more popular entries are the 'Vacation' series. These just happen to be the only films from this label that click with me, and the original was amongst my favorite movies growing up. I've grown older, my tastes have changed, but one thing is still the same - National Lampoon's Vacation still makes me laugh.

Clark Griswold is a food additive engineer working in Chicago. He also happens to be a workaholic that doesn't spend enough time with his kids, and so to make up for it he has decided to take the whole family across country to a fictional theme park - Wally World. Not even a mix-up at a car dealership resulting in him purchasing a piece of junk car can dampen his spirits - this may be his only chance to re-connect with his teenage children Audrey and Rusty.

The trip, as you can probably guess, turns out to be a disaster. Clark is blindly optimistic no matter how dire things may seem. Nothing is going to ruin his trip, not a forced visit to his annoying relatives, getting lost in the inner city, wrecking in the middle of the desert, his wife's annoying aunt, even her death can't shake his spirits. Or can it?

Just about everything that can go wrong on a vacation does go wrong. Most of the fun is in watching Clark deal with these large hurdles for the sake of his own sanity. The real turning point in the film happens about three quarters the way through when Clark actually does snap, and his development to this low is actually done really well. There's never a dull moment - especially with Christie Brinkley serving up the eye candy here and there. That certainly doesn't hurt.

One of the things I liked so much about the film was Clark's character. You really feel bad for the guy, and despite some bad decision making skills and his overwhelming pride he's actually a very likeable person. The rest of the family lacks that certain appeal which isn't that big of a deal. The secondary characters are also quite memorable, from Ellen Griswold's trashy cousins, a police officer who is passionate about animals, to the security guard at Wally World (played by the awesome John Candy).

I wouldn't label National Lampoon's Vacation as purely a comedy effort. It's got a surprising number of Adventure elements, and the sheer amount of trials the family undergoes on the vacation adds to the effect. These genre mixing elements are what make the film more watch able on repeated viewings.

There's something we can all relate to from this movie. Somehow the writers manage to re-create the feeling of the family vacation through this story. While I seriously doubt anyone has had such a wild trip before there's something nostalgic about watching this film. It's quite easy to relate certain elements of the Griswold family with your own and you'll probably laugh to yourself while doing so. This is mostly because the script actually made the family and their interactions fairly realistic.

Admittedly the description of the film makes this one sound like a family movie. That's certainly not the case here. National Lampoon's Vacation is rated R and with good reason. Various scenes contain nudity and strong language, but the film goes so far as to include mention of incest and drug use. You probably don't want your children watching this one.

The performances are, for the most part, pretty decent. Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron all do pretty well as the Griswold family, although Chevy Chase steals the show. He plays the character to a 'T', and you couldn't have picked a more convincing actor to pull off Clark Griswold. Even the secondary performances are pretty good. This makes the film feel more authentic because various types of people are depicted from around the US - even if the film does rely on stereotypes sometimes it's still funny.

Final Recommendation
National Lampoon's Vacation is one of my favorite comedies of all time. It's one of the definitive films from the 80s. Those of you who want something with a little more substance to it than your typical screwball effort should give this one a try.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age