Movie Released: December 1, 1989 | DVD Released: September 30, 2008
Clark Griswold has a dream of surprising his family with a backyard pool. The only impediment to making the dream a reality is that his bonus has yet to arrive. While they wait, Clark and crew enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with cherished family and surprise visitors.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B0000AQS6R” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)[/easyazon_link] is the third and highest grossing of the National Lampoon movies.
This year we shared [easyazon_link identifier=”B0000AQS6R” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)[/easyazon_link] with a new generation. Alex and I curled up on the couch with mint hot chocolate and laughed as Clark (Chevy Chase) on his quest for a dream Christmas tree, forgot to bring an axe but was determined to achieve his oversized goal by any means necessary. Released in 1989, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’s” raunchy laughs and wholehearted family affection stands the test of time.
If you’ve never seen this holiday classic, stop reading this review and do so immediately. Clark is an idealist and dreamer. He has memories of magical Christmases that he wants to share with his children Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki). When Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) shows up in a rusty RV, big-hearted Clark is willing to share the love with Eddie’s children who have certainly had many disappointing holiday seasons. Clark’s scene with Cousin Ruby Sue (Ellen Hamilton Latzen) adds a never before seen sensitivity to a well meaning but inept family man.
I could rave about all the best scenes and spoil the movie completely for the lost souls that haven’t seen it. Clark’s sled ride, his journey back into time via family movies, the trendy neighbors that are hilariously too cool for Christmas fuss and children played by Nicholas Guest and Julia Louis Dreyfus. While there are countless laugh out loud moments,[easyazon_link identifier=”B0000AQS6R” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)[/easyazon_link] is a movie with a wonderful sense of family. Everthing that Clark and Eddie do are motivated by their desire to help the ones they love.
I don’t know if the wide-eyed innocence of a family man who wants perfection for his family could have been played by anyone but Chevy Chase. Beverly DiAngelo, as a woman in love with her man, is perfectly casted as well. Despite some truly dismal follow-up movies, [easyazon_link identifier=”B0000AQS6R” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)[/easyazon_link], written by the fabulously talented John Hughes, remains the gold standard in holiday humor.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is available as a DVD, Blu-ray and on Amazon Instant Video:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
| Title | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation |
|---|---|
| Director | Jeremiah S. Chechik |
| Actors | Jeremiah Chechik, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph |
| Length | 1 hour and 37 minutes |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| DVD Release | September 30, 2008 |