Summary
Christmas with the Griswalds!
My Thoughts
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a classic to some, one that is viewed in multitude during this holiday season, network television stations playing it non stop until the presents have all been unwrapped. It's the type of Christmas film that, although the formula is well worn and used by many other cheery outings, it can still feel fresh and new each year by the hilarious Griswald family's dysfunctionality, the humor is just raunchy enough and mean spirited to set it apart from the Hallmark crowds, such as the favorite cousin Eddy (Randy Quaid, “Independence Day”) who, despite having a good heart, is just a disgusting person with no sense of hygiene. When the Griswalds get together, so do the rest of us; it's easy to turn off your brain and enjoy this family's shenanigans for an hour and a half.
Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase, “Three Amigos”) is truly a man's man I'm every sense, he's goofy, stern when needed, a family man to the core, and a bit archaic, with a slice of misogyny ("no shit?"), But ultimately with a large heart, whose sole purpose in this film is to get his family together for Christmas, make his house as bright as humanly possible, and surprise them with a Christmas bonus from work which he's planning to use on a swimming pool. Of course none of that can be easy, and things go terribly amiss, but Clark is such a likable character, even with his idiocies and quite relatable, Chevy Chase being a wonderful physical actor, and facial, his breakdown scene when he curses his boss for not giving him the bonus is classic and one that this film is remembered for. It's a simple film, but an easy watch and is immensely quotable.
This movie is light on story, it's basically just situations happening after each other in comical fashion, each one greater and sometimes funnier than the last. There's no real Central dillema here, except maybe Clark getting the Christmas lights to work, it's essentially about family and dealing with the holidays, and it weren't for the established cast it would have been a run of the mill holiday movie. Luckily the situations the Griswalds encounter are almost always hilarious this time around (unlike their trip to Vegas), the dry turkey that everyone gnaws on, or the cat being wrapped up by the early onset dementia grandmother, and of course we can't forget about the neighborly feud, which escalates to some serious property damage. Not a lot of holiday movies these days have the charm this one still holds, it's both mean spirited and heart warming at the same time, just because a family is dysfunctional doesn't mean there's a shortage of love.
While I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas movies, there's those select few like this one I don't mind revisiting every year, it provides a nice escape from the stresses of shopping and anxietal thoughts of not having rent money due to poor impulsive gift choices. If the Griswalds were real they'd be the first family to welcome anyone in with open arms, they just have to be ready for a different sort of family dynamic. It's hard not to smile and chuckle and feel Clark's pain when his boss doesn't even remember his name, even though he's been a career man there for years, it makes the freak out at the end even more satisfying and funny. While the script is pretty thin, and the climax very silly, the characters are the reason I keep coming back to this Christmas classic each year, I wouldn't mind spending the holidays with the Griswalds, even if the shitter is full.
I give National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 4 stars out of 5
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