National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Writer: John Hughes (yes that John Hughes)
Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Nicholas Guest
Reason for watching: First time watching/Christmas time
Number of times I’ve watched it: one
***
Christmas movies are the rare type of movies that I really just love. Die Hard? Love it. How the Grinch Stole Christmas? Love it. It’s a Wonderful Life? Love it. Christmas Story? I haven’t seen it in a long time, but I remember liking it. But what we have here is a rare example of a movie that is just fine for me. It’s funny. I enjoy slapstick. Chevy Chase has a few good punch lines. But calling this a Christmas movie is like calling your 13-year-old self a basketball player for throwing a wadded up piece of paper into the trash can. Sure, he’s reliant on that Christmas bonus; but it’s not about the holiday season. But let’s get into the overview before we touch the nitty-gritty. This is a comedy. It’s not to be taken seriously so I’m not gonna think about the message too hard until the end (and that’s just because I’m a movie nerd).
Basic plot summary: the Griswold family are having a wacky Christmas while hosting grandparents and cousins. The patriarch of the family, Clark (Chevy Chase), wants to have a big family Christmas. But when the relatives start showing up, things go haywire. Below are the terrible events that happen in the Griswold home that somehow happen before December 25th: a kidnapping, a sewage explosion, a tree that burns down, a house with so many lights you can see it from space, an insane tirade about how crappy a boss is, a broken attic, and a SWAT team invasion. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue. Does all of that sound like Christmas? No. Well, it is Christmas movie apparently.
So why is this movie just fine? Well, what’s the thing that is usually abundant in Christmas movies? JOY. People are happy to be celebrating the holiday. There’s some kind of journey protagonists go on to make sure that joy is preserved. The best example of this is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, regardless of whether you like the classic cartoon, the Jim Carrey on steriods version, or whatever Benedict Cumberbatch did in 2018. He takes away what he thinks fuels Whoville’s joy for the holidays when in reality he learns that they really do enjoy each other’s company and that matters most to them. Or another one in It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey learns how much he matters to his town and that his existence means a lot to them and their celebration of the season. (That second one doesn’t work as well though, but it still works.)
Where’s the joy in Christmas Vacation? It seems absent to me. Clark and Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) struggle to keep the relatives in check. On top of that Clark worries about the huge check he wrote for a pool that he might not be able to cash. Clark’s boss is a money-grubber who might not be giving Christmas bonuses. The relatives fry down the tree and nearly cause a fire in their house and DO cause that aforementioned SWAT team assault on the house. Yes, there is a moment where Clark is locked in the attic and enjoys some old camera reel of his childhood Christmas, but that’s it. Therein lies the problem with this movie. It lacks that Christmas joy.
But maybe that’s the point. The writers and crew wanted to point out how commercialism and extra stress brought on by guests can mess with the holiday. If that’s the case it’s the best secret message in a Christmas movie ever.
I think I’m digging in too hard on this movie. Most of the slapstick comedy lands for me. The jokes and punchline setups are clever and fun. I do really enjoy the side story of the Griswold’s neighbors, (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Nicholas Guest) and their annoyance with our protagonist’s antics. And if there is a secret message is about the con’s of capitalism near Christmas time, then it’s a good one.
6/10
Until I see another one.