Review of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) by L I N D — 26 Dec 2010

5.9/10.

I can't remember the first time I watched "Christmas Vacation". It has been a family tradition to watch the film for as long as I can remember. Perhaps even before I was born, my family was watching this amusing Christmas satire. It's only now that I realize that not only is "Christmas Vacation" actually funny, but it's also not as amazing as I remember it being. While not as good as "National Lampoon's Vacation", the second film to center around the Griswold family is an entertaining one. The film has laughs, although none of them feel particularly ingenious. While a handful of the chuckles are actually good, the rest of them are either forced or-dare I say-fake. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching this film. For me, there were little things that seemed to almost "make the movie", one of them being Cousin Eddie's character. I remember Eddie. What a funny guy he was. Played by the absolutely hilarious Randy Quaid, Eddie was always my favorite. And he sort of made the movie for me. I suppose that for every viewer, there is one character that will help them to stick around. For me, and for many, it was Cousin Eddie. I guess it varies for every person. Nevertheless, that doesn't make "Christmas Vacation" a classic, although it doesn't mean that watching it annually (as I always do) will furthermore be a burden. This is an easy film to watch, and it's amusing enough to be called decent entertainment. It's not comic brilliance, but it gets laughs out of things that can no longer work this well. But what makes it work here? Is it the charm? Is it the characters? Is it the fact that it just didn't come out the other day? I really don't know what saves "Christmas Vacation" from being a disaster. But then again, I also can't see what's stopping it from being a brilliant Christmas satire. It could have substituted the unnecessary, familiar message for a more humorous send-off to the whole thing. But as it is, "Christmas Vacation" is very much wonderful. If it weren't for the fact that my family loves it so much, I would never pick this thing up again in my life. But I know that sometime yonder, I'll do it. Perhaps we all will. Because you can't beat decent Christmas-movie entertainment, and this is a further reminder that we don't get enough of it as it is.

"Christmas Vacation" is as the title implies. It's about a family Christmas, and with the film being a satire, that means that everything goes horribly wrong. I think the film exists to show us how much "bad" can happen in one Christmas day. And a lot of bad happens, which explains why the film is as amusing as it is. I guess there's not a whole lot of plot needed. The film is about a guy (Clark Griswold) who is having trouble pleasing his boss at work, yet is still working for the "big bonus". With the money, he hopes to buy his family a pool, although first he's got to get through the Holidays. As the relatives come pouring in, so does the chaos. Chaos comes in the form of squirrels and electricity-happy kittens. This means that "Christmas Vacation" is bound to be nothing but fun, fun, fun. That is, until it has its little moments where it just isn't funny anymore. For the most part, I tried to enjoy myself as much as possible. However, this is no Christmas classic. I do applaud it for not trying to have sweet sentimentality all-around, but it's not quite as funny as it could have been. I have seen better satires, and I have also seen worse. "Christmas Vacation" belongs smack-dab in the middle, where it seems to belong. I'm fine with the fact that it's sort of irrelevant, but in that sense, it might at well be irrelevant FUN. And I haven't had this much IRRELEVANT fun for a long, long time. So kudos to that.

Back when Chevy Chase didn't have to settle for mere cameos and television roles, he was an actual actor who actual people actually wanted. Isn't that something? Well, I'm happy to say the Chevy also used to be a pretty funny guy. That surprises me because he's not really funny anymore, but then again who is? Chase doesn't seem completely top notch in "Christmas Vacation", but his performance will indeed suffice as passable. For this kind of film at least. Not a whole lot of comedic genius is needed, as long as the film itself doesn't think it's actually brilliant. Chevy Chase isn't exactly the star of the show, however. Randy Quaid sort of made this movie for me. His performance was by far the funniest of them all. And despite the gigantic supporting cast, he helped pull the show together when it got moderately boring. He was so funny in fact the every laugh generated by him should be, in my image, considered a classic. And I think I'll leave it at that.

"Christmas Vacation" has been a traditional viewing for my family due to the humor and Holiday-setting. My parents have always loved it, and up until now, so have I. But as you can see, I no longer "love" this film. It just doesn't seem as brilliant anymore. But I did enjoy it none the less. Most of the laughs are still as apparent as they always were, and others just weren't funny anymore. "Christmas Vacation" has indeed aged for me, but not so much that it would become bad. The soundtrack sort of helps to fit the Christmasy mood of the film, and the cinematography is average enough as well. Overall, "Christmas Vacation" is average Holiday-fare. It's nothing special, and I think I'll forget it sooner or later, but it was fun while it lasted. The problems: the plot, most of the characters, and some of the laughs felt as dry as the turkey featured in the film. The good stuff: "Christmas Vacation" is still funny, well-acted, and overall worth the watch. It depends if you can stand risqué humor whatsoever. I know that I can. And while it's immature and generic half of the time, "Christmas Vacation" is, in some instances, pretty damn funny. And I don't think a couple years is going to change that. Overall, I didn't hate this film. I may not have "liked" it, but it's enjoyable for whatever it's worth. And that's good enough for me.

"Christmas Vacation" may be missing some ingredients, but it's still fun. I don't imagine I will be watching it as much (not with my family at least), but "Christmas Vacation" has that sort of appeal that will never wash away; not entirely. It's mean-spirited, but then again, so are some of the best Christmas comedies. Some will call "Christmas Vacation" a masterpiece; and then some will call it a failure. I'm caught in the middle of calling it either passable or mere mediocrity. By all means, "passable" sounds much better. And I think "Christmas Vacation" deserves whatever respect it earns from me and its audience. It has become somewhat of a minor cult classic, and I can see why. It's that kind of film; somewhat unpopular with critics yet it has "cult" written all over it. There are people who need to like it, and it needs to be seen. Some films are just like that, and I guess "Christmas Vacation" is one of them. For what it's worth, "Christmas Vacation" provides enough laughs and charm to keep me entertained. So in that sense, I kind of recommend it, but it's nothing you should "go out of your way" to see. If you can get your dirty little mitts on it, then so be it. If you can't, then know that you're not missing the most succulent of feasts.