Review of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) by Kenneth L — 27 Dec 2013
This isn't exactly a great movie, but it's got some pretty funny moments and is inoffensive enough to watch with your family near Christmas. The National Lampoon name has really degenerated into utter trash recently, but back in 1989, it still meant you got something fairly decent and funny.
The plot follows the Griswold family, headed by dad Clark (Chevy Chase) as they host their relatives for the Christmas holidays. The relatives are all annoying and insane, of course, especially Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), who lives in an RV and is generally a classless moron who ruins everything he touches.
For better or worse, this is probably Randy Quaid's defining role. Chevy Chase makes for a decent straight man to all the mishaps. Interestingly, the movie has Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Juliette Lewis in small roles before they got famous for Seinfeld and Natural Born Killers respectively.
The script was written by John Hughes, so some of the jokes are of above-average cleverness. If you're looking for something to watch with the family next Christmas, this one's not bad.
This review of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) was written by Kenneth L on 27 Dec 2013.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
