Review of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) by Patrick E — 08 Jan 2011

The third film featuring the adventures of the Griswold family, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is a Christmas classic and has withstood the test of time due to its many moments of comedic brilliance and a true sentimental Christmas feel.

The plot is nothing new; The Griswold's family Christmas turns into a disaster when both sets of Grandparents and their annoying and broke cousin Eddie descend upon the family house to spend Christmas together. Nothing seems to go right for dad Clark (Chevy Chase), including the lack of a Christmas bonus which eventually leads him to snap.

Yes the plot has been done countless times before but when you have characters and comedy this good then it doesn't matter in the slightest. Chevy Chase is in top form as Clark, the dad of the Griswold family who wants nothing more than a perfect Christmas for his family. The only problem is that everything he does seems to end in disaster. There is a perfect mix of physical and verbal comedy to be found here with plenty of laugh out loud moments. What makes Christmas Vacation stand out from the pack is its wonderfully upbeat ending which is nothing more than you would expect from writer John Hughes. It really does leave you with a perfect Christmassy feeling at the end.

Great entertainment from start s finish, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is without doubt one of the best Christmas films ever made.