“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is the third installment of the “National Lampoon Vacation” series. Released in 1989, the movie was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by John Hughes.
The main character, Clark Griswold is played by Chevy Chase. The cast also includes Clark’s wife, Ellen Griswold who is played by Beverly D’Angelo.
The movie has a 72% tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It performed relatively well with a budget of $25 million while gaining $74.5 million in the box office.
Plot
The Griswolds are looking forward to hosting a successful Christmas. To start the Christmas season, Clark Griswold takes his wife and his two kids, Audrey and Rusty Griswold, to chop down a Christmas tree.
The family has to unroot the tree as they forgot to bring tools to chop it down. The Griswolds’ Christmas chaos officially begins when Clark and Ellen’s parents arrive to stay over.
Clark tries to decorate his house with thousands of lights but fails to get them to turn on. This results in the whole town experiencing a power outage.
After the lights finally come on, Ellen’s cousin Catherine and her family arrive uninvited. The Griswolds welcome their eccentric relatives into their home as chaos ensues.
Christmas arrives and the family participates in a terrible dinner with a burnt-down Christmas tree. Clark Griswold receives a letter in the mail that he believes is his Christmas bonus. Clark turns into a fit of rage when the letter is actually a membership to a jelly of the month club.
To please his in-laws, Catherine’s husband, Eddie, kidnaps Clark’s boss and brings him to the house. Through some sympathetic words, Clark’s boss agrees to give his employees their Christmas bonuses that he was going to cut.
Opinions
I think “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” brings a fun, comedic aspect to traditional Christmas movies. However, its comedy doesn’t connect to younger audiences. “I don’t really like it. It’s kind of boring, honestly.” Says Alexa Beck, a Colonia High School senior. “I think the reason I don’t like it is that my dad plays it every day during Christmas.”
While the laughs are mainly coming from an older audience, some younger people can find the humor. “I think it’s funny, but it’s not as rewatchable as everyone makes it seem.” Says Mariella Spina, a Colonia High School senior.
To some, the comedy has an expiration date. There is less relatability among younger audiences than older audiences. Its humor can definitely seem outdated to some teens.
While its humor isn’t exactly timeless, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” still makes people laugh.
