LogFAQs > #972216988

15. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (1989)
Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik
Score: 149

Suprak: 3
Poke: 8
Gavs: 10
Tangy: 10
Plasma: 10
Vis: 12
Karo: 13
Forty: 27
John: 28
Mythiot: 28

10. Gavs
Christmas can be a very stressful time of year, what with all the preparation that needs to go into it. The pressure to create the perfect holiday that will live on in the memories of your loved ones for years to come only adds to the stress, and for Clark Griswold, this Christmas ends up being one to remember for all the wrong reasons. Luckily, that isnt the case for the viewer, as this films place in the pantheon of Christmas classics is well deserved.

The lengths to which Clark goes to put on the perfect family Christmas are admirable, though its up for debate whether his family genuinely wants this or if hes doing it for his own sake. Nevertheless, he remains sympathetic because you can always tell that he cares about his family, and at worst, hes merely a bit misguided. It would have been easy to go too cynical with this, but the film manages to have some heartwarming moments alongside the comedy. Cousin Eddie and his family are going through rough times financially, and the better off Clark wants to help him give the kids a Christmas present, even if Eddie can be a nuisance at times. Thats the spirit of Christmas right there we might not always get along with our families, but most of the time, we still want the best for them.

This film also has one of the more relatable premises on this list. Weve all had Christmases where some aspect doesnt go entirely as planned, whether it be not having enough room for everyone, interactions with distant family that remind you theyre distant for a reason, burning the turkey or other reasons, but unless its something that permanently alters the family dynamic, we will forget about these issues in years to come and only remember the things that did work out. When all is said and done, thats how this Christmas will go down for the Griswolds as well.

10. Tangy
Im usually one whos not too keen on most Christmas movies. I can enjoy some of the classics like Miracle or Wonderful Life, but for the most part they always portray this idealized version of what Christmas is supposed to feel like and I find it more frustrating than anything. So naturally thats what I love about Christmas Vacation. Not only does it critique the holiday season as a whole, but its also insanely relatable. The holidays are stressful, family is stressful and its pretty easy to forget how much work actually goes into crafting the perfect Christmas.

While Im not a big Chevy Chase fan by any means and Clark is pretty reflective of the actor. That said, he's still somewhat likable here, which is more than I can say for his other appearances in the franchise. We get several scenes that do get to show his humanity and I think it ties into the overall message of the movie really well.

What really elevates this movie for me though is the side characters. The best member of the Griswold family has to be the family matriarch, Ellen Griswold. Beverly DiAngelo is freaking amazing when it comes to comedic timing and her scene in the kitchen with the cigarettes gets me every time. I also freaking love Cousin Eddie, I had an uncle that acted almost exactly like him and its really fun seeing a character come to life like that on the big screen.

Overall is Christmas Vacation a perfect movie? Absolutely not, Clarks too much of an asshole and the movie relies too much on boomer humor, but overall I like it and its always a much watch for me around the holidays.

Biggest Laugh: Its Christmas and were all in misery

10. Plasma
Though Ive seen bits and pieces of Christmas Vacation through the years, I never actually watched it straight through until this project. Its a fun movie and every scene feels like it was painstakingly crafted to torpedo 80s consumerism, but something about this one doesnt click for me. The problem might be that there are too many characters, too many subplots, and too much of everything, really. It tries to cram as much Christmas as possible into its runtime, and by the time Clarks brother got involved, I already had enough on my plate.

The humor was hit-and-miss for me. Some jokes are absolute classics while others like the dried-out turkey seem absurdly over the top for this story. C+

12. Vis
This movie just had a lot of heart to it. Its a comedy, and theres some distinct jokes being played at the expense of not just our lead character, but also his obnoxious, yuppie neighbors, but at the end of the day, the movie still carries with it an emotional baseline. Were introduced to Clark Griswold, and at first he comes across as a cocky dickhead of a dad, and to a certain extent, thats what he is; several early scenes paint him in an unfavorable light. However, as the film progresses, and were introduced to all manner of his in-laws, and his shitty neighbors, and his shitty boss, you start to take his side. This is a guy who just wants to take the holidays seriously and makes the best damn Christmas memories possible for his entire family. Of course, even single situation manages to go wrong in extreme ways, which just keeps ramping up the tension as the advent calendar framing device ticks along. By the end, I genuinely started to feel like Clark deserved to just catch a break, since he was just having SO MUCH bad luck and misfortune that it made me uncomfortable.

All that being said, I did mention the emotions in this film. We meet Clarks in-laws, and theyre kind of assholes, but its important to note that Clarks parents are never really portrayed that way. Sure, theyre a bit annoying in the frenzy of their arrival at the house, but for the most part, his mom and dad are loving parents, and that kind of informs what Clarks to be for his own family. The scene of him watching those old home movies speaks to this as well. But the scene that REALLY got to me was Clark with Eddies daughter. Clark CLEARLY hates Eddie and everything he stands for, but in that moment, he has this nave child who, due to her familys financial situation, is being told that Santa isnt coming, and in that moment, it doesnt matter if her dad is fucking annoying: this is a kid who deserves to experience that magic of Christmas, and even cynical, prideful Clark is able to show some humanity when it comes to his niece and nephew. Its moments like that which makes the tribulations Clark faces all the tougher to watch, because hes not just some jackass, even if he is a grade-A buffoon at times,