This holiday season, I had to visit a family that I haven't seen in quite a while: the Griswolds. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, while not the best of the Chevy Chase-led franchise, is one of my favorite holiday films ever. It never ceases to make me laugh and has honestly become a staple in my family for Christmas cinema. From cousin Eddie's surprise visit to the uptight couple next door, this film provides some of the most memorable and wacky, slapstick humor of this series.
Chevy Chase plays Clark Griswold in the third installment of the Vacation series and has definitely proven himself to be the best and most irreplaceable character. Along with his wife Ellen, played by Beverly D'Angelo and his two kids Rusty (Johnny Galecki) and Audrey (Juliette Lewis), this family has instilled themselves in every American household and TV in the funniest way possible. The best part of this franchise that I adore so much is also the biggest aspect holding back this particular film's script. Its constantly-evolving humor makes way for some different breeds of comedy, but not always in the best way. While Vacation and European Vacation were both packed full of adult humor and raunchy National Lampoon satire, Christmas Vacation seems to abandon that boat completely. This film is rated PG-13 and almost entirely relies on weak jokes and slapstick humor to make the nearly nonexistent plot entertaining. One of the biggest issues is that this film could have been shot in a day or two and is completely situational; the whole plot is simply Clark surviving the Christmas season and his in-laws. Even though it does accomplish solid humor by providing some of the most memorable one-liners and funny scenes, it, unfortunately, does not provide enough content to be humorous all year-round. I will forever enjoy this film for the ridiculous fun that it brings, but unlike Santa Claus, does not appear to bring much more than that.
A majority of the technical parts of this film and its script were a bit underwhelming and did not provide the same amount of originality that the previous two have. Much of the dialogues' jokes in this film were recycled, as a lot of running gags and callbacks were used to bring the Griswold nostalgia back for the holidays. The one aspect that redeems this part of the writing is the fact that it actually takes place at the Griswolds' home for the first time, which was a nice change of setting. However, as previously mentioned, the majority of the best humor in this film came from its slapstick qualities and cheap but effective laughs. I only wish that the same unabashedly risqué humor was utilized in this script and not toned down to fit more like a family film. One of the best parts of the writing though was Clark's arc with his boss and the Christmas bonus, as I feel many corporate workers can relate to this holiday financial struggle. I also loved the use of the animation for the opening title sequences and how reminiscent it was of many cheesy, animated Christmas films. National Lampoon has always been the most clever in the way of comedic storytelling and their use of holiday satire was one of the best recurring themes.
Overall though, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a classic holiday film that never fails to put me in the mood for the holidays. While I wish the production value would have been up to par with the previous entries of the Griswolds' adventures, I will forever cherish this movie for the unforgettably funny moments that it is known for.
My Rating: ★★★
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