Christmas Vacation: Movie Review

This 1989 film starring Chevy Chase has become not only one of my favorites, but a cult classic that many people view more than once during the holiday season, and for good reason. While viewing this film and studying the humongous amount of funny quotes it has to offer, it is no wonder it has replaced the classics like
Its A Wonderful Life as the must see holiday movie every season.

Chevy Chase plays Clark Griswold in the third installment of the series of Vacation films. Clark realizes both his and wife Ellen's parents are getting old so he decides to have an old fashioned family Christmas, one that he never had growing up.

"Our holidays were always such a mess, dad."

"Oh,yeah."

How'd you get through it dad?"

"I had a little help from Jack Daniels."

As the Griswold family goes out in search of the great Christmas tree to add to their home trouble abounds, everything from: getting run down in the family station wagon by a semi truck, to hiking waist deep in snow in search of that allusive special tree, only to forget the chainsaw to actually cut down that tree.

"Clark, Audrey's frozen from the waist down."

"That's all part of the experience,honey."

One of the great beginnings in this festive comedy is Clark's fascination with getting the house decorated with thousands of lights, only to have problems in getting those thousands of lights to actually work. But once he does,

"Is your house on fire Clark?"

"No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights."

One of the more humorous relationships in all of the Vacation films are the one's between Clark and the annoying Cousin Eddie, played fabulously by Randy Quaid. It seems like Cousin Eddie and family are always taking advantage of the Griswold's.
Each scene shown with Clark and Cousin Eddie presents a comedic duet of shear delight, as they each play off one another well.

While the family is outside admiring the now functioning properly Christmas lights, Cousin Eddie and family show up... uninvited of course.

"You surprised to see us,Clark?"

"Oh, Eddie..if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised then I am now."

Once inside the festive looking home, their comedic bantering continues:

"Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?"

"Naw, I'm just fine Clark."

One of the more funny moments of the film is when 80 year-old Aunt Bethany hears something inside the Christmas tree.

"What's that sound? You hear it? It's a funny squeaky sound."

"You couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant!"
exclaims Uncle Lewis.

Aunt Bethany's hearing seems to be pretty good for her age as the sounds she hears are that of a squirrel who has taken up residency inside.The squirrel suddenly takes flight throughout the house wrecking havoc along the way. Not to mention Cousin Eddie's dog Snots helping with the dismantling of the home by joining in the chase.

This epic destruction along with Uncle Eddie coming uninvited, and the Christmas tree catching fire from Uncle Lewis' cigar, has the Griswold's second guessing their having a traditional family Christmas.

"Clark, I think it's best if everyone went home..before things get worse."

"Worse? How could things get any worse? Take a look around here, Ellen, we're at the threshold of hell!"

Things do get worse when a messenger delivers Clark his Christmas bonus, only it's not what he was expecting. Clark was expecting enough money in his bonus to put in a swimming pool, instead he gets enrolled in a jelly-of-the-month club.

"If this isn't the biggest bag-over-the-head, punch-in-the-face I ever got!"

Clark goes ballistic and rants heavily about his low-down-dirty cheap boss. He even sarcasticly asks for his boss to be brought to his home so he could lash out at him in person; his boss neatly wrapped in a red bow of course.

Cousin Eddie, who always takes Clark literally on everything he says, drives off to kidnap Clark's boss and bring him back to the Griswold's now defunct family Christmas.

"Yes, officer, it seems my husband's been abducted. The man..was wearing a blue leisure suit. Plates were from Kansas. He was a huge,beastly, bulging man."
the boss's wife exclaims on the phone to the police.

Much to Clark's surprise, Cousin Eddie appears with Clark's boss and a Swat Team to follow. Much to the delight of the Griswold family, Clark's boss realizes what he did to save a cheap buck was wrong, and reinstates Clark Griswold's bonus.

The Griswold family Christmas, not the one they had in mind, but one I am sure they will never forget.